Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
BugGuide Gathering
Smoky Mountains
University of Tennessee Biological Field Station
August 8-10, 2008
 
Photos from the gathering
 
Photos from the 2007 gathering in Minnesota

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynes » Funnel-Web Spiders (Agelenidae)
Photo#176416
What is this on the pedipalps?
Copyright © 2006 meteuz

What is this on the pedipalps?
Arlington County, Virginia, USA
September 18, 2006
This spider looks like Agelenopsis sp. I am curious about the organ seen here at the tip of the pedipalp. I know spiders use their pedipalps to pass sperm to the female, but this would be a rather unusual shape for that. Can anybody say or guess what this thing is used for?

Images of this individual: tag all
What is this on the pedipalps? What is this on the pedipalps?
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by meteuz on 10 April, 2008 - 2:10pm
Last updated 25 April, 2008 - 5:32pm

male palp
this is the male palp fully developed,
you can see part of the embolus uncurled
from the base, and it is hard to say exactly what's going on,
but he may have sensed a potential mate
and well, he's just excited as all get out!
Nice shot of the palp, almost diagnostic...
spiders like this (entelegyne) all have relatively
complex palps if male...
… erichedwards, 10 April, 2008 - 8:37pm login or register to post comments

Some kind of...
parasite? or maybe it was damaged by a rough encounter with a female?? Either way, it looks pretty bad.
… Preston Scott Justis, 10 April, 2008 - 2:18pm login or register to post comments

 
Could this be
just an "unfolded" pedipalp with embolus, etc.?

Edit: Compare, for example, with figure 1 in this pdf article:

http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~mandrade/pdf/Snow_etal_2006.pdf

Just an idea - I'm not sure...
… Ken Schneider, 10 April, 2008 - 2:31pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2008 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Contact