Back to photostream

Where spider silk comes from

This is looking close at the rear end of a Green Lynx Spider (Peucetia, Oxyopidae) sitting on her egg case - showing the spider's spinnerets. I can only see four spinnerets, but apparently most spiders (other than Mygalomorphs) have six - four large ones and two small ones that are hard to see. If you look very close, maybe you can see that there are six strands of silk coming from the spider. I found several of these spiders in a growth of native Bird's Beak (Cordylanthus rigidus, Orobanchaceae). This photo is substantially cropped. I didn't mean to get this shot, but I wish I had gotten in closer. Happy Web Wednesday and HBBBT! (San Marcos Pass, 6 September 2017)

643 views
7 faves
3 comments
Uploaded on September 7, 2017
Taken on September 6, 2017