Lycosa tarantula
As several large growing tarantulas spiders of the family Lycosidae ( wolf spiders ) are referred to colloquially. The name has its origin in the original description of the Apulian tarantula Lycosa tarantula, was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 as Aranea tarantula and under various synonyms (eg Tarentula Apuliae, Koch 1850) in the genus, no longer used, Tarentula was performed.
The etymology of the name is derived from the Italian city of Taranto and the trivial name of the whole of Puglia, from which it was originally known.
Poisoning and the dancing feet ( chorea ) were formerly the bite of the tarantula attributed ( tarantism ). This was also reflected in the phrase " as if stung by a tarantula " down. This is but recently been questioned, because the toxic effects of the animals is relatively weak. It probably appeared credible that a strong poisoning of a correspondingly large spider ( Lycosa tarantula has a body length of about 2.5-3.0 cm and is together with the legs about palm size ) was created. In fact, the most severe poisoning may have been, however, caused by the significantly more toxic, with about 1cm body length and with relatively short, thin legs relatively small European black widow. Derived from the dancing feet, and these as superstitious " remedies " against the poisoning has probably the tarantella, a southern Italian dance in 6/8-measure naturalized as folk dance permanent.
Tarantula in other languages
A linguistic problem in connection with the tarantula has arisen in the colonization of the New World. Conqueror who knew tarantulas from southern Europe, this name transferred to the unknown for them tarantulas in America, as they are similar in size or larger, which is rarely the case with spiders in Europe. Thus, the trivial name naturalized despite systematically complete defectiveness. The name was adopted into English and has survived to this day. The so-called in German-speaking tarantulas hot in American English and in Australia, in accordance with the common name of the family Lycosidae, wolf spiders ( wolf spiders ). In the UK, the term "bird -eating spiders" (birds eating spiders) has come to be part of tarantulas. By default, translation from English the (incorrect ) is taken literal translation of ignorant people, however. Consequently, the names are twisted in a scientifically questionable literature and in badly translated documentation, so that tarantulas are called tarantulas, which in the general population has a faulty synonymisation both spider groups result.