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"Cow's face spider", an unusual specimen commonly known as the *whitebanded fishing spider (Dolomedes albineus), found in Cedar Park, Texas Report and Photograph Courtesy of Carla E., 31 July 2007 Editor's Notes by Jerry Cates
Carla Wrote:
Hi---This was in my friend's back yard in mid July, 2007. I don't have
any measurements (she was a little freaked out) but it was a large
spider. Identity? Thanks, Carla
[Editor's Note: Carla later informed
me that the spider's body was 1.5 inches long, which would make the
carapace, pictured below, about 3/4th inch in length. Cedar Park, Texas, is
north-northwest of Austin, on U.S. Highway 183].
The enlarged, but otherwise unretouched photo, above, is of the carapace of the spider Carla's friend photographed, viewed with the spider's head pointed downward (click on the link to see the full report on this spider). The spider's eyes are in the darkened portion of the median, anterior head, in the middle of the lower quadrant of the photo. A whorl of pale-colored hairs, on the lateral margins of the spider's carapace--and positioned in the middle of the right and left quadrants of the photo--surround a small splotch of dark hairs. It takes no imagination to see, in this image, what appears to be the face of a bovine calf with large, baleful eyes, a darkened muzzle with large nostrils, a dark crown, and pale cheeks. This likeness, on the carapace of a male whitebanded fishing spider (Dolomedes albineus) does not make this spider unique, as Araneus gemmoides is often described as a cat's face spider for having a dorsal abdomen that remotely resembles the face of a feline. As for the present specimen, the similarity to a cow's face is overpowering. Such a striking resemblance is uncommon, as most males of this species look somewhat different from this one. *Note: The common name of this spider is not listed in the authoritative "Common Names of Arachnids, Fifth Ed., 2003", published by the American Arachnological Society Committee on Common Names of Arachnids, R. G. Breene, Chairman. However, it appears to conform to the guidelines of that document, is frequently applied by amateur arachnologists to the species, seems reasonably descriptive thereof, and appears unlikely to lead to undue confusion with arachnids having similar common names, e.g., the whitebanded crab spider (Misumenoides formosipes Walckenaer), and the whitebanded tarantula (Acanthoscurria geniculata C.L. Koch). In the Nearctic Spider Database, published in the Canadian Arachnologist, a publication of Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, the common name of this species is listed as "none". In a personal communication Dr. Breene on 12 August 2007 suggested that whitebanded fishing spider was an appropriate common name for this species, but mentioned that the American Arachnological Society Committee on Common Names of Arachnids has not yet added it to their list. Dr. Breene also mentioned that he has retired from the chair of that committee, and his replacement has not yet been selected. NOTE: Non-commercial use of the photos posted on this website is permitted if attribution, along with a link to this page, accompanies each use. Commercial use without express permission is not permitted. Many thanks to Carla for this excellent photo!!! ---------------------------------------------- Please contact us about your personal experiences, if you have been bitten by a brown recluse, black widow, or any other spider, including jumping spiders and garden spiders (the bites of which typically produce a transitory inflammation, but resolve within a few days without medical attention), whether recently or in the past thirty years, anywhere in the world. For example, the bite of a species of garden spider, the golden orb spider of Australia [Nephila edulis] typically is unremarkable, but on occasion produces medically significant secondary infections; the frequency and nature of bites experienced from that species of spider is also a part of this study. One object of this study is to collect data that might relate to a mysterious series of spider-related infections, involving a special pathogen, that took place in the United States and in Australia between 1977 and 2006. Although only fifteen such infections were reported to medical establishments, seven appear to be associated with spider bites. Some authorities suggest that the number of actual infections of this type that occurred in the U.S. and Australia during the past thirty years is much larger, but that they have been underreported. Underreporting of specific kinds of infections can occur, either because the persons infected chose not to seek medical assistance, or the medical establishments misdiagnosed the infections as being caused by other infectious agents. We are seeking to establish an estimate of the number of human spider bites that occur each year by these and similar spiders, whether the bite resulted in injury to the human or not. Next, we hope to establish the number of instances where the bite (1) became inflamed and/or infected, then resolved without medical intervention, or (2) infected, ulcerated, or led to a generalized sickness, and required medical intervention. ---------------------------------------------- Back to: Texas Spiders Back to: Bugsinthenews |
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