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IMPORTANCE

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This is a fierce ground-dwelling spider that occasionally invades homes in hilly areas. The Insect Hotline at the University of California at Berkeley receives numerous calls from residents in Oakland, Berkeley and Marin County. The spider becomes a problem when it takes up residence in shoes and umbrellas left bydoors. One Calisoga bit a 7-year old girl. She described the bit as feeling like stickers. An 80 year-old woman bitten while collecting leaves described the spider's bit to be like being hit with a hammer. The spider's fangs penetrated her work gloves.

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