Author: Tracey Hawthorne
Struik Publishers
Cape Town, 1998
ISBN: 9781868721245
Paperback, 11x17 cm, 56 pages, throughout colour photos

Description:

These natural history guides have been developed in the hope that young people and anyone with a budding interest in natural history will take up the challenge to learn the secrets of southern Africas fascinating fauna and flora.

These little guides are an invaluable resource for the beginner, providing information at a glance through superb photographs, maps and easy-to-read text.

• handy pocket size
• easy-to-read text
• suitable for the beginner naturalist
• each species is photographed

Example:

Long-legged Sac Spider
Cheiracanthium furculatum
Family Miturgidae

Afrikaans name: Langbeensakspinnekop

Average size: Length: 10-16 mm

Identification: ‘Black-faced’ appearance

Characteristic: Long legs. Short, stout, black chelicerae

Where found: Built-up areas and forests; bark, stones, bushes, low vegetation, flowers, leaves, leaf litter and rotting logs.

Often found in citrus trees, strawberries and cotton; also in houses, where spins retreat sac in fabric folds.

Habits: Free-running. Agile, aggressive hunter, leaping on prey

Notes: It is these spiders that are responsible for most cytotoxic bites in southern Africa, as they crawl over sleeping humans

Bite: is not initially painful

Venom: Cytotoxic, causing inflammation and ulceration, fever and headache; wounds slow to heal, sometimes leading to secondary infections

Web: None

Food: Insects

Reproduction: Egg sac similar to retreat, but smaller and denser

Other genera: Griswoldia, Para- postenus, Phanotea, Syrisca

Similar species: Some Sac Spiders (family Clubionidae) have maroonish chelicerae and shorter first pair of legs; Mouse Spider (family Gnaphosidae).

Contents:

Spiders and scorpions
Spider or insect?
Collecting and keeping spiders and scorpions
A note on venoms
Spider webs
How scorpions breed and grow
How spiders breed and grow
Spider and scorpion taxonomy
How to use this book
Garden Orb-web Spiders
Kite Spiders
Garbage-line Spiders
Tropical Tent Spider
Bark Spiders
Golden Orb-web Spiders
Silver Marsh Spiders
Feather-legged Spiders
Single-line-web Spiders
Buckspoor Spiders
Community Nest Spiders
Velvet Spiders
Grass Funnel-web Spiders
Hackled-web Spiders
Daddy-long-legs Spiders
Brown Button Spider
Black Button Spider
Dew-drop Spiders
False Button Spiders
False House Button Spiders
Net-casting Spider
Cannibal or Pirate Spiders
Long-legged Sac Spider
Mouse Spiders
Rain or Lizard-eating Spiders
White Ladies
Wheeling Spiders
Rock Huntsman Spiders
Violin Spiders
Burrowing Wolf Spiders
Fish-eating Spiders
Jumping Spiders
Spitting Spiders
Wall Spiders
Six-eyed Sand Spiders
Crab Spiders
Lynx Spiders
Cork-lid Trapdoor Spiders
Scorpion Spiders
Baboon Spiders
Thick-tailed Scorpions
Burrowing Scorpions
Rock Scorpions
Glossary
Index and checklist