Spider

A spider is any living animal of the order aranae, they have eight legs and are all predatorial apart from one species, bagheera kiplingi. All species produce silk and have no extensor muscles in their limbs and instead rely on hydraulic pressure to move. Click here for a list of all spiders on the Spider Wiki.

Sub/infra-orders of Aranea
The order aranea is typically split into three sub-orders,

Mesothelae (Sub-order)
These spiders account for very few species of spider- only 87 and have only one family. They are the most primitive and are the oldest sub-order of spiders having been found in fossils in carboniferous rock. They are characterised by having segmented plates on the abdomen and four spinnerets

Mygalomorphae (Infra-order)
The Mygalomorphae are heavily built spiders that are usually very hairy and are incapable of producing piriform silk, they usually live in a burrow and often surround there living space with defensive silk.

Araneomorphae (Infra-order)
In the same sub-order as Mygalomorphae (Opisthothelae), the most common spiders, also know as true spiders, are lightweight, have inwards pointing fangs and make a variety of webs. The only herbivorous spider, the Bagheera kiplingi is an Araneomorph.