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Are you afraid of spiders? Last year, a mysterious new Twitter account called “Soy aracnólogo, pregúntame lo que quieras” ( I am an arachnologist, ask me anything ) caught the attention of internet surfers both in Mexico and abroad. Its purpose? To vindicate arachnids by sharing hard facts and science. In less than six months, the account went from 0 to 5,000 followers and gained popularity throughout the world .
We decided to dig deeper and got in touch with its creator: Diego Barrales Alcalá, Master of Science by the National Autonomous University of Mexico .
He disclosed he had created the account as a personal project for scientific dissemination, though given its popularity, he is considering the possibility of linking it to a project in the United States for the monitoring of spiders of medical importance.
Barrales is currently studying for his doctorate at UNAM’s Biology Institute and we decided to ask him a few questions about spiders, scorpions, and more:
Q:
On your Twitter account, you write about “vindicating” arachnids. Why do you think they have such a bad reputation in the public mind?
I consider that it is mostly due to the limited information concerning these creatures, which is also often clouded with misconceptions.
Social media has opened the door to an expedited exchange of information that may be true or false. Arachnids, in particular, have been targeted by many online articles that are either inaccurate or completely false; as a result, spiders have become pop culture’s “favorite” villains. However, taking into consideration that less than 0.4% of all described species at the global scale are capable of posing a threat to human health, we can see that the fear surrounding them is mostly groundless.
A tiger wandering spider
(Cupiennius salei) - Photo: Courtesy of Diego Barrales
Q: What is the most common misconception surrounding spiders?
That we can die or lose a limb from one “sting.” Spiders don’t have a sting, they either bite or nip through a clamp-like mechanism between the fangs and the chelicera. Although it is true that some spiders have venom that is potentially fatal for humans, only an extremely low percentage of spider bite cases end up with complications and ultimately lead to death or loss of limbs.
Q: Mexico is one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet. Is this also the case with arachnids?
Mexico is one of only six countries in the world where all 11 orders of the Arachnida class can be found, in other words, there is at least one family of each arachnid group in the country.
To this day, around 5,800 species of arachnids have been described in Mexico, which represents nearly 6% of the world’s known arachnid species, though it is estimated that there is still much to be learned about Mexican arachnofauna.
A black widow spider
(Latrodectus mactans) - Photo: Courtesy of Diego Barrales
Q: What are some of the most dangerous arachnid species in Mexico and what can we do to avoid them?
Arachnids of medical importance in Mexico may be separated into three groups: Spiders of the genus Latrodectus , commonly known as black or brown widow spiders, which possess a neurotoxic venom that affects the central nervous system; spiders of the genus Loxosceles , also known as recluse or brown recluse spiders, armed with a necro-toxic venom that destroys organic tissue; and finally, some species of scorpions from the genus Centruroides , also known as bark scorpions, which also possess a neurotoxic venom.
The best way to avoid them is to keep your house clean and avoid moving logs, chunks of wood, or rocks in outside areas. It is worth mentioning that these species are not evenly distributed throughout the Mexican territory, there are areas with a strong presence of these creatures and others where they simply don’t exist. It is usually the warmest regions of the country that show a larger presence of these orders.
The website iNaturalist shows potential distributions of animals of medical importance. It features a record of poisonous animals in Mexico and is constantly being updated with observations and pictures taken by users.
If you are bitten by a spider or stung by a scorpion and you are not sure about the exact identity of the species or if you feel physical discomfort soon afterward, you should try to capture the specimen and take it to the nearest healthcare center.
Q: What are the main differences between an arachnid and an insect?
Though both are arthropods, they belong to different classes: Arachnids (class Arachnida ) have eight legs, they do not have wings or antennae, and they only have two main body parts; whereas insects (class Insecta ) have six legs, they usually grow wings in their adult stage, and they have antennae, as well as three main body parts.
These differences are very useful when it comes to debunking some myths that have flooded social media, such as the existence of the so-called “flying scorpions.” Not long ago, the news of a “deadly” flying scorpion from the United States went viral on social media, along with a photograph of a winged creature with an elongated head and what looked like a scorpion’s tail. These fake news actually referred to a harmless insect from the order Mecoptera , commonly known as scorpionfly. Arachnids are simply incapable of growing wings.
Q: Last month you recorded a live stream at the Mazatlán Lighthouse in Sinaloa. Can we expect more livestreams in the future?
Yes, the idea is to share activities related to arachnology: Collections, visits to places of interest, etc.
A butterfly spider
(Araneus) waits for her prey - Photo: Diego Barrales
Q: How do you feel about people’s response to your Twitter account?
The response has been incredible. In less than six months since I created the account, the number of followers has grown pretty fast and there are people from more than 20 different countries who are now part of this community, both from Spanish and English speaking countries.
Many account followers have stated openly that they suffer from arachnofobia and are looking to overcome their fear through exposure to information and pictures of arachnids. This is why I always do my best to answer their questions accurately and provide relevant information.
Another thing I have noticed is that many people interact with the account by sending pictures of arachnids they see in their everyday life. They take pictures of spiders and scorpions to share them on Twitter and learn more about them.
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