Spitting spider

Spitting spiders
Temporal range: Cretaceous–present
Scytodes thoracica
Scytodes male, showing pedipalps
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Scytodidae
Blackwall, 1864
Diversity[1]
4 genera, 252 species

Spitting spiders are a family of araneomorph spiders, the family Scytodidae, first described by John Blackwall in 1864.[2] It contains over 250 species in five genera,[1] 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".[3][4]

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 10 to 20 millimetres (0.39 to 0.79 in) and the entire attack sequence only lasts 1/700th of a second.[5] 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.[6]

Pre social behaviour

Some species exhibit presocial behaviour, in which mature spiders live together and assist the young with food.[7]

Genera

Main article: List of Scytodidae species
Scytodes fusca, female

As of January 2024, the World Spider Catalog accepts the following genera:[1]

  • Dictis L. Koch, 1872 — Asia, Oceania, North America and Seychelles
  • Scyloxes Dunin, 1992 — Tajikistan
  • Scytodes Latreille, 1804 — South America, Africa, Asia, North America, Caribbean, Central America, Oceania, Spain
  • Stedocys Ono, 1995 — China, Malaysia, Thailand

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Family: Scytodidae Blackwall, 1864". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  2. ^ Blackwall, J. (1864). A history of the spiders of Great Britain and Ireland. Ray Society, London. pp. 175–384.
  3. ^ "SCYTODIDAE Spitting spiders". Arachne.org.au. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Spitting spider". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  5. ^ Piper, Ross (2007). Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-33922-6.
  6. ^ Gilbert, C.; Rayor, L.S. (1985). "Predatory behavior of spitting spiders (Araneae, Scytodidae) and the evolution of prey wrapping". Journal of Arachnology. 13 (2): 231–241. JSTOR 3705028.
  7. ^ Miller, Jeremy (2010). "Taxon page for Scytodes socialis Miller, 2006". Archived from the original on 2012-03-31.
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