chelicera, singular noun, plural chelicerae - pointed mouthpart(s) of arachnids (spiders and allies). They take the place of mandibles found in insects, for instance. See the diagram:

See Also

cephalothorax

pedipalps

Internet References

Wikipedia: Chelicerae

NCSU: Spiders-chelicerate

Contributed by Cotinis on 29 May, 2007 - 11:06am
Additional contributions by Lynette
Last updated 19 November, 2009 - 9:27pm

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