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General Fallacies

Myth: Spiders are insects.

Fact: Actually, not everyone believes this. Around half of my callers did learn in school that spiders are not insects, but I find it rather appalling that the percentage is not higher. And how often, in mass media, we read or hear a phrase like "spiders prey on other insects!" Anyway, spiders belong to the Class Arachnida, insects to the Class Insecta. Arachnids are as distant from insects, as birds are from fish. It really is not a trivial distinction!

	Spider 2 body parts 8 simple eyes no antennae no wings 4 pairs legs abdomen unsegmented	Insect 3 body parts 2 compound eyes 2 antennae 4 wings (or 2 or none) 3 pairs legs abdomen segmented
Tmarus angulatus, a crab spider			Oryssus sayi, a parasitic wood wasp

Text © 2003, Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture, University of Washington, Box 353010, Seattle, WA 98195, USA Phone: 206-543-5590 Photos © as credited

Queries to Spider Myths author, Rod Crawford This page last updated 12 May, 2005 This site best viewed at 800 x 600 using IE 5.0 or above.