Parts of a Spider: Dorsal View of a Male Spider

Part of the Biodiversity Counts Curriculum Collection.

male_spider

Chelicera: The first pair of appendages which in spiders has become modified into a stout basal part and a smaller distal segment, the fang. 
Pedipalp: The second pair of appendages. In mature males the tip becomes an organ used to transfer sperm to the female. 
Anterior eye row: The front row of simple eyes. Most spiders have eight but some have six, two, or even none at all. 
Posterior eye row: The back row of simple eyes. 
Cephalothorax (or prosoma): The anterior (or front) major body segment, literally a fusion of the head and thorax. 

Pedicel: A narrow tube which connects the two major body segments, it carries the gut, blood supply, and ventral nerve. 
Abdomen (or opisthosoma): The posterior (or back) major body segment. 
Spinnerets: Fleshy finger-like appendages which emit silk from tiny spigots at their tips. 
Coxa: The first element of the walking leg. 
Trochanter: The second element of a walking leg, between the coxa and femur. 
Femur: The third element of a walking leg, between the trochanter and patella. 
Patella: The fourth element of a walking leg, between the femur and tibia. 
Tibia: The fifth element of a walking leg, between the patella and metatarsus.
 
Metatarsus: The sixth element of a walking leg, between the tibia and tarsus. 
Tarsus: The seventh element of a walking leg between the tibia and claw. 
Claws: All spiders have two or three tarsal claws.