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spinneret

Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
No Taxon (Glossary)
No Taxon (S)
No Taxon spinneret
Explanation of Names
The word was coined in the 19th century as a diminutive of spinner, which originally meant spider and was later applied to "person who spins textile thread" (Online Entomological Dictionary).
Identification
spinneret noun - 1-Structure at or near the tip of a spider's abdomen which produces silk (there are normally a group of them). 2-structure on the labium of a caterpillar which produces silk.

Photos of spider spinnerets:


Photos of spinnerets in caterpillars:
Remarks
Most spiders have spinnerets visible from only from the side or below. Prominent spinnerets visible from above help to identify the Family Gnaphosidae and the genus Agelenopsis in the family Agelenidae.
Internet References
Wikipedia: Spinneret
Enchanted Learning: Caterpillar Anatomy
Contributed by Chuck Entz on 31 May, 2007 - 2:37am
Additional contributions by cotinis, Lynette Elliott
Last updated 6 December, 2011 - 6:07pm

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