Description and photos of spiders in the Saratov region

Spiders of the Saratov region do not fundamentally differ from the inhabitants of neighboring territories. The small invertebrate inhabitants of the region are well studied. In total, the fauna of this region has 400 species of arthropods. The Saratov region is distinguished by the fact that 5 species of spiders are immediately listed in its Red Book. Some of them are poisonous, others are completely harmless, although they look intimidating.

Red Book Spiders

Among the arthropods, listed in the local Red Book, there are both poisonous spiders of the Saratov region and completely harmless creatures. Really spiders dangerous to humans Among the poisonous no. There are capable of delivering a lot of discomfort.

Spider species protected in the Saratov Region include:

• black erezus or black fathead;
• South Russian tarantula;
• silver spider;
• atypus wall;
• plant / striped hunter.

The first two species can be dangerous to people. But in the Saratov region they are under state protection. Since it is impossible to offend these animals (they can hardly survive anyway) and it is better to bypass them altogether, then they must be described with names and photos. So that you can find out when you go on nature.

Two poisonous species: erezus and tarantula. Both are conditionally poisonous. Their bite does not lead to death. The most dangerous of these two is eresus, since its poison leads to more serious consequences.

Black Eresus (Eresus kollari)

Erezus are called velvet spiders for their thick short stubble covering the body. Because of this, the spider seems velvet.

For the area, erezus are one of the largest spiders: the body length of the female is up to 2 cm, the male is 1 cm. The cephalothorax and abdomen are approximately equal in size in both sexes. Erezus has strict sexual dimorphism in color: the female is always black. The male has a bright red color of the abdomen with four black dots. The points are located at the corners of the square.

Interesting!

Because of the color of the abdomen in the male, the popular name for erezus is the ladybug spider.

Erezus live in burrows 10 cm deep. Above the burrow spiders weave hunting netsconnected to a residential tube. Erezus themselves usually do not dig holes, they occupy the dwellings of other invertebrates (crickets, ground bugs and others), which serve as prey for these spiders. They can build houses in cracks and voids under the stones.

Eresus hunt for large large beetles, other arachnids and other invertebrates with the help of a spider web canopy. Females, having settled in one place, never leave the shelter again. Only young and mature males leave the burrows in search of a pair. Erezus females reach maturity in the third year of life. They lay only one cocoon in their lives, after which they die. Young spiders and immature females leave for the winter.

South Russian Tarantula

The largest representative of the Saratov spiders. Lycosa singoriensis belongs to the family wolf spidersnot weaving nets and hunting at night. Are found South Russian tarantulas in a dry climate, preferring steppe and semi-desert zones. In the Saratov region, it is also listed in the Red Book due to the small number of habitats suitable for this spider.

Tarantulas independently dig deep holes in which they loot prey. They have no special shelters for posterity. After laying eggs, the female wraps them in a cocoon and carries them with her. After the appearance, spiders carry offspring on the abdomen.

They hunt small invertebrates: crickets, bugs, millipedes. During the hunt or, defending themselves, they can jump to a height of 10-15 cm.

On a note!

Wasp stings and tarantula are approximately equal in pain intensity and consequences. After a few hours, the traces of a tarantula bite disappear.

Silver Spider (Argyroneta aquatica)

The species is widespread in Europe, but in the Saratov region is listed in the Red Book. It is distinguished by the presence on the abdomen of many short setae, smeared with a special substance. Thanks to this device, a spider can spend a long time under water. The bristles lubricated with the substance do not get wet, and air is held between them. Underwater, silverfish breathes thanks to this air bubble.

Interesting!

Serebryanka is one of the few species of spiders, in which the male is larger than the female. The dimensions of the male save him from cannibalism. Another trait atypical for spiders: male and female live together in one shelter.

Outwardly, they are medium-sized spiders: male 1.5 cm, female - 1.2 cm. The cephalothorax is brown, almost naked. The abdomen is covered with thick bristles.

Spiders live in stagnant or slow flowing water. Bell-shaped nests are also built underwater. After the nest is built, a silverfish fills it with air and uses it as a refuge. It feeds on small aquatic animals that it catches underwater.

Silver spider possesses a fairly strong poison, but inferior in toxicity to the tarantula.

Serious and relatively poisonous spiders in Saratov end. The rest of the Red Book inhabitants of the steppes and sandy slopes, protected by law, are not afraid of man.

Atipus wall (Atypus muralis)

Relic of the Tertiary period. In total, only 4 species of these spiders belonging to 1 genus have been recorded in Russia. In the world there are 52 species from 3 genera. In the Saratov region, only the wall atypus lives. The habitat of this spider is limited to Sokolimi and Zhiguli mountains, as well as the Krasnosamara forestry.

It refers to spider-diggers, independently digging holes for themselves. Spiders are usually medium in size: 0.8-1.2 cm. Females can grow up to 2 cm. The color of the atypus is black. The internal structure is primitive: they have no trachea, they breathe with a pair of lung bags.

On a note!

Outwardly, the atypus gives the impression of a dangerous spider due to the large long chelicera, parallel to the ground. In fact, he needs this device because of the original way of hunting insects.

The atipuses dig burrows up to 90 cm deep, which are lined with cobweb fabric from the inside. This fabric extends from the outside and looks like a long tube with a closed end. Usually a spider hides a tube under the vegetation.

Atipus females never leave these tubes. A spider approaching a tube of insects kills directly through the fabric. After that, he gnaws a hole at the end of the tube and goes outside to pick up the prey.

Males during the breeding season penetrate into the female shelter, tearing the tube tissue. Eggs mature 8-9 months. The lifespan of these spiders is 7-8 years. A female becomes sexually mature only at 4 years old.

These spiders settle in colonies of dozens of individuals. Burrows are located at a distance of 0.5-2 m from each other. For colonies, it is preferable to choose sandy soils on steppe sunny slopes or glades of pine-deciduous and pine forests.

Hunter striped

In the Saratov region, 4 species of the family Pisauridae - hunter spidersbelonging to 2 genera: Dolomedes and Pisaura. But only one of them is listed in the Red Book of the Saratov region. This is a striped hunter.

The name "plant" in this case is incorrect and is tracing paper from the Latin name for the species Dolomedes plantarius. Plantae in Latin "plant".

Females of the striped hunter grow up to 2 cm. Males on average 11 mm.According to the description and appearance, the striped hunter is very similar to his "relative" - ​​Dolomedes fimbriatus, whose name in the Russian systematics is limb. Both species live in the same area and are easy to confuse.

The striped and limb hunters differ in the width of a light strip passing along the entire body. Stripes from the cephalothorax begin and close at the end of the abdomen. The striped border on the cephalothorax is wider than on the abdomen.

The color is brown. The abdomen is oval. The legs are thick, long, equipped with large spikes.

Interesting!

These spiders can run on the surface of the water for some time.

Striped hunters live near ponds. They also catch prey there, trapping it at the water's edge. Females become sexually mature at 2 years of age. Propagate twice a year. At one time, the female lays 500-600 eggs.

Pisaura amazing (Pisaura mirabilis)

There is no established Russian name. Belongs to hunter spiders. Females of pisaura are surprisingly up to 15 mm long, males - up to 13 mm. It lives in the grass and on bushes. The spider hunts in the afternoon. Color greenish-gray or taupe. There are pale stripes on the sides of the abdomen. A narrow light band runs along the dorsal shield of the cephalothorax.

Interesting!

This species has an interesting mating rite. The male presents a cocoon with a wrapped insect before the copulation to the female. The lighter the shade of the cocoon, the more it is appreciated by the female. Males not stocked with a present have 50% less chance of copulation.

But not all males have a successful hunt at the right time. Therefore, sometimes a spider presents a female with an inedible cocoon. The female learns about this already in the process of replication.