No matter, they still scare the shit out of me when they faal out of your clothes or you find them in your boots.
White-tailed spiders are being unfairly blamed for delivering nasty flesh-eating bites, the National Poisons Centre says.
The much-maligned Australian native is often thought responsible for bites that turn into necrotising ulcers.
But it has been cleared by a paper from the National Poisons Centre, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal.
Aimed at doctors, the report lists 11 poisonous creatures found in New Zealand and surrounding waters, detailing how their bites or stings should be treated.
The venomous nasties range from white-tailed and redback spiders to the humble kina, which can cause a nasty wound with its spikes.
“It’s handy for a doctor who comes across one of these things to have all the information in one place, and they can just grab it,” said centre information officer Robin Slaughter, a co-author of the report.
A recent Australian study found no link between white-tailed spider bites and flesh-eating ulcers, he said.
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Aotearoa: A Wider Perspective 