SPIDERS No.42 – Interesting Cheliceral Teeth

[Walter Piorkowski]

Leitz 6.5x UO Achromat, 49 images at .001 inch increments.
100% EPI illumination

Leitz Ortholux microscope
4X Leitz projection eyepiece plus 1/3x relay lens
Canon 50D
Zerene PMax stacking.
Processing in Photoshop, Bibble Pro5

I don’t often get a good view of these teeth so I cannot say how common this is. The four teeth, two below each fang, have a two tone color. The orange base is topped off with white tips. A very striking combination.

Walt

[Mitch640]

Again, amazing detail Walter. I wish I knew what I was looking at. What are the little teeth for?

[Walter Piorkowski]

Hi Mitch. The view is from the underside between the chelicerae and the body. We have all heard about how the spider injects a fluid that liquifies the internals of the bugs they catch. Some spiders also mash up the remains like we do in our mouths and the teeth help to accomplish this I guess.
The mouth is in the dark zone below were the fangs cross.
Walt

[rjlittlefield]

Walt, nice images as always!

About the teeth, Rainer F. Foelix in Biology of Spiders (2nd Edition) says that

Both sides of the cheliceral groove are often armed with cuticular teeth. These act as a buttress for the movable fang. Spiders whose chelicerae are equipped with such teeth mash their prey into an unrecognizable mass. Spiders without such teeth (e.g., thomasids) can only suck out their victims through the small bite holes. The number and size of the cheliceral teeth are important diagnostic characteristics for the taxonomist.

--Rik

[Mitch640]

It's amazing that someone or many someones, have put so much of their lives into studying these spiders.

[Charles Krebs]

Walter,

Wow! Very interesting, and very nicely done.

[Walter Piorkowski]

Thanks gentlemen to you all and again Rik for enhancing my post.
Walt