Hexophthalma hahni
Hexophthalma hahni (synonyms Sicarius hahni and Sicarius testaceus), known along with other members of the genus as the six-eyed sand spider, is a member of the family Sicariidae, found in deserts and other sandy places in southern Africa. Due to their flattened stance and laterigrade legs, they are also sometimes known as six-eyed crab spiders. Its specific name honours Carl Wilhelm Hahn.
| Hexophthalma hahni | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Sicariidae |
| Genus: | Hexophthalma |
| Species: | H. hahni |
| Binomial name | |
| Hexophthalma hahni | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Venom
All species of Hexophthalma produce venom that can have necrotic (dermonecrotic) effects, capable of causing serious or even life-threatening wounds, particularly if the wound becomes infected or the venom spreads in the body. The necrotic effects are caused by a family of proteins related to sphingomyelinase D, present in the venom of all sicariid spiders. Most Hexophthalma species, though, including H. hahnii, have only been studied in vitro, and the detailed effects of their venom in humans and other vertebrates are unknown.[2] No records of bites in southern Africa have been proven.[3]
References
- "Taxon details Hexophthalma hahni (Karsch, 1878)", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2018-07-16
- Magalhães, I.L.F.; Brescovit, A.D. & Santos, A.J. (2017), "Phylogeny of Sicariidae spiders (Araneae: Haplogynae), with a monograph on Neotropical Sicarius", Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 179 (4): 767–864, doi:10.1111/zoj.12442
- Leroy, Astri, Dangerous Spiders in South Africa (PDF), retrieved 2018-09-02