Liphistiidae

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 | 529 words | Copyright

Liphistiidae (order Araneae, suborder Mesothelae) Family of spiders which have the normal carapace covering the prosoma, but in which the abdomen is distinctive in being clearly segmented. The spiders are 1–3.5 cm long, and have two pairs of book lungs. They sit in tubes up to 60 cm deep, dug out from the substrate, and use their chelicerae to hold shut a trapdoor. A few radial threads spread out from the tube to trip prey items and alert the concealed spider. The family occurs from south-east Asia to southern Japan.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Liphistiidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Liphistiidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Liphistiidae.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Liphistiidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Liphistiidae.html

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