Phoneutria fera
| Phoneutria fera | |
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| P. fera from French Guiana | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Ctenidae |
| Genus: | Phoneutria |
| Species: | P. fera |
| Binomial name | |
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Phoneutria fera Perty, 1833 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Phoneutria fera is a species of spider in the family Ctenidae found in South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Suriname and Guyana). It is commonly known as the Brazilian wandering spider as well as the banana spider, although these names are applied to other species in the genus Phoneutria, particularly Phoneutria nigriventer.
The venom, which contains a toxin known Tx2-6, is a neurotoxin known to cause extreme pain, swelling, breathing complications, paralysis, heart attacks, and priapism. The bite is therefore regarded to be life-threatening.
A study done at the Medical College of Georgia has found that venom from the Brazilian wandering spider contains a toxin, called Tx2-6, that causes erections. Scientists believe that combining this toxin with existing medication such as Viagra may lead to an effective treatment for erectile dysfunction.
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Wikipedia