Anatomy of a Spider What are a Spider's Body Parts

The redback spider's body consists of two parts. The front part which is referred to as the cephalothorax contains eight tiny eyes, brain, mouth consisting of a tube similar to a feeding straw, its chelicerae which are pincers with inbuilt fangs, pedipalps which are a set of arms for holding prey, venom glands, a sucking stomach and all of its eight long legs. (See diagram).

Spiders are not Insects

While spiders may look like insects, they are actually arachnids and belong to the same family as scorpions and ticks. An arachnid has two body parts, eight legs, no antennae or wings and cannot chew its food; its sucks juices instead. There are over 40,000 different species of spiders in the world.

The second part of its body is its abdomen, located immediately behind the cephalothorax and joined to it by a thin flexible waist called a pedicel. This acts like a joint, allowing the spider to move its abdomen without moving its cephalothorax. The abdomen contains its lungs, heart, intestine, reproductive organs, silk glands and spinnerets from which it produces its silk.

Redback Spider — Facts