The Nosferatu spider, which originated in the Mediterranean region, has now spread almost throughout Germany. This was shown by the first results of a call for reports by the German Nature Conservation Union (Nabu) and the observation portal nabu-naturgucker.de, as Nabu announced on Tuesday.
16,000 observations were registered within two weeks. One must assume that around 20 percent of observations are incorrect. The number is still impressive, said Nabu spider expert Roland Mühlethaler of the German Press Agency.
The review of 7900 photos showed that 84 percent of the determinations were correct. Most commonly, the Nosferatu spider was confused with the large house angle spider and other angle spiders. These species most closely resemble the Nosferatu spider.
Main areas of distribution in the south and west
Even if there are now reports from all corners of the republic, the main areas of distribution are still in the south and west, according to Nabu. Especially along the Rhine, Neckar and Ruhr, the Nosferatu spider occurs almost everywhere. The evidence thinned out noticeably to the north and east.
The Nosferatu spider, which is about four centimeters in size, has been widespread for many years, especially in the warmer regions of southern and western Germany. She is so named because she is said to have the face of the vampire Nosferatu from the 1922 silent film on her body.
However, it is relatively harmless. Unlike most spider species living in Germany, they can penetrate human skin with their biting tools, Nabu recently announced. But the bite in humans can usually be compared to a bee or wasp sting – provided there is no allergy. You shouldn’t catch them with your bare hands, but put a glass over them, slide a piece of cardboard underneath and take them outside.
