A new species of spider has been discovered in Mexico… with flesh eating venom.
A group of researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico discovered a new species of violin spider in the Valley of Mexico, which is a rocky mountain area in central Mexico. It has been dubbed Loxosceles tenochtitlan, and out of the almost 140 spiders in the Loxosceles family, almost 40 of them are found in Mexico alone.
Loxosceles tenochtitlan was discovered by a Pprofessor and their students.
“At first glance, it can be identified because its dark brown color is not striking, and unlike other species in the country, it has a dorsal pattern in the form of a very visible violin,” explained Alejandro Valdez-Mondragón, professor at the Tlaxcala headquarters of the Institute of Biology at UNAM.
If you’re ever unlucky enough to be bitten by one of these, you should definitely seek medical attention. It starts with a relatively painless sore that turns purple and pink. The symptoms described earlier can easily be confused with a skin infections, but remember spiders in the Loxosceles family posses venom that can rot human flesh, which is more commonly known as necrosis.
“The critical stage is the first 24 hours, and sometimes up to 48 hours when you begin to see the effects. The reaction begins with a sore that expands and produces quite considerable tissue necrosis (or death of tissue).”
Luckily for us, this species of spider seems to avoid human contact as much as it can, but likes to hide in warehouses and basements. Shy as they may be, some recent studies have suggested North America could be seeing more of this spider as a result of warming temperatures from climate change.
