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Home » Forums » General Discussion

Spider Eyes

Recently I found this Red Crab Spider http://bugguide.net/node/view/154550. I was looking at this picture and it just occured to me that I only see six eyes. I was always under the impression that spiders have eight eyes but after further investigation I discovered that some have only six.
This one appears to be six eyed also http://bugguide.net/node/view/154524
As is this one http://bugguide.net/node/view/151153/bgimage
I also went here http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/myths/easy.html# and read up some more.

Can someone explain eye quantity further please ?

Revision :

I found this article here at BugGuide created by Lynette that is very helpful http://bugguide.net/node/view/84423.
I wonder if someone might go further with it and add info about eye quantity.
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Contributed by Sam Houston on 30 October, 2007 - 1:44pm
Last updated 31 October, 2007 - 12:27pm

another question
I red someplace that insects can't see the color red. Is that also true of spiders?
… Debbi Brusco, 3 November, 2007 - 10:06pm login or register to post comments

Please see comments
with one of your images: 1.
… Hartmut Wisch, 1 November, 2007 - 9:16pm login or register to post comments

 
I did....
and I appreciate the help. I should learn to look at my own images more closely next time. And thanks for the link.
… Sam Houston, 1 November, 2007 - 9:32pm login or register to post comments

 
I added the link
to the Thomisidae INFO page.
… Hartmut Wisch, 1 November, 2007 - 10:21pm login or register to post comments

....
I added the above revision.
… Sam Houston, 31 October, 2007 - 12:26pm login or register to post comments

6 eyed spiders
I followed your link to Rod's site and found this statement... "Brown recluses...and about 430 other spiders (less than 1% of all spiders) have 6 eyes in 3 pairs."

Here are some families of 6-eyed spiders .. Segestriidae, Sicariidae, Orsolobidae, Telemidae

I'll add more to the list as I figure them out.
… Lynette Elliott, 30 October, 2007 - 4:06pm login or register to post comments

 
Ok....
I guess I was just a little freaked out at the idea of some spiders only having six eyes after thinking all along they all had eight. Shows how much I know....or don't know....
… Sam Houston, 30 October, 2007 - 4:23pm login or register to post comments

 
Spider eyes
This site (which I can not vouch for) claims that "Most spiders have eight eyes, some 6. But there are spiders with no eyes, 2, 4 and up to even 12 eyes."
http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/Spiders/Info/spiderinfo.htm
I'm not sure if that is correct, or maybe the dutch use the term "spider" more loosely and refer to other relatives?
… John R. Maxwell, 31 October, 2007 - 9:54am login or register to post comments

 
Yea, I agree
it seems the more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know. :)
… Lynette Elliott, 30 October, 2007 - 4:26pm login or register to post comments

Hentzia
also has 8 eyes, although, again you can't see them in the image. See drawing here.
… Lynette Elliott, 30 October, 2007 - 4:04pm login or register to post comments

Crab spider
Your crab spider does indeed have 8 eyes. However, when looked at from the front it is hard to see the outermost two. See John and Jane's article here.
… Lynette Elliott, 30 October, 2007 - 4:01pm login or register to post comments

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