mygale

1 definition found

mygale - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Mygale \Myg"a*le\, prop. n. [L., a field mouse, Gr. ?.] (Zool.)
     A genus of very large hairy spiders of the family
     Ctenizidae, having four lungs and only four spinnerets.
     They do not spin webs, but usually construct tubes in the
     earth, which are often furnished with a trapdoor. The South
     American bird spider (Mygale avicularia), and the crab
     spider, or matoutou (Mygale cancerides) are among the
     largest species. They are also called trapdoor spiders.
     Some of the species are erroneously called tarantulas, as the
     Texas tarantula (Mygale Hentzii).
     [1913 Webster +PJC]