Widow-mobility : spinning'the passenger: False widow spread through the ornamental plant trade

wrong, you will not be happy so often. Here, however, after one has recovered from the shock. First, the Outcry is mostly large: The "False widow" (Steatoda nobilis) is the highly poisonous Black widow confusingly similar. A bite of the spider species, the spread in the last decades in many countries of the world, can be quite a pain. Really dangerous is the spinning of the Fat belonging to the human but is not. Through the analysis of Museum data and the available scientific literature, scientists from Germany and the UK have now found out that the False widow travelled well as is now accepted in banana boxes to the world, but with the plant trade was widespread, especially with cacti. They report their study in the journal "NeoBiota".

habitat garden centre

The False widow is originally on the Portuguese island of Madeira, and the Canary Islands, has increased their habitat in the last 100 years, however, extremely, the scientists write. So you've settled a long time ago in some regions of Western Europe and of the Mediterranean sea. In the recent past, they also came to Central Europe, California and South America.

In Germany, had left two populations of the false widow in garden centers, reported Tobias Bauer from the natural history Museum in Karlsruhe, Germany. "The animals find it simply enjoyable," he says. The reason is that in the garden centers, a similar climate prevails, such as in the natural range of the spider areas. With a further propagation of the species, the researcher does not expect in this country.

where it finds suitable environmental conditions, is likely to spread the type in the coming years, however, rapidly, the researchers write. Most likely on the Western Mediterranean Islands, in Parts of South Africa, southern Australia and in new Zealand.

school closures

Although they can be dangerous for humans, the False widow, there is always a lot of excitement: In London, four schools have closed in the past year, at times, as there are several copies appeared. Bauer can understand such precautions, but stresses. To him be important to run do not panic. "That a bite hurts, I don't want to return even under the table, but there is a big difference to the bite of a Black widow, which can often be life-threatening."

many other spiders, especially from the genus of the ball spinning, have spread over large parts of the world. "The international trade", explains Bauer. But also, climate change plays in the spread of introduced species a role. "In Europe, we will discover in the future more and more species from other Parts of the world." At the most you will not notice the arrival, however, because they settle permanently.

tourists from the Mediterranean sea

Overall, dragged many introduced species in the world is problematic. Your mobility, you owe not rarely the global trade. Also belong to this group of spiders, among them toxic, such as South America and Japan via Cyprus to Madagascar-native Brown widow (Latrodectus geometricus), whose sting is painful and the tissue is destructive. In Germany, meanwhile, home to various spiders from the Mediterranean. Like the majority of introduced species are the spiders, the gathering, hunting belonging to the end of Zoropsis spinimana, and the trembling spider Holocnemus pluchei is not as "invasive" species. Because they do not reproduce so far, mass arrest and disturbing the ecological the same wiped – as far as is known – not particularly. (rif/Reuters)