Notes on the internal anatomy of Liphistius batuensis, Abr
This brief note by B. H. Buxton describes the internal anatomy of Liphistius batuensis, a mygalomorph spider, with particular attention to its coxal glands, nervous ganglia, and other organ systems.
Summary
Buxton reports that Liphistius possesses two coxal glands (in segments III and V) with labyrinth tubes that interlace and coil over each other, making it impossible to distinguish the two systems in section (p. 86). He notes that in Araneae Verae the segment V gland has been lost, and that the coxal glands of Liphistius resemble those of Theraphosid spiders in every particular, being “not in any respect more primitive” (p. 86).
Regarding the nervous system, Buxton had hoped to find that the five transient abdominal ganglia observed in larval Theraphosids would be more permanent in Liphistius, but none of the specimens examined (2 adult, 2 immature) showed any trace of them (p. 86). His overall conclusion is that Liphistius is anatomically much more closely allied to the Theraphosids than the latter are to the Araneae Verae (p. 86).