Mygalomorphae


Mygalomorphae

[‚mig·ə·lō′mȯr‚fē] (invertebrate zoology) A suborder of spiders (Araneida) including American tarantulas, trap-door spiders, and purse-web spiders; the tarantulas may attain a leg span of 10 inches (25 centimeters).

Mygalomorphae

 

a suborder of large spiders. The trunk and legs are hairy; each chelicera is subchelate and has an opening for the poison gland at the tip. The spiders, which are distributed in the tropics, hunt at night for insects, small frogs and lizards, and, sometimes, small birds. The most characteristic species are A vicularia avicularia, which is black and reaches a length of 5 cm, and Selenocosmia javanensis, which is reddish brown and reaches a length of 10 cm.