''Phoneutria bahiensis'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

s in the family

Ctenidae Wandering spiders (''Ctenidae'') are a family of spiders that includes the Brazilian wandering spiders. These spiders have a distinctive longitudinal groove on the top-rear of their oval carapace similar to those of the Amaurobiidae. They are hig ...

, found in Brazil. It's known in

Brazilian Portuguese Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...

as Armadeira da Bahia, (Bahia armed spider).

Description and Behavior

''Phoneutria bahiensis'' can reach 3.5 cm in body length and 14 cm with leg-span. ''P. bahiensis'' is very similar in appearance to ''

Phoneutria fera ''Phoneutria fera'' is a species of spider with medically significant venom in the family Ctenidae found in South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Suriname, and Guyana). It is commonly known as the Brazilian wandering spider and the bana ...

'' and '' Phoneutria reidyi'': its anterior flat lobe is convex while much more distinct in ''P. fera'', and poorly developed in ''P. reidyi''. The

pedipalps Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) are the second pair of appendages of chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to the chelicerae ("jaws") and ...

are dorsally dark brown, with the retrolateral face of the patella and tibia with barn bands. The opistosome is dorsally dark brown, with yellow-orange bristles. The ventral part is dark brown with four series of light yellow spots. In males, the tibia is equal to or greater than the cambium, and the plunger is straight with a slightly curved tip. The males also have a reduced retrolateral tibial apophysis of the pedipalp. The coloration of the males is similar to that of the females, except for the exchange with a median longitudinal orange band. The cheliceras of the females are dark brown with yellow bristles. ''Phoneutria bahiensis'' is usually found on top of trees in the Atlantic Forest. It is carnivorous, feeding on insects, other spiders, frogs, lizards, and small mice. Like other wandering spiders it does not use webs to hunt, instead actively hunting on the forest floor. It attacks and uses a paralyzing toxin to immobilize its prey. Unlike other wandering spiders, ''P. bahiensis'' is rarely aggressive.

Distribution and Habitat

This species is endemic to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, being found in the Atlantic Forest from the south of

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-largest b ...

to the north of

Espirito Santo ''Espirito'' (Brazilian for "Spirit") is the second album by Lawson Rollins. Rollins composed all of the music and co-produced the album with Persian-American musician and producer Shahin Shahida (of Shahin & Sepehr) and multi-platinum producer Do ...

Danger

Although not much is known about this species, it is venomous and should be treated with caution. Out of 12 reported bites, 5 developed heart failure. (See

Pathophysiology of spider bites The pathophysiology of a spider bite is due to the effect of its venom. A spider envenomation occurs whenever a spider injects venom into the skin. Not all spider bites inject venom – a dry bite, and the amount of venom injected can vary based on ...

References

Ctenidae Spiders of Brazil Spiders described in 2001 {{ctenidae-stub