Mygale

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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]