The images on the net are not very clear. Would you say this is a Violin spider?
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Hello Ronell
No ways! Violin spiders are smaller, rare and of little medical importance in southern Africa. I have never in the 40-odd years of looking for and at spiders seen them on the East Coast of South Africa. So to set your mind at rest, your spider looks like one of the huntsman spiders, probably a species of Olios in the spider family Sparassidae. They will prey upon moths, cockroaches, etc. when they come indoors and along with flatties or wall spiders and daddy-longlegs spiders really help to keep homes free of pest insects such as mosquitoes.
You have some superb spiders in your part of the country. None of them transmit any human or animal diseases, they do not eat our crops or stored food, they avoid us if they can and help to keep pest invertebrates in check. Please visit the official website of the Plant Protection Research Institute http://www.arc.agric.za and follow the quick link to SANSA (The South African National Survey of Arachnida) where you can read what the scientists say about violin spiders and also visit the Virtual Museum.
Please Ronell with someone who has the e-mail name of barefootnaturedoctor pass the message on that spiders are our allies, no matter what hysterical e-mails may emanate from the U.S.A. And get copied by local people who seem to take delight in scare mongering with no knowledge of what they are talking about.
Kind regards
Astri Leroy.
PO BOX 390, RUIMSIG 1732, South Africa
Mobile +27 073 168 7187 Landline +27 11 958-0695 Fax: +27 11 958-0696
info@spiderclub.co.za http://www.spiderclub.co.za