{{Lore}}
Jorougumo are one of the a number of [[youkai]] species. They are one of the most easily recognized, having a roughly humanoid appearance from the waist up, but with a spider's abdomen and 8 legs, proportional to their body.
The jorougumo's humanoid half appears indistinguishable from that of a human at first glance, but closer observation reveals certain unique details. Their upper canine teeth are replaced by folding appendages reminiscent of the fangs of certain spider species. These fangs can deliver venom, which lets the jorougumo perform ''poison bites''. Their eyes feature unique triple irises; one is a normal-sized iris at the center of the pupil, like a regular human eye, the other two are smaller irises, conjoined with the central iris, resembling an upside down mouse's head. The skin of a jorougumo's humanoid half is usually shades of very light to pale, though interestingly, no jorougumo has ever been observed with albino white skin.
Although ''jorougumo'' literally translates to "woman spider", and despite incorrectly-held beliefs and urban legends claiming otherwise, jorougumo are not an all-female species; their sex distribution is roughly 50/50, like most creatures in the Mazes.
In lieu of humanoid legs, the jorougumo possesses an arachnid half, in such a configuration that with the humanoid half is placed onto lying where the thorax would be. The arachnid half is usually shades some shade of brown, sometimes black, and covered in light patches of black hair, reminiscent of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recluse_spider recluse spiders]. It possesses 8 legs and an abdomen, but lacks spinnerets, and indeed the ability to fabricate silk or spider webs. Instead, the tips of each leg secrete a glue-like substance which helps them grip onto any surface, and allow them to walk, run, hop over short distances, and generally traverse any kind of terrain. With sufficient practice, a jorougumo can "wall-run" over very short distances, with all eight legs running briefly on a vertical surface. Some have claimed the ability to stand or even walk upside down, on the ceiling, but these are exaggerated claims with no basis in reality.
Jorougumo are immune to most known poisons and venoms, including their own, and have the ability to recognize when something is poisonous by licking it or eating it (describing the taste as "metallic" and generally unpleasant). This seemingly innocuous ability makes it easier for them to survive on their own, particularly in the Uncivilized Area, but it is also very helpful to complete a [[hakutaku]]'s abilities; if the former can identify mushrooms on sight, the latter can eat and sustain themselves off of the poisonous ones. As such, jorougumo have been traditionally given scouting, scavenging, reconnaissance, and other exploratory roles.