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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynes » Funnel-Web Spiders (Agelenidae)
Photo#347877
Plumose leg hairs - male
Copyright © 2008 Eric R. Eaton

Plumose leg hairs - Male
Chicopee watershed (341 N15), Unknown County, Massachusetts, USA
July 23, 2008
Just an illustration of the plumose leg hairs that help to immediately and conclusively identify members of this family of spiders. Image taken through a microscope at ~60X. Good illumination of the specimen is essential in order to make out these hairs. Once you see them, though, they tend to "jump out" at you:-)

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Plumose leg hairs - male Plumose leg hairs - male
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Contributed by Eric R. Eaton on 31 October, 2009 - 11:59am

Plumose hairs
I had to look up plumose since I hadn't heard that word before...but now I know what it means, and I think I can see those hairs now. Are they the 'wispy' ones that have many 'branches' radiating from one main hair (like a feather)?

And you said these hairs can be used to ID to the family right away...so does that mean that members of Agelenidae are the only spiders that have plumose hairs on their legs? If that's how it works, then I am very excited that you posted this because it's a very good technique that I was not yet privy to.

Hope you had a good Halloween!
… Mandy Howe, 1 November, 2009 - 2:16am login or register to post comments

 
Thanks:-)
Yes, they are the branched hairs, and they are still hard to make out in these images. They are more apparent with they eye than the camera lens!...I had a nice Halloween, thank you. Hope you did, too.
… Eric R. Eaton, 1 November, 2009 - 6:08pm login or register to post comments

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