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How do chelicerae help spiders capture and eat prey?
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arthropod
Spiny lobster, or rock lobster (Palinurus elephas).
In spiders, the chelicerae serve as the primary jaws used to capture and manipulate prey. Each chelicera terminates in a fang that contains an opening connected to a venom gland.12
These structures facilitate feeding through the following mechanisms:
- Subduing Prey: When a spider bites its prey, it injects venom through the fangs. While the venom of some species consists primarily of digestive enzymes to aid in external digestion, in many species, it acts as a toxin to effectively paralyze or kill the prey.3
- External Digestion: The venom glands likely evolved from accessory digestive glands. The secretions injected through the chelicerae initiate the breakdown of the prey's tissues before ingestion occurs.3
- Manipulation: Beyond their role in venom delivery, the chelicerae are used to grasp and hold prey during the feeding process. In web-dwelling spiders, they are also used to cut strands of silk when managing captured insects.2