第 0699 號，共 1 402 號

Common rain spider

Palystes superciliosus

名字的由來： Its common name comes from its habit of entering homes before rain. The genus Palystes is also called the lizard-eating spiders.1

無害對人無害。不用擔心。

蜘蛛

咬吃：肉

對人的危險: 輕微跟蜜蜂螫差不多或更輕微。對人基本上無害。

The common rain spider is a large huntsman spider that lives across southern Africa. It often comes indoors, especially before rain, and it hunts geckos. Its size and striking leg markings make it look frightening, but its bite is not dangerous to people.1

分布在

Southern Africa: South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Eswatini1

非洲

首頁

It is very common in houses and often comes indoors before rainy spells. It also lives in scrubland and savannah woodland, and has been found in cabbage, avocado and macadamia orchards.1

長度

3,6 cm (1,4 in)1

最高速度

大約 1,7 km/h（1,1 mph）

在陸地上, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

It hunts geckos, which are its main prey in homes. Males are often seen from August to December, probably searching for females.1

Common rain spider 的照片 — Common rain spider。照片：Rudolph Steenkamp。 CC BY-SA 4.0, iNaturalist.

怎麼認出牠

A large huntsman spider. Its body can reach about 4 cm and its legs about 11 cm.1
Both males and females are roughly the same size.1
When threatened, it lifts into a threat pose that shows yellow and black bands on the underside of its legs.1
Females build large round silk egg sacs with twigs and leaves woven in.1

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

Its bite causes a burning sensation and swelling. The swelling lasts for a few days. Recovery is spontaneous and complete.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 輕微跟蜜蜂螫差不多或更輕微。對人基本上無害。

In humans, the bite is no more dangerous than a bee sting. Many gardeners are bitten by protective females guarding their egg sacs.1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

It lifts into a threat pose that shows yellow and black banding on the underside of its legs, and females guard their egg sacs aggressively.1

如果牠咬人

清洗咬傷處，用冰敷袋冰敷止痛。如果很痛、疼痛擴散或傷者覺得不舒服，要就醫。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

大約跟一根迴紋針一樣長可以在 210 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類需要 9.6 秒）

Common rain spider 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻陸龜 大約 0,3 km/h (0,19 mph)

Common rain spider 大約 1,7 km/h (1,1 mph)

一個正在走路的人 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

值得知道

小知識

A wasp larva eats its paralysed spider host slowly, eating the outer flesh first and saving the vital organs until last, so the spider stays fresh.1

Pompilid wasps hunt these spiders, sting them to paralyse them, and drag them back to their nests.1

Females build an egg sac in about 3 to 5 hours.1

破解迷思

迷思： A guinea pig died within 7 minutes after a rain spider bit it in a 1959 experiment, so the spider's venom must be deadly.

真相： Further research on anaesthetised guinea pigs showed the original animal died of shock, not from the venom. In humans, the bite is no more dangerous than a bee sting.1

給毒液專家

學名: Palystes superciliosus
類群: 蜘蛛
家人: Sparassidae2
排序: Araneae
各大洲: 非洲
寶寶: Females lay eggs in a large silk egg sac, about three sacs over their two-year lives. The spiderlings hatch inside the sac and chew their way out about three weeks later.1
壽命: 大約 2 年1
對人的危險: 1 / 5: 輕微3