European yellow sac spider
Cheiracanthium punctorium
Dominic Pfab
Key facts in one look
- Size
- Female 10–15 mm
- Status in Georgia
- Confirmed
- Habitat
- Tall grass / shrub layer
- Family
- Cheiracanthiidae
- Diet
- Insects and small arthropods
- Human risk
- Painful bite possible
Cheiracanthium punctorium is a spider in the family Cheiracanthiidae. No reliable, established Georgian common name is known, so it goes by its scientific name. In English it is often called the European yellow sac spider or yellow sac spider. The species is confirmed in Georgia. Records are known from Tbilisi, Betania, Chokhatauri, Sighnaghi, Baghdati, Bakuriani, south of Kutaisi, Poti, and other places. There are also 6 public observations and 9 localities without an observer. Female body length is about 10–15 mm; male body length is about 7.5–12 mm, excluding the legs. The spider is usually pale yellowish green or yellowish brown; the prosoma may be orange or reddish, and the chelicerae have dark tips. Bites are uncommon, but they can be painful and may cause local redness or swelling. According to modern European data, necrosis is not considered a typical outcome.
Identification
European yellow sac spider: how to identify it
A medium-sized spider, pale yellowish or yellowish-green. Its long front legs are easy to see, and its jaws are relatively large with dark tips. It does not build a large round web and is often found in tall grass and shrubs. So if a spider is sitting in the middle of a large round web, it is not Cheiracanthium punctorium.
Females have a body length of about 10–15 mm, males about 7.5–12 mm. These figures do not include the legs. So a live spider may look much larger to you than its actual body length.
The abdomen is usually pale yellowish green. The front part of the body may be greenish brown, orange or reddish. The jaws are relatively large and dark at the tips.
The front legs are long and easy to see. Its body has neither the bold yellow-and-black bands of the wasp spider nor the white cross-shaped pattern of the European garden spider.
The wasp spider and the lobed argiope sit in large round webs and have bold body patterns. Cheiracanthium punctorium does not sit in the centre of a web like that. So if you see a spider sitting in the middle of a large round web, it is not Cheiracanthium punctorium.
The Mediterranean black widow and the false black widow are dark Theridiidae spiders with a more rounded abdomen. Cheiracanthium punctorium is paler, with an elongated body and long legs. It looks clearly different from them, so you are unlikely to mix them up.
Cheiracanthium punctorium mainly lives in warm, open places. In Europe it is found in tall grass, shrubs, and dry and semi-dry meadows, as well as above the ground in the upper parts of plants. It does not build a large round web to catch prey. In Georgia it has been found in the west, east and south of the country. Known sites include Poti, Chokhatauri, Baghdati, the area south of Kutaisi, Bakuriani, Sighnaghi, Tbilisi and Betania.
The European yellow sac spider map combines Reptiles.ge source records with public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table; for this species, a region with at least one record is shaded on the map.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Region with records
Cheiracanthium punctorium mainly catches insects and other small arthropods. It is a predatory spider that actively searches for prey and overpowers it with venom.
Cheiracanthium punctorium is more active at night. During the day it often hides in a silk retreat that it builds among plants. In Europe, adults are more noticeable in the warm season. It does not seek out or attack people. Contact is usually accidental, for example when someone touches the spider by hand, disturbs it while cutting grass or shrubs, or when it ends up in clothing. A female guarding her eggs and young may be more defensive, especially if her silk retreat or egg sac is touched. So do not touch such a retreat with your hands.
Cheiracanthium punctorium is not on Georgia's 2014 Red List. It occurs in Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus, parts of Russia, Iran and Central Asia. There is no need to kill the spider or catch it by hand. If one turns up indoors and has to be moved, move it without touching it directly. Cheiracanthium punctorium is the currently accepted scientific name of the species.
Armen Seropian · Adam Golenia · Dominic Pfab · zsiciarz · Leda Vanzetta
Yes. Cheiracanthium punctorium is confirmed to occur in Georgia. The spider has been found in Tbilisi, Betania, Chokhatauri, Sighnaghi, Baghdati, Bakuriani and Poti, as well as in other places.
In Georgia, Cheiracanthium punctorium has been found in Tbilisi, Betania, Chokhatauri, Sighnaghi, Baghdati, Bakuriani, Rokiti, the area south of Kutaisi, Poti and the area east of Atsriskhevi. These finds confirm that the spider does occur in Georgia.
In Georgian, too, this spider goes by its scientific name, Cheiracanthium punctorium. No reliably established Georgian name for it is known.
Look for a pale yellowish or greenish body, long front legs and relatively large jaws with dark tips. Another sign is that the spider does not sit in a large round web. These signs alone may not always be enough for an exact identification. For a sure answer, a good-quality photo or an expert's check is more reliable.
The bite can be painful. Redness or swelling may appear where you were bitten. Severe reactions are rare. If the pain is strong or getting worse, the swelling grows quickly or you feel worse overall, seek emergency medical care.
Necrosis, meaning tissue death, is not a typical result of a Cheiracanthium bite. Verified modern cases from Europe show this. If you have a strong or unusual reaction to a bite, still see a doctor.
No. Do not touch or disturb the spider by hand. If it must be moved, do it without direct contact: use a cup and stiff paper or another safe method.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
