5mm body | July 3, 2011 | Tupaciguara, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Spitting spiders in the family Scytodidae are easily recognized by their high dome-shaped carapace. They are named for their behavior of spitting a liquid that turns gooey on contact, ensnaring their prey.
Although they occur in my area, I’ve never seen one around my home. For whatever reason, I don’t think I’ve made a trip to Brazil yet where I haven’t seen at least one. This one was on the underside of a small log.
Dorsolateral view
I just photographed one in my house in Tucson, AZ. It wasn’t active enough to observe its behavior, though. http://bugguide.net/node/view/601083