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 What has eight legs ...? Spiders are often lumped in with their six-legged relatives the insects, in identification guides as well as in people's minds. While both spiders and insects are arthropods, spiders actually fall within a distinct class of eight-legged arthropods known as arachnids, a group which includes ticks, scorpions, and lesser known arachnids such as the chemically-armed vinegaroon. In addition to having eight legs, spiders and other arachnids have simple eyes known as ocelli and typically two body regions (the cephalothorax and abdomen). Arachnids also have a pair of appendages, the chelicerae and pedipalps, in front of the first set of legs. Unlike insects, arachnids have no antennae or wings. |
Spider Expertise SpiderId is an online collective of amateur and professional spider enthusiasts. Community members may contribute photos and share knowledge. While the 1990 comedy-horror movie Arachnophobia appealed to people's fear of spiders, SpiderId's goal is to "dispel myths, superstitions, and urban legends that cause many people to be fearful of spiders". The American Arachnological Society (AAS) is a professional society for furthering the science and awareness of research on spiders and their relatives. The society values contributions by those interested in arachnids regardless of professional status, and amateurs can attend the group's annual meetings. |
Citizen Science Contribute your identification of spiders and other arachnids to the iNaturalist project Arachnids of Texas. As the title suggest, the purpose of the project is to catalog the diversity of Arachnids in the state of Texas. Public awareness that brown recluse spiders are venomous contributes to fear about spiders found in the home. In the project Recluse or Not? anyone can tweet spider photos to @RecluseorNot. If the project team identifies the spider is a recluse, they will record the spider’s location and habitat data. If not a recluse, the team will record the spider’s genus. |
Spotting Spiders If seeing a BIG spider outdoors doesn't sound too intimidating, now is the best time to have a chance to spot one. The Texas brown tarantula, our largest local spider, is especially active during the summer when the species' mating season is at its peak. iNaturalist observations in Dallas County reveal a clustering of observations in Southern Dallas County, including numerous sightings in Cedar Hill State Park. |
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Arachnids
by Jan Beccaloni
With around 11 distinctive lineages and over 38,000 species of spiders alone, arachnids are an amazingly diverse group of invertebrates―and with names like the Goliath Bird-Eating Spider, the Tailless Whip Spider, and the Harvestman, they can be both spectacular and captivating. Most books about arachnids focus on spiders, neglecting scorpions, ticks, mites, wind spiders, and other fascinating yet poorly understood groups. This adventurous volume summarizes all existing knowledge about each major type of arachnid, revealing their secrets through detailed species accounts, brilliant photographs, and a compelling cast of eight-legged characters.
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The brown recluse spider
by Richard S. Vetter
.In The Brown Recluse Spider, Vetter covers topics such as taxonomy, identification, misidentification, life history characteristics and biology, medical aspects of envenomations, medical conditions misdiagnosed as brown recluse bites, other spider species of medical consideration (several of which have been wrongly implicated as threats to human health), and the psychology behind the entrenched reasons why people believe so deeply in the presence of the spider in the face of strong, contradictory information.
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Common spiders of North America
by Richard Alan Bradley
Spiders are among the most diverse groups of terrestrial invertebrates, yet they are among the least studied and understood. This first comprehensive guide to all 68 spider families in North America beautifully illustrates 469 of the most commonly encountered species. Group keys enable identification by web type and other observable details, and species descriptions include identification tips, typical habitat, geographic distribution, and behavioral notes. A concise illustrated introduction to spider biology and anatomy explains spider relationships.
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The private life of spiders
by P. D Hillyard
Presents an illustrated guide to the anatomy, behavior, social organization, reproduction, hunting techniques, and web construction of a variety of spiders from around the world
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Spiders : the ultimate predators
by Stephen Dalton
Spiders provides information on habitat, hunting techniques, anatomy, general characteristics and location of spiders, the most successful of all terrestrial predators in the world. Stephen Dalton has chosen to focus on spiders' hunting methods and provides fascinating information on the astonishing array of techniques spiders use for catching their prey: trapping in webs, lassoing, jumping, stealing, chasing, ambushing, spitting, fishing, masquerading as other animals and even attracting prey by mimicking the prey's pheromones.
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Business, Science & Technology
Dallas Public Library1515 Young St.
Dallas, Texas 75201
214-670-1400www.dallaslibrary.org |
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