The Araneomorphae, previously called the Labidognatha, are a suborder of spiders. They are distinguished by having chelicerae that point diagonally forward and cross in a pinching action, in contrast to the Mygalomorphae (tarantulas and their close kin), where they point straight down. Most of the spiders that people encounter in daily life belong to this suborder.

Note the difference in the orientations of the chelicerae (fangs) of the two spiders below, representatives of the Orthognatha and the Araneomorphae.

Sphodros rufines

This Sphodros rufines (left) is making a threat display, and by so doing shows very clearly the orientation of its chelicerae, which go up and down, parallel to the long axis of the spider's body. So it stands as a representative of the suborder Orthognatha.

This Burrowing Wolf Spider (right), Geolycosa sp., is also making a threat display, and with a little care you can see how the fangs slope toward each other. This alignment of the chelicerae is typical of the Araneomorphae. (Click here to see a closeup of the Geolycosa sp. which has been digitally enhanced to make the business end of the chelicerae more easily seen.)