Amazing Arachnids

A richly illustrated and up-close look at the secret lives of spiders and other arachnids The American Southwest is home to an extraordinary diversity of arachnids, from spitting spiders that squirt silk over their prey to scorpions that court one another with kissing and dancing. Amazing Arachnids presents these enigmatic creatures as you have never seen them before. Featuring a wealth of color photos of more than 300 different kinds of arachnids from eleven taxonomic orders--both rare and common species--this stunningly illustrated book reveals the secret lives of arachnids in breathtaking detail, including never-before-seen images of their underground behavior. Amazing Arachnids covers all aspects of arachnid biology, such as anatomy, sociality, mimicry, camouflage, and venoms. You will meet bolas spiders that lure their victims with fake moth pheromones, fishing spiders that woo their mates with silk-wrapped gifts, chivalrous cellar spiders, tiny mites, and massive tarantulas, as well as many others. Along the way, you will learn why arachnids are living fossils in some respects and nimble opportunists in others, and how natural selection has perfected their sensory structures, defense mechanisms, reproductive strategies, and hunting methods. Covers more than 300 different kinds of arachnids, including ones new to science ; Features more than 750 stunning color photos ; Describes every aspect of arachnid biology, from physiology to biogeography ; Illustrates courtship and mating, birth, maternal care, hunting, and defense Includes first-ever photos of the underground lives of schizomids and vinegaroons ; Provides the first organized guide to macroscopic mites, including photos of living mites for easy reference Cover Title Copyright Contents Preface Prologue 1. Introducing the Arachnids 2. Scorpions: Scorpiones 3. Pseudoscorpions: Pseudoscorpiones 4. Vinegaroons: Thelyphonida (Uropygi) 5. Short-Tailed Whipscorpions: Schizomida 6. Tailless Whipscorpions: Amblypygi 7. Microwhipscorpions: Palpigradi 8. Harvestmen: Opiliones 9. Wind Spiders: Solifugae 10. Ticks and Other Mites: Parasitiformes and Acariformes 11. Spiders: Araneae, the Eight-Legged Puzzle 12. Tarantulas, Trapdoor Spiders, and Their Kin: Mygalomorphs 13. Orb Weavers: Araneidae, Tetragnathidae, and Uloboridae 14. Irregular Web Builders: Theridiidae, Nesticidae, Leptonetidae, Diguetidae, Dictynidae, and Pholcidae 15. Crevice Weavers, Ground Weavers and Sheet Web Builders: Sicariidae, Filistatidae, Plectreuridae, Zoropsidae, Titanoecidae, Amaurobiidae, Oecobiidae, Linyphiidae, and Agelenidae 16. Jumping Spiders: Salticidae 17. Lynx Spiders: Oxyopidae 18. Crab Spiders: Thomisidae, Sparassidae, Philodromidae, Selenopidae, and Zoropsidae 19. Sand Spiders and Wolf Spiders: Homalonychidae and Lycosidae 20. Ghosts, Goblins, Pirates, and Other Wandering Hunters: Mimetidae, Corrinidae, Trachelidae, Gnaphosidae, Caponiidae, Dysderidae, Oonopidae, Anyphaenidae, Miturgidae, Eutichuridae, and Liocranidae 21. Fishing Spiders: Pisauridae and Trechaleidae 22. Spitting Spiders: Scytodidae 23. In the Company of Arachnids Acknowledgments References Index of Common and Scientific Names