Infraorder Araneomorphae - True Spiders

Classification · Numbers · Remarks

Pine Spider, 12:10pm - Pityohyphantes - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Arachnida (Arachnids)

Order Araneae (Spiders)

Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)

Numbers

See

Remarks

The majority of spiders belong to this suborder.

Araneomorphs are the most evolved of the spiders, and are found in an extremely wide range of habitats.

There are two easy ways to distinguish them from the 'tarantulas' or mygalomorphs.

First, Araneomorphs have two book lungs or one pair. Of course, there are exceptions. Three families, Austrochilidae, Gradungulidae, and Hypochilidae, have four booklungs.

Second, the chelicerae and fangs open more or less perpendicular to the axis of the spiders body.

Contributed by Jeff Hollenbeck on 29 March, 2006 - 11:56pm
Last updated 8 June, 2007 - 11:03am

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