Spiders, Scorpions, Ticks/Mites

 Live in all habitats other than Antartica  Female typically larger than male  Size ranges from.0015 inches to 3.5 inches

 Patu Digua (Found in Columbia)

 Goliath birdeater (found in rainforest regions - South America, Brazil, etc.) 

 Body is divided into cephalothorax and an abdomen  Cephalopthorax contains:  chelicerae – used to inject venom  pedipalps – aid in holding food and chewing  4 pairs of walking legs  Spinnerets – contains silk for web at tip of abdomen  Book lungs – folded membranes that resemble the pages of a book

 Male has to “court” female to signal there is no danger  If female is receptive, he uses his pedipalps to insert a sperm packet into her genital opening  Female can store the sperm for later use  Some females, such as the black widow, may eat the male after mating

 Mainly insects, though some can catch small animals  Silk and venom used to immobilize prey  A spider consumes the body fluids of its prey  Not all spiders use their silk to catch prey  Venom is usually harmless to humans

 Found mostly in Southern/Western areas of the U.S.  Found around woodpiles, eaves, etc. where debris may collect  Bites usually occur when humans come in contact with their web  Symptoms can include pain, nausea/vomiting, headache, and dizziness

 Found mostly in Southern/Mid- western U.S.  Lives under logs, leaves, or in dark dry places  Usually will not bite unless provoked, such as trapping against skin  Bite will cause pain and skin necrosis, destroys skin tissue

 minimyth.htm minimyth.htm

 The Brazilian Wandering Spider or Banana Spider (Latin/Central America)  Side Effects: Intense pain and inflammation  Its venom is being studied for erectile dysfunction medications

 Scorpions:  Have pincher like pedipalps and a stinger on the tip of abdomen  Hide by day and hunt by night  Eat mostly insects and spiders  Live in tropical or semitropical areas  Few species have venom fatal to humans