Image of Latrodectus

Description:

Under a very low magnification of only 12X, this scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted a rather ominous scene, for entangled in this brown recluse spider web was the exoskeletal remains of an unidentified insect, which was believed to be an ant. Known as spider silk, the strands of silk are produced by the spider’s spinnerets, which are glands located in the distal tip of its abdomen. Once the prey has become entangled in the web, the spider will cautiously, though aggressively, approach the prey, subduing it with a neurotoxic bite, which also contains proteolytic, or protein-destroying enzymes, and further enwraps the prey in a web cocoon like the one seen here.
Created: 2007