Not the New Shoes! The Sydney Funnel-Web Spider
- bjmagnani
- 8 minutes ago
- 3 min read
In the finale of the Dr. Lily Robinson thriller series, WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE POISON, Lily wakes up in a hospital bed, greeted by a doctor:
The doctor sticks a thermometer in my mouth and continues talking. “Ya got a nasty bite from a funnel-web spider.” He holds up a specimen cup with a squashed, dead spider and shakes it. “Usually, the bites occur when the spider is disturbed in its natural habitat. You’re my first patient who has ever been bitten while in their hotel room. Time to warn housekeeping.” He gives a slight chuckle and checks the IV. “I’m going to keep you overnight for observation. We’ve administered the antivenom FWSAV, so you should make a complete recovery.” He checks his notes and leaves.
A black hairy spider about the size of a silver dollar (1.5 inches or 38.1 mm) had bitten her wrist. She had noticed the two distinct fang marks, a tingling sensation around her mouth, and worsening nausea. Lily was in Australia tracking the killer of several renowned climatologists. The killer knew Lily was on their trail and released a deadly funnel-web spider in Lily’s hotel room to stop her pursuit. Thankfully, one of Lily’s colleagues came to her rescue.
Australia has some of the deadliest animals in the world, and Atrax robustus—the Sydney funnel-web spider is one of them. This fearsome terrestrial species builds silk-lined tubular burrow retreats. Silk trip lines line the entrance to their tunnel or funnel, which alert the spider when prey is present. Male funnel-web spiders can be almost as big as two inches (50.8 mm) and are generally more toxic than females. The venom of A. robustus males is about seven times more toxic than that of females! That differs from the Black Widow Spider, Latrodectus mactans, where the females are more toxic than males (see The Poison Blog, The Eyes Have It: Keep Yours Open ). Funnel web spider toxin, delta-atracotoxin, is another toxin that inhibits nerve conduction.
Bites are painful, as the venom is acidic, and the spider often hangs on. The curved fangs are strong enough to puncture a fingernail. In systemic envenomation, symptoms include lip paresthesias (tingling, as Lily experienced) and tongue fasciculations (involuntary twitches). After the initial bite, systemic symptoms may appear within ten minutes: tachycardia, hypertension, nausea, abdominal pain, hypersalivation, vomiting, cardiac dysrhythmias, and pulmonary edema. Death may occur in as little as one hour after the bite.
As I discussed in The Poison Blog, The Eyes Have It: Keep Yours Open, spiders belong to the class Arachnida as do scorpions, which share a similar anatomy and are also poisonous—see In the Shape of a Question Mark. Funnel-web spiders are mygalomorph spiders, i.e., they are heavy-bodied, have dagger-like fangs, and are long-lived. They are defined by a hard outer skeleton consisting of only two body parts: a cephalothorax (a combined head and thorax) and an abdomen. The funnel-web spider has a smooth cephalothorax and a hairy abdomen. Four pairs of jointed legs are attached to the cephalothorax—there are no wings or antennae. Most spiders have eight eyes, although some have fewer.
Funnel-Web Spider Antivenom (FWSV) is made by raising rabbit IgG antibodies against male A. robustus venom. It was developed in 1980-1981, has a good track record of success, and is appropriate for patients with systemic envenomation.
As Lily regains her memory of her encounter with the funnel-web spider, she has a conversation with her colleague:
“Sorry, we can’t have that dinner tonight. I even bought a nice pair of shoes for the occasion.”
“The lavender stilettos?” He brushes out a wrinkle in those tan slacks.
It occurs to me I don’t have any shoes on, but maybe my heels are in the plastic bag labeled ‘patient’s belongings.’ “Yes, those are the ones. Where are they?”
He closes his eyes for a moment. “They were the only weapon I found, and I used the heel to impale the spider. You may find it needs cleaning.” His words are flat. His face, blank.
Not the new shoes. We both hear the blood pressure monitor’s alarm. I take another deep breath to calm down.
