Spitting spider

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Spitting spiders
Temporal range: Cretaceous–present
Scytodes thoracica (aka).jpg
Scytodes thoracica
Dictis striatipes 540789185.jpg
Dictis striatipes
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Scytodidae
Blackwall, 1864
Diversity [1]
4 genera, 253 species
Scytodidae range map.svg
blue: reported countries (WSC)
green: observation hotspots (iNaturalist)

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 four genera, [1] of which Scytodes is the best-known.

Contents

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

As of January 2026, this family includes four genera and 253 species: [1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Family: Scytodidae Blackwall, 1852". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2026-01-18.
  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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