A garden spider showing its epigyne

The epigyne or epigynum is the female genital opening in spiders. Spiders are Predatory Invertebrate Animals that have two body segments, eight legs no chewing mouth parts and no wings

It is of special interest to people who study spiders because the exact shape of the epigyne is often the only way to determine the exact species within a genus. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic The palps of male spiders have a similar importance in determining species. Pedipalps, are the second pair of Appendages of the Prosoma in the subphylum Chelicerata.

This is a consequence of the mating habits of spiders which do not include normal copulation by joining the sexual openings of male and female; instead the male deposits his sperm on a specially built little web and sucks it up in his palp, after which he is ready for courtship. The palp must fit the epigyne.