If you’re an arachnophobe it’s best to look away now!

LOOK away now if you are an arachnophobe!

The first instance of a spider feeding on a reptile in Ireland has been recorded in Killiney.

Researchers from the Ryan Institute at NUI Galway and the Herpeto-logical Society of Ireland have just published the report on what they describe as “the unusual scene” in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy journal.

The report features the Noble False Widow spider, which has colonised much of Ireland since first being recorded here 20 years ago, feeding on Ireland’s only native terrestrial reptile, the Viviparous lizard.

The “somewhat gruesome scene” was recorded in a private garden in Killiney, in May 2017 when the 8.5cm juvenile Viviparous lizard was found entangled on a web with the 3.3cm Noble False Widow spider feeding on its flesh.

While this is not uncommon in the tropics, where a handful of spider species are known to occasionally feed on birds, rodents or reptiles, it is apparently not something we are accustomed to in Ireland.

Researchers say that Noble False Widow spiders are remarkably adaptable and possess fast-acting neurotoxic venom that can cause neuromuscular paralysis in terrestrial vertebrates (organisms that pos-sesses a spinal column or vertebra and lives predominantly on land) and occasionally feed on small reptiles.

Dr Michel Dugon from the Venom Systems Laboratory in the Ryan Institute at NUI Galway, explained: “This report is quite significant for two reasons. One, it is the first time a terrestrial vertebrate has fallen prey to a spider in Ireland and second, the Viviparous lizard is a protected species in this country while the Noble False Widow is a recent alien species that is still actively colonising Ireland.

“This poses the question of the delayed impact of overlooked invasive species on iconic native organisms. It also raises the question of the true impact of the Noble False Widow on our native ecosystems.”

John Dunbar, lead author of the study and PhD researcher at the Ven-om Systems Laboratory in NUI Galway, added: “While Black Widows are known to prey on small reptiles, there are only two previous accounts from other species of False Widow spiders preying on a lizard in Iran and on a snake in Bulgaria. Surprisingly, this is the first time the False Widow spider that is currently colonising Ireland has been doc-umented preying on vertebrates. In addition to its venom possessing a powerful vertebrate specific neurotoxin, it can produce very strong silk which gives it a real advantage over our native spiders in entangling large prey.”

Co-authors Collie Ennis and Rob Gandola from the Herpetological Society of Ireland, warned: “With the Noble False Widow spider following the increasing urban spread into our countryside, the possibility of them coming into contact with native wildlife will no doubt increase.”