You may be surprised to learn March 14 is Save A Spider Day. As they are not always the most popular of animals, some readers may be wondering why on Earth anybody would want to save spiders at all! In this blog, our spider man and spider fan Dr Phil Sirvid looks at some of the reasons spiders deserve your love or at least your tolerance!

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

There are many reasons, why spiders are important and worth respecting, including the fact that they are one of the most important regulators of insect populations, eating a staggering 600-800 million tonnes of insects each year.

Venom’s virtues and silk’s secrets

Globally, there are over 50000 species of spiders known so far, each with their own set of silk and venom with unique biochemical or biomechanical properties.

Spider venoms are very effective at subduing prey, but there is much more to them than that. Research has shown spider venoms contain compounds that have applications for a range of conditions ranging from pain relief to heart arrhythmia and erectile dysfunction, while gram for gram, spider silk has a higher tensile strength than steel amongst many other properties. Reproducing it artificially is one of the holy grails of materials science. Unsurprisingly, spiders are still better at making silk than humans!

The amazing power of tiny little minds

Research on jumping spiders is showing just how much a tiny neurosystem is capable of and has applications in fields such as neurophysiology and robotics.

Some jumping spiders are capable of planning, assessing risk, and even counting (although only as high as three). And with their big eyes, many jumping spiders are utterly adorable!

Fabulously furry fauna found on this whenua

Direct benefit to humans is only part of why spiders are worth saving. They are a special and unique component of our fauna too. Over 1,100 spider species are known from Aotearoa New Zealand, and around 95% of those are found nowhere else on Earth. They are every bit as unique to this country as more famous species such as kiwi and tuatara, and are just as important a part of our natural heritage.

When it comes to spiders that need saving, currently only two species out of those 1,100 are protected under Schedule 7 of the Wildlife Act. They are the Nelson cave spider (Spelungula cavernicola) and the katipō (Latrodectus katipo).

The Nelson cave spider is spectacular. It is our largest spider by leg span (up to 15 cm across!) and is sometimes described as a link between the more primitive mygalomorph spiders (e.g. tunnelwebs and tarantulas) and the more advanced araneaomphs (most other spiders) as it has features of both. It is confined to a few cave systems in the Nelson area and can’t survive for long when removed from cave habitat.

The shy and retiring katipō

The katipō is famous (or possibly infamous) for being our only endemic species of spider that’s dangerous to people.

It’s a member of the widow spiders (genus Latrodectus), a group that includes medically significant species such as the redback (L. hasselti) and black widow (L. mactans).

Fortunately, bites, while in no way fun, are not usually as severe despite the potency of their venom. That’s because they’re the smallest members of the group, so don’t inject as much venom as their larger cousins. They are also shy and retiring, so bites are rare.

Katipō prefers to live in native grasses in coastal dune systems. While they can be locally abundant, what was once a wider and more continuous geographic range has become fragmented, with much of this due to changing land use. Katipō also suffers from competition and even predation from several exotic spider species now established in Aotearoa New Zealand.

How you can save a spider

While you might not be able to directly help katipō or Nelson cave spiders, you can be mindful of spiders you meet at home. They are just living their lives and have no interest in you at all.

Of course, not everyone is as fond of spiders as I am, so what do you do when you find a spider inside and you really wished it was outside? Put a jar or similar container over it, slip a piece of card underneath the spider and the mouth of the container, then turn the whole thing card-side up.

Now the spider is safely contained and can be released wherever you like. And you’ve saved a spider!

If you want to live and thrive, let a spider run alive – Anon