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Southern House Spider: External
Anatomy Notes
 The
southern house spider (Kukulcania hibernalis),
a haplogyne cribellate, is a member of the Filistatidae family. The
filistatids are represented by 3 genera and 7 species in North America.
Ubick et al, (2005), pg. 104-5, points out that filistatids
are unique among the cribellates in having fused chelicerae. The basal
segments of the chelicerae, in the image at right, are fused proximally,
where, in other Araneomorphae, the chelicerae articulate. I presume this
means that filistatid chelicerae do not articulate, scissors-like, with
the same facility that typical Araneomorphae enjoy. The sicariids (brown spiders), which are
haplogyne but not cribellate, are distinguished by their basally fused chelicerae,
but instead of a
direct fusion of the basal segments, theirs are indirectly fused by
virtue of a connecting membrane, which suggests that their articulation
may not be impeded as severely as that of the filistatids. The southern
house spider is often mistaken for a particular sicariid, namely the
brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa). For all of these spiders,
with either partially or wholly inarticulate chelicerae, the distal
fangs remain fully moveable, and thus capable of envenomating large prey
offensively, or mammals such as man defensively. The hollow fangs are
attached to venom glands, but as these apiders are timid in nature, they
are unlikely to bite when handled. Should they be provoked to bite,
K. hibernalis venom is not dangerous to man, while that of
L. reclusa is, perhaps undeservedly so, greatly feared
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TERMITE ENCOUNTERS *
SNAKE ENCOUNTERS * SNAKE
BITE FIRST AID *
SNAKE
EXCLUSION *
SPIDER
ENCOUNTERS *
SPIDER
BITE FIRST AID *
SPIDER
EXTERMINATION
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PUSS CATERPILLAR ENCOUNTERS *
PUSS CATERPILLAR FIRST AID *
PUSS CATERPILLAR EXTERMINATION
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Assembled & Edited by
Jerry Cates. Questions? Corrections? Comments?
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