An anatomical atlas of the spinneret muscle system with insights into the evolution of the spinning apparatus of spiders (Araneae).
Silk production is a characteristic trait of spiders, with silk extruded through spigots on the spinnerets-articulated appendages at the rear of the abdomen. The number, shape, and length of spinnerets, as well as the number of spinneret articles vary in different evolutionary lineages of spiders. Recent research has r...