Mygalomorph Trapdoor Spider, Kempner, TX 111208, pg 3

This photo shows the spider's ventral body. Notice that the chelicerae and fangs are paraxial, opening more like claws than scissors (as in the araneomorphs). Most mygalomorphs burrow in the ground, and their claw-like fangs assist in excavating their burrows. The palpal endites of this specimen are similar in structure to the coxae of the legs, longer than wide, and are lined medially with a loose row of bristles known as scopulae (not to be confused with the dense pads on the ventroapical surface of the legs of some spiders, which are also referred to as scopulae) that surrounds the mouth. The entire anterior portion of the ventral abdomen is occupied by a pair of book lungs (whose lateral extension was visible on the dorsal abdomen in the photo of the previous page); a second pair of book lungs is positioned on each side of the ventral abdomen, posterior to the first pair, as indicated by the light-colored regions there. Notice the spinnerets on the posterior abdomen: most mygalomorphs, including this specimen, have two pairs of functional spinnerets (the PMS and PLS), while araneomorphs have a third pair (the ALS) that is absent (lost) in the mygalomorphs. NEXT PAGE ---- PAGE MENU:  1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5 * 6 * 7 * 8 * -- * TERMITE ENCOUNTERS  *  SNAKE ENCOUNTERS * SNAKE BITE FIRST AID * SNAKE EXCLUSION * SPIDER ENCOUNTERS * SPIDER BITE FIRST AID * SPIDER EXTERMINATION * PUSS CATERPILLAR ENCOUNTERS * PUSS CATERPILLAR FIRST AID * PUSS CATERPILLAR EXTERMINATION *  Assembled & Edited by Jerry Cates. Questions? Corrections? Comments? BUG ME RIGHT NOW! ---- Ph: 512-331-1111 ---- E-Mail ---- Privacy ----BugsInTheNews * --0a0s--