quick ? about Az sunspider

[aunttigger]

Hi y'all. I recently went on a collecting trip and I stumbled upon, what I thought, was a pretty big sunspider. So I chased it around for a few and finally caught it. Later that night I ran into a sunspider that dwarfed my first "monster". I am not to sure how big they get in the wild, here in Az, but this one is (including the full leg span) 3.5'' to 4''! By the time I realized that I was now about 15 feet away (my first initial reaction was to RUN FOR MY LIFE) When I [/COLOR] got home I was amazed at the charactaristics of the bug. Litterally it is a jaw and a stomach with legs. Don't get me wrong but there is NOTHING CUTE ABOUT THIS INSECT! Anyways, as I watched it pulverize and liquify a cricket, I saw these little white things shooting out of the front feelers.:? It reminded me of little tongues licking it's lips. I do know that Feelers aren't lips and I am pretty sure that they are not tongues. Does anyone know what they are and what they are used for?
Thanks for your time!!
Sheryl

 

[Ted]

huh?
things shooting out of its feelers?

 

[aunttigger]

they are like tiny white......things. Maybe 'shooting out' wasn't the right wording. Pulsating white blobs. there is that better? I have only seen it on this solifuguid(?) Maybe cause it is alot bigger than the other ones I have caught. I've tried to take pictures of it but with my b/f complaining in the background and getting the timing just right, it proved to be next to impossible.
I was just wondering if anyone had seen this in other sunspiders or knows what it is?

 

[_bob_]

can you take pictures?

 

[exoslimjim]

wow, i've only seen them at most 1-2cm big in tucson

 

[Tarantula_Hawk]

well those "things" are actually adhesive organs that extend from a small opening at the end of the pedipalps.. they are used to grap prey, droplets of water and for climbing. This is written in punzo's book and i have personally seen them. I actually observed a camel spider climbing out from a jar using only these adhesive organs. looked pretty cool too

 

[aunttigger]

Oh, thank god, I am not crazy after all! I'll try to take some pictures. So, um I guess I will be right back!

 

[aunttigger]

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I don't know what that white stuff is. It looks like a fungus. It was there when I caught him - will it ever go away?

 

[Tarantula_Hawk]

its an eremobatid male u got there.. In this family u can identify the sex easily by lookin at the upper jaws. If they are straight without any "teeth" its a male. About the fungu, hmm, im not positive about that..not sure if i'll go away but its just my impression, dont have a real answer to this