   #copyright

Trapdoor spider

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Insects, Reptiles and
Fish

             iTrapdoor spiders
   Trapdoor spider in burrow
   Trapdoor spider in burrow
         Scientific classification

   Kingdom:     Animalia
   Phylum:      Arthropoda
   Class:       Arachnida
   Order:       Araneae
   Suborder:    Mygalomorphae
   Superfamily: Ctenizoidea
   Family:      Ctenizidae
                Thorell, 1887
                 Diversity
   9 genera, 120 species

                                   Genera

   Bothriocyrtum
   Cyclocosmia
   Ummidia
   Cteniza
   several others, see text

   Trapdoor spiders (superfamily Ctenizoidea, family Ctenizidae) are
   medium-sized mygalomorph spiders that construct burrows with a
   cork-like trapdoor made of soil, vegetation and silk. The trapdoor is
   difficult to see when it is closed because the plant and soil materials
   effectively camouflage it. The trapdoor is hinged on one side with
   silk. The spiders, which are usually nocturnal, typically wait for prey
   while holding onto the underside of the door with the claws on their
   tarsi. Prey is captured when insects or other arthropods venture too
   close to the half-open trapdoor at night. The spider detects the prey
   by vibrations and when it comes close enough, the spider pops out of
   its burrow and captures it. Male trapdoor spiders can overcome the
   females' aggressive reactions to their approach, but it is not known
   how. Females never travel far from their burrows. Eggs are laid in sacs
   in the female's burrow. Enemies of the trapdoor spider include certain
   pompilid (spider) wasps, which seek out the burrows and manage to gain
   entrance. They sting the owner and lay their eggs (usually one per
   spider) on its body.
   Trapdoor Spider, Ummidia sp.
   Enlarge
   Trapdoor Spider, Ummidia sp.

   The taxonomy of trapdoor spiders is currently not well understood in
   the United States and many species of the common genus Ummidia remain
   undescribed. Ummidia is distributed across the southern United States.
   Bothriocyrtum californicum is the common trapdoor spider of the Pacific
   Coast. The strange genus Cyclocosmia includes four species, one in
   Florida, one in Georgia, one in Mexico and one in China. The
   discontinuous distribution is indicative of a primitive genus that was
   affected by continental drift. The spiders of this genus are unusual in
   having a mask-like hardened plate on the opisthosoma, which seems to
   act as a second door to exclude predators, like the spider wasps. There
   is a narrow part of the burrow of these spiders where the abdominal
   shield just barely fits. Cyclocosmia torreya builds burrows in moss
   banks along the Apalachicola River in Florida. Other genera of trapdoor
   spiders are found in other areas of the world. They actually may be
   more common than we may think because of their cryptic habits. They do
   tend to be localized in distribution and as such may be subject to
   extinction because of local habitat destruction. Malaysia has 8 species
   of Liphistius Liphistiidae spider, some of which are endemic to certain
   places such as a cave.

Genera

     * Bothriocyrtum Simon, 1891 (USA, Mexico, Taiwan)
     * Conothele Thorell, 1878 (New Zealand, Australian region)
     * Cteniza Latreille, 1829 (Europe, Central Asia)
     * Cyclocosmia Ausserer, 1871 (USA to Guatemala, Thailand, China)
     * Cyrtocarenum Ausserer, 1871 (Greece, Turkey)
     * Hebestatis Simon, 1903 (Costa Rica, USA)
     * Latouchia Pocock, 1901 (Asia)
     * Stasimopus Simon, 1892 (South Africa)
     * Ummidia Thorell, 1875 (America, Mediterranean, Japan, Taiwan)

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapdoor_spider"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
