Spitting spider explained

Spitting spiders (Scytodidae) is a family of araneomorph spiders first described by John Blackwall in 1864.[1] It contains over 250 species in five genera, of which Scytodes is the best-known.

Description

Scytodidae spiders are haplogyne, meaning they lack hardened female genitalia. They have six eyes, like most spiders in this group, arranged in three pairs. They possess long legs and a dome-shaped cephalothorax, and are usually yellow or light brown with black spots or marks. Their domed head and three eye groups tend to resemble a human skull, giving them the occasional common name "skull spiders".[2] [3]

Hunting technique

Scytodidae catch their prey by spitting a fluid that congeals on contact into a venomous and sticky mass. The fluid contains both venom and spider silk in liquid form, though it is produced in venom glands in the chelicerae. The venom-laced silk both immobilizes and envenoms prey such as silverfish. In high-speed footage the spiders can be observed swaying from side to side as they "spit", catching the prey in a criss-crossed "Z" pattern; it is criss-crossed because each of the chelicerae emits half of the pattern. The spider usually strikes from a distance of 10to and the entire attack sequence only lasts 1/700th of a second.[4] After making the capture, the spider typically bites the prey with venomous effect, and wraps it in the normal spider fashion with silk from the spinnerets.[5]

Presocial behaviour

Some species exhibit presocial behaviour, in which mature spiders live together and assist the young with food.[6]

Genera

See main article: List of Scytodidae species., the World Spider Catalog accepts the following genera:[7]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Blackwall, J.. 1864. A history of the spiders of Great Britain and Ireland. Ray Society, London. 175–384.
  2. Web site: SCYTODIDAE Spitting spiders . Arachne.org.au . 25 April 2024.
  3. Web site: Spitting spider . Illinois Department of Natural Resources . 25 April 2024.
  4. Book: Piper, Ross . Ross Piper . 2007 . Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals . Westport, Conn. . Greenwood Press . 978-0-313-33922-6 . registration .
  5. Gilbert . C. . L.S. . Rayor . 1985 . Predatory behavior of spitting spiders (Araneae, Scytodidae) and the evolution of prey wrapping . Journal of Arachnology . 13 . 2 . 231–241 . 3705028 .
  6. Web site: Miller . Jeremy . 2010 . Taxon page for Scytodes socialis Miller, 2006. . https://web.archive.org/web/20120331171641/http://araneae.lifedesks.org/pages/34605 . 2012-03-31 .
  7. Web site: Family: Scytodidae Blackwall, 1864. World Spider Catalog. 2024-01-12. Natural History Museum Bern.