Cribellum

Pronunciation: /kri-BELL-um/

Category: Anatomy

Singular: Cribellum

Plural: Cribella

Definition

A specialized silk-spinning organ found in some spiders, located in front of the spinnerets, which produces extremely fine silk threads.

Etymology

From Latin 'cribellum', meaning 'little sieve'.

Example

The cribellum of the lace-webbed spider produces very fine, non-sticky silk used in their webs.

Related Terms

Spinnerets
Silk
Web

Usage Notes

The silk produced by the cribellum is used in conjunction with the calamistrum for creating capture threads that are not sticky but are extremely fine and tough.