Orange cross spider. A dangerous neighborhood is a spider with a cross on its back. Life cycle and reproduction

The crusader spider is distinguished from its fellows by its impressive size. The length of the females is more than 2 cm, while the male is half as long. The larger size of females is necessary for killing the male after mating, and also allows you to safely carry a large cocoon with small spiders on yourself.

How many legs does a cross spider have? Like all arachnids, the insect has four pairs of legs, which are especially sensitive due to the three claws located at the very tips. With them, he clings to the victim.

On the back, the spider is decorated with a cross of small circles of light or light brown color, located on the upper part of the abdomen, which is why it got its name. A black spider with a white cross on its back lives in shady places - forests, groves, and various thickets. If there is enough sun and light, then the insect is lighter, and its chitinous coating burns out from bright rays. In the lower part of the abdomen, there are arachnoid glands that are capable of producing different cobwebs. For hunting - thin and sticky, and for the maturation of small spiders and cocoons - soft and silky.

The body is covered with hairs that function as a tactile organ. The color of the abdomen of the cross spider also depends on the habitat. An ordinary representative of arachnids of the araneomorphic genus wears two pairs of dark eyes.

Their vision is poor - blurry objects and outlines. Spider crusaders react to movements around them.

Spiders weave a web quite often - one every 2-3 days, as other insects, animals and weather conditions destroy it. Prefers insects, but mainly feeds on flies, aphids, mosquitoes, grasshoppers and others. Active at night. It rests during the day, but keeps a signal thread under its foot. From trapping nets throws out victims that are too large or unfit for a meal. They are distinguished by special voracity - in a day the cross eats insects weighing from itself.

Symptoms of cross bites

He never attacks a person. Bites occur due to the intervention of the latter in the life of an insect.
The bite of a cross spider is accompanied by the following symptoms:

1. Itching. The bite site itches unbearably due to the neurotoxins and hemotoxins contained in the venom of the cross.
2. Hyperemia of the skin.
3. Slight swelling, as with.
4. Pain is more common in children or people with hypersensitivity.

The cross spider is poisonous only for small mammals - mice, rabbits, small dogs and young animals. For an adult healthy person, the bite of a cross spider does not pose a threat. It is necessary to regularly inspect pets in order to start or a spider on time.

But if a person is prone to various allergic reactions or a child has suffered, then an insect bite will cause mild symptoms:

• weakness;
• chills;
• headache;
• increase in body temperature;
• swelling and hardness at the site of swelling.

Hemotoxin, which is part of the poison, causes the development of hematoma and subcutaneous hemorrhage.

First aid for a bite

First aid for a bite of a spider-cross consists of simple steps:

1. Wash the bite site with cool water and soap.
2. Treat with an antiseptic solution and alcohol.
3. Apply ice to reduce itching and swelling.
4. Take an antihistamine to prevent allergic symptoms from developing.
5. For headaches, an antispasmodic is taken (nosh-pa, drotaverine, etc.).
6. It is advisable to use anti-inflammatory or antihistamine ointments and creams: bepanten, fenistil, soventol, baneocin and others.

The cross spider contains venom that is rich in eperotoxin, neurotoxin, and hemotoxin. All these substances are excreted from the body within one to two days. If the bitten person does not feel better after this time, then seek medical help, as with.

Prevention

When relaxing in nature, avoid beautiful wheel-shaped cobwebs and do not pick up. When sleeping in a tent, you need to close it carefully. If you find a web in the country or at home, you should carefully remove it with a long stick, and throw the spider out into the street with a newspaper or a can. Do not touch it with your hands. You should not kill an insect - this is an amazing specimen that benefits humanity.

Spider-cross - is a prominent representative of the family of spiders orbwebs. They live almost everywhere, except perhaps in the northern part of the planet and the hot south. The cross-spider is the most common species of its family, in which scientists have about a thousand representatives.

Crosses live both in the wild and in residential areas. Hiding in dark places, crevices.

The lifestyle of the cross is nocturnal. During the day, he sits in his shelter, not far from his web. They are waiting for prey to fall into the web. And as soon as the insect gets into the web, the vibration of this web begins, the spider immediately becomes more active and rushes to the victim.

You can recognize a spider-cross by its color.

On top of its abdomen, a light cross is clearly visible, thanks to which the spider got its name.

The round belly of the spider itself has a dark brown tint, which is the color of the spider and its cephalothorax with 8 eyes and the same number of legs. The location of the eyes (in a circle) allows him to observe what is happening around him. And his paws are distinguished by the highest level of sensitivity.

Female crosses have a large body size - up to 3 cm, while the male is much smaller than them - up to 1 cm.

The main diet of cross-spiders is small insects - aphids, midges, flies, mosquitoes. The cross kills its prey, which has fallen into the web with the help of teeth with poison. When the spider is hungry, the prey is immediately eaten by it. If the hunter is full, he wraps the fallen insect with cobwebs and hides it in a secluded place known only to him for the future.

The reproduction of cross-spiders occurs in this way: the male attaches to the side of the female's web and gives her signals to notice him. Immediately after not long mating games, the male, as a rule, dies.

And the female begins weaving a cocoon, in which, after maturation, she will lay eggs. At first, the female carries a cocoon with masonry on her abdomen, she is looking for a secluded place where she can put it so that nothing and no one will prevent her cubs from hatching.

Symptoms of cross bites

For large animals and for humans, the poison of a cross-spider is not particularly dangerous, because it is too small to cause significant harm to a large organism.

Maxim, when it is possible to kill with this dose - a mouse or a rat.

And yet, the bite of a spider of this species is not completely harmless. If you accidentally get into the web of this arthropod creature, a person can still suffer from his bites. After all, the spider takes as a victim everyone who leads to the vibration of his "trapping web". And in self-defense, of course, the spider will bite anyone.

It can also bite a cross in the case when a person tries to pick it up.

The clinical picture of spider bites will be as follows:

• The bite site turns white and becomes similar to a bee sting;
• The spot grows the size of a nickel, turns red at the edges;
• Swelling at the puncture site;
• Burning sensation at the site of the bite.

And if a person suffers from allergic reactions, then it may well be that the bite of this insect will cause the following symptoms:

• General weakness of the body;
• Rashes on the skin in the form of red spots;
• Headache;
• Painful syndrome in the extremities;
• Rise in body temperature;
• Hardening at the site of the bite.

As a rule, greater sensitivity to cross bites is noted in childhood and in allergy sufferers.

Therefore, these groups of people can experience not only the symptoms described above, but also develop more serious complications in the form of suffocation, intense edema, up to disruption of the cardiovascular system.

With the development of such a clinical picture, it is very important to immediately call a qualified medical team for help and hospitalize the victim for adequate therapy and constant medical supervision.

First Aid

Despite the absence of deaths from spider bites in medical practice, the victim still needs help in these cases.

Therefore, when bites from these individuals of the arthropod family are detected, the following measures must be taken:

• Washing the bite site should be done with warm water and soap. Thus, mud microparticles are washed off the skin, which excludes the entry of infectious microscopic agents into the wound.
• The affected areas are covered with cold compresses (you can use ice cubes or a bottle of cold water). Such a compress will help relieve the painful syndrome and prevent possible swelling.
• In the event of a migraine (headache), a rise in body temperature, the victim can be given a drink.
• In the event of an allergic reaction, it is imperative to use oral antihistamines. It is also necessary to provide the victim with plenty of fluids until the arrival of the doctor.
• Make sure that the victim does not comb the wound at the site of the bite. Otherwise, it will cause infection to enter it with the subsequent development of various complications.

In cases of a child under the age of 6 being bitten by a cross, you should immediately go to your doctor or call an ambulance team, since the poison of this type of spider is very toxic and dangerous for a child's body.

Prevention

It is quite possible, adhering to certain rules of behavior in direct contact with wildlife, to prevent the bites of a spider-cross.

1. In the case of a planned overnight stay in nature, during a hiking trip, it is important to take with you and use special insect protection products (external repellent preparations) there.
2. Be sure to carefully close the entrance to the tent.
3. Before going to bed, carefully check all bedding and sleeping clothes so that they do not have any insects.
4. The same (see paragraph 3) should be done immediately after waking up and when collecting things home.
5. When choosing clothes for a hike, you should take things that cover as much as possible all parts of the body.
6. Seeing a web on the way, it would be better to bypass it, trying not to touch it with either hands or clothes.
7. During the hike, try to avoid abandoned buildings, sheds, barns and other dark places where different types of spiders can be in large clusters.
8. Be sure to teach the child all these rules of behavior in nature in advance, and explain to him the danger of direct contact with a detachment of arthropods.

This is interesting

A spider-cross, when hungry, is able to eat as much food as it weighs itself.

If an insect that is too large or poisonous gets into its web, the spider breaks its web so that the inedible prey simply falls down.

One trapping web of a spider-cross consists of 20 m of "thread".

In ancient times, the cross web was considered a good antibacterial agent. Therefore, when a bite is found on the body of a given spider, its own webs can be attached to it in order to avoid the spread of the toxin throughout the body.

Possible consequences

• The spider venom is epeirotoxin. It is completely absorbed and excreted from the human body within a day. At the site of the bite, slight swelling may remain for some time.
• When combing the bite of the cross, it is possible to introduce an infection through the wound and the development of a purulent process.
• It is impossible to cauterize or heat the bite site of the cross, this can cause a backlash in the form of necrosis of the soft tissues around the wound.

Spiders are very interesting representatives of the biological kingdom, and some of them are far from harmless. They also have an amazing structure. Some species of these creatures have special appendages in their mouths, the so-called jaw claws.

These include araneomorphic spiders - members of a large group from the class of arachnids. These natural adaptations are called chelicerae. They allow these creatures to successfully attack prey that is quite large in comparison to their size, which gives them the opportunity to win in the evolutionary race.

It is to such creatures that spider spider- a bright specimen from the family of orbweavers.

This creature deserved its name not by chance, but because of a very noticeable feature - a mark on the upper side of the body in the shape of a cross, made up of white, in some cases light brown spots.

The spider got its name for the color on the body resembling a cross.

This feature of appearance is very useful for these biological organisms. This gift of nature is a sign that can scare away many hostile living creatures from them. Other characteristic features are clearly visible on photo of a cross spider.

As you can see, it has a rounded body. It turns out to be practically one with the head, dividing into two areas, which are commonly called the cephalothorax and abdomen.

The size of such living creatures cannot be considered too large. For example, females, which are more impressive in size than males, are usually not larger than 26 mm, but there are specimens of such spiders that are only a centimeter and much shorter.

Besides, cross endowed with eight sensitive flexible legs. He also has four, and paired, eyes. These organs are located versatile, which allows this animal to have a circular view in all directions. However, these biological organisms cannot boast of particularly sharp colorful vision.

They distinguish only the outlines of objects and objects in the form of shadows. But the sense of taste and smell are very good. And the hairs covering their body and legs perfectly capture a variety of vibrations and vibrations.

Chitin, a special natural binding compound, serves as a body cover and at the same time a kind of skeleton for such creatures. From time to time, it is shed by these arachnids, being replaced by another natural shell, and during such periods, the growth of the organism is carried out, freed for a while from the elements that bind it.

The cross is considered a poisonous spider, but its poison is not dangerous for humans.

This representative of the biological kingdom of arachnids is able to release a substance that is toxic to any type of organism. So Spider spider poisonous or not? Without a doubt, this little creature is dangerous to many living creatures, especially invertebrates.

And the poison they secrete is extremely detrimental to their neuromuscular organization.

Types of spider cross

The number of species of such spiders is impressive, but of the arachnids known to science, about 620 varieties have been described in the genus of crosses. Their representatives live all over the world, but still prefer to settle more in temperate and tropical zones, because they cannot stand too cold climate.

Let's take a closer look at some of the varieties.

1. Ordinary cross. This type is considered the most common. Similar living creatures live among shrubs, meadows, fields and coniferous forests of the European, as well as the northern part of the American continents.

They prefer wet areas, take root well in swampy areas, near rivers and other bodies of water. Their body is reliably protected by a strong thick shell, and moisture retains a special waxy coating on it.

Decorated like this spider white on a common brown background with a pattern. Such a complex pattern, upon closer examination, may seem very interesting.

Common cross spider

2. An angular cross is a rare variety, and in the Baltic regions it is generally considered to be endangered. It is interesting that such arthropods, although they belong to the genus of crosses, do not have a characteristic mark on the body.

And instead of this feature, on the abdomen of the creatures, covered with light hairs, two small humps stand out.

Angled cross

3. The barn spider is an inhabitant of the North. The trapping nets of these creatures, which are sometimes of considerable size, can be found in abandoned mines, grottoes and rocks, as well as near human habitation.

These creatures are dark brown in color. By means of a similar coloring, they are masked against the background of their surroundings. The legs of such spiders are striped and covered with white hairs.

In America, there is a type of cross - sheep

4. The cat-faced spider is another inhabitant of areas of America similar to the previously described species. Its body is also covered with pile, and the hairs can be either light or dark. This is a very small creature. Some specimens may be less than 6 mm.

But if this big cross spider of this type, then it is probably a female, because their sizes can reach up to 2.5 cm. These arachnids got their name for a very interesting pattern on the abdomen, vaguely resembling a cat's face.

This decoration for these creatures is located in the place where the relatives usually flaunt the cross.

The cat-faced spider has a shape similar to the muzzle of a cat on the body

5. The Pringles spider is a small-sized resident of Asia, also common in. It has a very interesting color cross: black its abdomen is marked with a funny white pattern, while the cephalothorax and legs of such spiders are green to match the rich vegetation of the regions where such creatures live. The sizes of males in some cases are so small that they do not exceed 3 mm.

spider pringles

Lifestyle and habitat

For settlement, these representatives of the animal world prefer to choose areas where there is no lack of moisture. These creatures are able to catch the eye wherever there is an opportunity to weave a web.

It is especially convenient for such creatures to arrange such a skillful trapping net between branches, and at the same time finding shelter nearby, among the foliage of small shrubs or tall trees.

Therefore, spiders take root well in forests, in quiet, untrodden areas of gardens and parks. Their webs can also be found in various corners of neglected buildings: in attics, between doorways, window frames, and in other similar places.

On the abdomen of such creatures there are special glands that produce a special substance in excess, which makes it possible to weave trapping nets. They are known to be called cobwebs. From the point of view of chemistry, the natural building block for them is a compound, which should be considered very close in composition to soft silk, which indicates its relative strength.

Patterned weaving, formed from the specified, at first liquid and viscous, material with its further solidification, spiders usually weave with endless persistent persistence. And after one or two days they destroy the old, worn-out network and weave a new one.

This structure can be called a true work of weaving art, formed from threads with a total length of 20 m. It has a regular geometric structure, being endowed with a strictly defined number of spiral turns with specific radii and distances from one network circle to another.

And this cannot but lead to admiration, because it causes aesthetic pleasure. But it is not vision that helps spiders to create perfect lines, they are guided by sensitive organs of touch.

These curious representatives of the biological kingdom weave such structures, usually at night. And all this is extremely expedient and correct, because at the indicated time of day, most of the enemies of spiders indulge in rest, and no one bothers them to do their favorite thing.

In such an occupation, they do not need helpers, and therefore spiders are individualists in life. And they do not spend much time communicating with relatives. Thus, having created a trapping net, they crawl into an ambush and begin to wait for their prey, as always, all alone.

Sometimes they do not particularly hide, but are located in the very center of the web they have woven. Or they watch, sitting on the so-called signal thread, which allows them to feel all the connections of this weave.

Sooner or later, some prey will fall into the spider's trap. Most often these are flies or other flying small insects. They are easily tangled in the net, especially since its threads are sticky. And the owner of the Putin instantly feels their fluttering, as he is able to capture well even the most insignificant vibrations.

Interestingly, small insects themselves can also be dangerous for spiders. After all, individual species of flies and, taking advantage of their usual immobility, are quite capable in the blink of an eye to settle down on the back of eight-legged predators and lay their eggs in their body.

In this case, the spiders are helpless, they are omnipotent only when their prey gets stuck in the web. The spiders themselves cannot get tangled in their trapping web, because they move only strictly along certain, radial, non-sticky areas.

Nutrition

The described living creatures are carnivores. In addition to the already mentioned flies and mosquitoes, aphids, various gnats and other small representatives of the insect world can become their prey. If such a prey fell into the network of this predator, then he has the opportunity to feast on it immediately.

But, if he is full, he is able to leave food for later, entangling it with a thin sticky thread. By the way, the composition of such a "rope" is somewhat different than the thread of the web. Further, the spider hides its food supply in any secluded place, for example, in foliage. He eats it when he feels hungry again.

The appetite of such spiders is very excellent. And their bodies require a lot of food. The daily norm is so high that it is approximately equal to their own weight. Such needs force the described representatives of the animal world to work accordingly.

Crosses, lying in wait for prey, sit in ambush with little or no rest, but even if they are distracted from business, then for a very short time.

In an extremely interesting way, these creatures digest their food. This does not happen inside the body, but outside. It's just that a portion of the digestive juice is released by the spider into the body of the victim, wrapped in a cocoon. In this way, it is processed, turning into a substance suitable for consumption. Further, this nutrient solution is simply drunk by the spider.

It happens that in the nets set up by these eight-legged creatures, prey comes across that is too large, with which such a baby is simply not able to cope. The spider seeks to get rid of such problems by deliberately cutting off the threads of the network that connect with it.

But if the threat does not stop there, for the purpose of self-defense, he is quite capable of successfully using his chelicera against huge, from his point of view, creatures. For example, a frog, a quarter of an hour after its bite, may be completely immobilized.

But for humans, cross spiders are dangerous or not? Actually, the poison of these creatures does not produce irreversible changes on the body of all vertebrates. On people, due to the small amount of toxic substances released by these arachnids in comparison with human sizes, they are not able to act in a serious way. The bitten subject feels only mild pain, which resolves fairly quickly.

Reproduction and lifespan

The life of these creatures takes place on the web. Here, for them, the process of reproduction of their own kind begins. And the time for it is usually the end of autumn. At first spider male finds a suitable partner.

Next, he attaches his thread somewhere on the lower edge of her web. This is a signal that the female immediately feels. She feels the special fluctuations of weaving and perfectly understands from them that it was not someone, but it was the applicant for mating who violated her loneliness.

Then she goes down to her stalls, which responds to his signs of attention. After intercourse, male individuals no longer remain alive. But the female continues the work begun. She creates a special web cocoon and lays her eggs there.

Spider spider nest

At first, she carries this house for posterity on herself, but having found a suitable place for it, she hangs it on a makeshift thread. Soon cubs appear there, but they do not leave their house, but remain in it for the whole winter. They emerge from the cocoon only in spring. But their mother does not survive until warm times.

Young spiders grow up, live the entire warm period, and then the entire cycle of reproduction is repeated again. From here it is easy to understand: how long do cross spiders live. The entire period of their existence, even if counted together with wintering, turns out to be less than a year.

The cross is obliged to the original color, which allows you to see an impromptu cross on its abdomen. Despite the threatening appearance, it is very useful for humans. Firstly, it destroys many insects that harm crops. Secondly, its network has been proven by scientists to be used to decontaminate wounds, and has antibacterial properties. Thirdly, the web of the cross is stronger than steel and very elastic. Two thousand species of insect are known.

Characteristics of an individual

What does an insect look like? This is a small-sized spider with a yellow-brown chitinous shell, which sheds during molting. Females are up to four centimeters long and are always larger than males. Ten limbs allow you to perform many different functions. These are walking legs, holding and recognizing prey, capturing and killing.

Four pairs of poorly seeing eyes for detecting light and shadow are compensated by a perfect sense of touch. Hairs scattered throughout the body are able to respond to sounds, air vibrations and external stimuli. The shape of the abdomen is round with a cross at the top. Its lower part is equipped to perform many necessary actions. This is weaving a net for catching insects, building a shelter, creating a cocoon.

Like all members of the family, the crusader cannot digest food on his own. He builds nets, catches the victim, injects juice into it for digestion, wraps it in a cocoon and waits. The digested victim looks like a solution. The spider drinks it as a nutrient mixture.

The life of an individual is one to two years. The mating season begins in the fall. The found female is invited to mate. She catches the vibrations, perceiving them as a sign of reproduction. After the process is completed, the male dies, and the female builds a cocoon for laying eggs and also dies.

For work, she uses soft silky threads, which are different from hard trapping nets. In a cocoon, which is carefully hidden in a safe place, future offspring spend the winter. In the spring, new spiders appear, and in the summer they are ready to breed.

Places of distribution and nutrition

The geography of the habitat of the insect is extensive. It is suitable for temperate and tropical climates. And this is Europe, Africa, Asia, North America. Many types of crusader (about thirty) are found in Russia.

Wherever the spider lives, it is humid and there is a lot of vegetation. These are ponds, forests, gardens.

It is convenient to weave traps from nets on tree branches. Running houses also attract him. A skillfully stretched web catches flies and mosquitoes, grasshoppers and aphids, which are part of the spider's diet. It does not touch wasps, poisonous and large insects, breaking the threads in which the prey is entangled. Interestingly, the female cross eats food equal to her weight.

Web

The cross spider works at night to create a web. A well-developed sense of touch helps him to cope with the work, and the birds that feed on spiders sleep. This is the daily work that is necessary to restore the trap, damaged by another victim. At night, the spider is inconspicuous and in the morning a new web will be ready.

Genetics laid down a certain principle of weaving, consisting of a strictly number of radii and spirals. Each turn interval is the same. Moreover, the crusader himself will never stick. The insect intuitively recognizes non-sticky areas and accurately chooses a route.

The age of the individual does not affect the quality of the web. Having become sexually mature, the male stops building a trapping network and goes in search of a female. He eats little and grows poorly, so he is smaller in size than the future partner.

insect and human

The question of whether a spider is poisonous or not can be answered unambiguously. The bite of a crusader is not dangerous to human life. It may even go unnoticed. In rare cases, the bite site hurts, but slightly and not for long. Usually everything happens by chance when the web is damaged, since the cross does not specifically attack a person.

What measures to take if this happened?

1. For disinfection, wash the affected area of ​​the skin. Use running water and soap.
2. Apply an ice pack.
3. If you have a fever or a headache, take paracetamol.
4. If an allergy occurs, an antihistamine should be taken.
5. Consult a doctor if there is no improvement from the above actions.

But, it is worth noting that so far not a single death from a bite of a cross has been registered. Its poison in the form of a cloudy viscous liquid affects only insects and small vertebrates.

Curious facts

A description of this interesting insect would be incomplete without indicating its unique qualities that people willingly use:

1. Fabrics and jewelry are made from strong elastic threads, and fishermen make nets.
2. Microbiologists use webs to determine the composition of atmospheric air.
3. The crusader's trapping nets are the thinnest optical fiber.

The world is diverse and beautiful. It has become a home for a huge number of living beings with whom a person must live in harmony.

Spiders are a genus of araneomorphic spiders that is part of the orb weaver family. In the world fauna, there are more than one and a half thousand species of cross-spiders. They can be found in all corners of Europe. 15-31 species inhabit the territory of the CIS countries.

The spider-cross prefers to settle in forests, shrubs, gardens, neglected groves, especially near water bodies, as well as in buildings. His favorite habitat is the crowns of trees, between the branches of which he weaves his trapping nets. Their leaves serve as a refuge for him. It happens that the web of a cross-spider can also be seen under the eaves or in the window frames of abandoned buildings.

The cross is recognizable by the white spots on the abdomen, which in combination form a pattern similar to a cross with four ends. The common cross-spider has a yellowish-brown color, sometimes with blackish tints. On his legs, brown rings stand out in contrast. Depending on the environment, the color of the spider can change, which allows the spider to camouflage itself in anticipation of prey.

Spider-cross is a predator. Nature gave him all the tools necessary to kill the victims. In the role of victims, different types of flies most often act. All spider jaws end in a segment that looks like a sharp and movable claw. At the base of the jaws are special glands that produce poison. As soon as the jaws pierce the body of the victim, a deadly poison is injected into it through the holes of the claws.

How to Avoid a Spider Bite

If a person tries to touch the cross-spider, he immediately runs away and hides. In most cases, the cross bites a person only when the latter still manages to pick it up. Therefore, in order to protect yourself from a spider bite, it is enough to follow a few simple recommendations.

First, when staying overnight in nature, carefully close the entrance to the tent.

Secondly, carefully check the bed before going to bed, as well as clothes and shoes in the morning.

Thirdly, be careful around symmetrical and openwork spider webs. Near them is usually a female waiting for her prey.

Fourth, be vigilant in old abandoned premises

Fifth, be careful during summer garden and garden work.

Sixth, when you find a cross, do not try to touch it or pick it up. Do not let children play with it.

Consequences of a spider bite

It is worth noting that a spider of any kind is a priori poisonous. All arachnids are natural predators and use their venom for food and protection. Spider venom is a slightly cloudy, colorless, viscous liquid with hemolytic properties.

The poison of the cross has a toxic effect. The thermolabile hemolysin in its composition destroys the erythrocytes of rabbits, rats, mice, and also humans. It has no effect on the erythrocytes of a guinea pig, horse, sheep, dog. The thermostable neurotoxic element of the poison has Mr~1000.

The venom neurotoxin is involved in blocking synaptic transmission through acetylcholine and glutamate synapses in vertebrates and invertebrates. Plus, the poison contributes to the initial excitation of receptors, which are characterized by sensitivity to glutamate and aspartate, and provides subsequent desensitization. And if the effect of the poison on the synapses of vertebrates is reversible, then it acts irreversibly on the synaptic apparatus of invertebrates.

Spider chelicerae can damage human skin only in those areas where it is very thin. Its sting can be compared to the sting of a bee. First, there is a feeling of a prick with a thin needle. It often happens that a person does not notice the bite at all.

After a bite, only local toxic effects are observed. A small white spot immediately appears on the affected area, which does not exceed the size of a five-kopeck coin. The patch usually has pink or red edges. After 5-20 minutes, the following symptoms begin to develop:

• headache
• weakness in the body
• pain, joint pain
• colic and burning sensation in the bitten place
• subcutaneous hemorrhages.

So far, not a single fatal outcome has been registered with the bite of the cross. However, after recovery, in some cases, soft tissue necrosis is noted at the site where the poison was injected into the skin. The body of the spider contains eiperotoxin, a special concentration of which is observed during egg laying. This poisonous product is absorbed and excreted from the human body in a day. At the site of the bite, swelling persists for several days.

What not to do when bitten by a cross spider

Do not burn the affected area. The bite of the cross has no serious consequences, and thus you only further injure yourself.

You should not dissect the bite site for the same reasons as described above.

Do not rub or scratch the wound, as this can lead to infection.

What measures can be taken when bitten by a spider-cross

Although contact with the cross does not threaten the victim with a fatal outcome, it is still worth giving him timely first aid. The detailed algorithm of actions outlined below will help you with this.

1. Wash the injury site under running water and soap to avoid potential infection of the wound.

2. Apply a cold compress to the puncture site, ideally ice.

3. With a headache and a slight increase in body temperature, take the same paracetamol or some other drug of a similar effect.

4. If you develop a mild allergic reaction, take any over-the-counter antihistamine.

If a cross spider has bitten a child, or if there is a rapid development of symptoms and a sharp deterioration in the condition, consult a doctor immediately.

Interesting facts about cross spiders and their bites

• If spider venom has a local toxic effect on the human body, then its web, on the contrary, contributes to the destruction of pathogenic bacteria. It has long been used in folk medicine to disinfect open wounds.
• The poisonous substance eiperotoxin is found even in the eggs laid by the female cross.