Arthropods: Bite like a spider, sting like a scorpion

NATURE | CORRESPONDENCE Reza Afshari Nature 537, 167 (08 September 2016) doi:10.1038/537167e Published online 07 September 2016 Subject terms: Animal behaviour The image of a togo starburst tarantula (Heteroscodra maculata) on your Contents page in the print issue (Nature 534, 433; 2016) is incorrectly titled 'Sting like a spider'. Spiders do not sting, they bite. Arthropod bites and stings are differentiated by the nature and purpose of the stinging or biting apparatus, and by their clinical effects (see J. Goddard Physician's Guide to Arthropods of Medical Importance; CRC Press, 2012). Bees and scorpions, for example, inject their stings mainly for defence; spiders bite usually to immobilize or kill their prey, by injecting venom from their fangs. These insults typically result in one or two puncture marks, respectively, in the victim's skin, serving as useful indicators for diagnosis and treatment. Author information Affiliations BC Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, Canada. Reza Afshari Corresponding author Correspondence to: Reza Afshari