Saturday, June 8, 2013

TOW (& Answer)...


Book Jacket for: Insects of the Los Angeles basinThe question was which two local spiders are considered to have a dangerous bite?  The two local spiders considered to have a dangerous bite are the black widow (Latrodectus Hesperus) and the violin spider (Loxosceles species).  Black widow’s venom is a neurotoxin that may cause debilitating systemic disorders, sometimes leading to death.  Violin spider venom is haemotoxic & while dangerous is rarely lethal.

The question (& answer) were taken from p. 364 of Insects of the Los Angeles Basin by Charles L. Hogue.  The book was published by The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in1993.