Banana spider
Although the venom of the banana spider is a potent neurotoxin, it is not lethal to humans. (Photo by ExploreExuma.com)
Banana spiders, as they are called here in the Bahamas because they weave impressive golden yellow webs, are of the genus Nephila. The name is derived from the ancient Greek, meaning ‘fond of spinning’.
Widespread in the warmer areas of the world, Nephila is the oldest surviving genus of spiders, with a fossilized specimen known from 165 million years ago, and in their ancient history some of them had a leg span of 15 cm (almost 6”).
They can vary from reddish to greenish-yellow in color with a distinctive whiteness on the cephalo-thorax (the head and thorax fused together) and the beginning of the abdomen. Their striped legs are specialized for weaving, having the tips pointing inward.
Females are from 1.5” to 2” (not including legspan) and males, much smaller, are generally less than 1”. The females usually eat their mates.
The web of the banana spider, which can be more than 1 metre (39”) in diameter, with support strands extending much farther, is very complex, with a fine-meshed orb suspended in a maze of non-sticky barrier webs. The orb is replaced regularly. The web’s golden color is thought to serve the dual purpose of attracting bees when it is open to the sunlight, while in shady spots blending in with the background foliage to serve as a camouflage. You will often see these incredible structures in open habitat such as second-growth scrub, forest edges, fences or draped over bushes in gardens, often near flowers.
Because of its biocompatibiliity, mechanical strength and its property to promote cell adhesion, the silk of Nephila is being considered for many industrial and commercial uses such as scaffolding, as a suitable guiding material for peripheral nerve regrowth, and as fabric for garments, etc.
Although the venom of the banana spider is a potent neurotoxin, it is not lethal to humans, being of the same type but not nearly as powerful as that of the black widow spider. If you are bitten by one, however, expect some local pain, redness and blisters that will disappear within 24 hours. Severe allergic reactions are rare but do happen.
