pedipalp

American  

[ped-uh-palp] / ˈpɛd əˌpælp /

noun

1. (in arachnids) one member of the usually longer pair of appendages immediately behind the chelicerae.

2. any member of the arachnid order Pedipalpida.

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pedipalp British  

/ ˈpɛdɪˌpælp /

noun

1. either member of the second pair of head appendages of arachnids: specialized for feeding, locomotion, etc

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Other Word Forms

• pedipalpal adjective
• pedipalpate adjective

Etymology

Origin of pedipalp

From the New Latin word Pedipalpus, dating back to 1820–30. See pedi-, palp

Example Sentences

Using a specialized appendage near his mouth called a pedipalp, the male spider reached forward and carefully slid a packet of sperm into the female’s abdominal cavity.

From Scientific American

The males who are able to wrap the females’ legs have more successful copulations, as measured by the number of insertions of the pedipalp, which delivers sperm to the female.

From New York Times

The scans revealed that the L. jeskovi pedipalp grasps and twists the scapus as the male dismounts, snipping it off as if with scissors.

From National Geographic

To test the strength of the adhesive, the researchers used a fine glass pipette tip with a microscopic glass bead at the end to pull a single sticky pedipalp hair.

From Science Magazine

They pulled the pedipalp back at different speeds and recorded the deflection of the pipette tip on video.

From Science Magazine