About Phoneutria fera Perty, 1833
Phoneutria fera Perty, 1833 is a species of spider with medically significant venom that belongs to the family Ctenidae. It is found in South America, specifically in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Suriname, and Guyana. It is commonly called the Brazilian wandering spider and the banana spider, though these common names are also used for other species in the genus Phoneutria, most notably Phoneutria nigriventer. Early in their life, individuals of this species spend most of their time in vegetation. Once they grow larger, they spend more time on the ground, and this pattern is more common in females, as females are typically larger than males. Medical records from the area where Phoneutria fera lives show that bites, likely from either P. fera or its close relative P. reidyi, can lead to moderate to severe systemic reactions in humans.
