Silk secretion from tarantula feet revisited: alleged spigots are probably chemoreceptors.

Abstract in brief

• The study revisited the idea that tarantula foot hairs secrete silk and found that these ribbed hairs are more likely chemoreceptors, not silk-producing spigots, based on their morphology and lack of silk threads in observations.
• Ribbed hairs on tarantula feet share structural features with known chemosensitive hairs in spiders, such as a socket, bent shaft, and pore, while silk spigots have different characteristics like a bulbous base and a terminal pore.
• Live observations suggest that while some substance is produced by these ribbed hairs, it is unclear if this is silk; however, the extensive array of adhesive hairs on tarantula legs likely plays a much larger role in adhesion than any secretion from these ribbed hairs.]