Spitting Spider--Austin, TX, pg 4: The ventral prosoma is shown in the image at far right, and the claws of the leg 1 tarsus are shown at the immed. right. Note that the sternum is convex and lightly marked, with few hairs, disposed below a large cephalothorax which at its posterior third extends outward the full length of coxae 3 and 4. The palps are absent any signs of a male sex organ, which in this genus consists of an obvious bulb with an embolus having a simple prong or more complicated projections. For spiders in this family, the tarsi of each leg have three claws (and as Foelix [1996], p. 18, points out, all three claws arise from a single cuticular platelet and cannot be articulated individually) while the Sicariidae have two claws; the middle claw, a hook, is clearly shown, but its structure is obscured by the poor quality of the imagery (mea culpa). An absence of tufts of hairs (scopulae) at the distal tarsus has important consequences. This specimen was kept in a deep plastic dish, and Laura noted--with surprise--its inability to scale the walls. As Foelix (1996) pp. 19-21 points out, the scopulae permit spiders that possess them to climb vertical walls, but that faculty is denied spiders without them. I have noted the same disability applies to the brown recluse ----- NEXT PAGE ----- PAGE MENU: 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5 *----- * TERMITE ENCOUNTERS  *  SNAKE ENCOUNTERS * SNAKE BITE FIRST AID * SNAKE EXCLUSION * SPIDER ENCOUNTERS FOR 2008 *  SPIDER ENCOUNTERS FOR 2007 * 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--