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Photo#17102
Foldingdoor spider - Antrodiaetus - female

Foldingdoor spider - Antrodiaetus - Female
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
May 11, 2005
Looks a bit different to any I have seen. ID would be appreciated if known. Thanks

Foldingdoor spider!
Cool! This is a female foldingdoor "tarantula," Antrodiaetus sp., family Antrodiaetidae. Look for the burrows in dry, sheltered spots in forests. The tunnel is vertical, looks bottomless, and lined with silk that forms a turret above the surface. The spider will sometimes close the "doors" of each side of the turret so they meet in the middle, like kitchen cabinets. These are primitive spiders that still bear traces of segmentation on the abdomen (note the single "sclerite" near the base of the abdomen on this specimen). Males have three sclerites, and are easily collected in the fall with pitfall traps. These can be pretty large spiders.

 
Spider ID
Thanks Eric for allthat great info. its very much appreciated.

 
Moved
I created a guide page and moved your image there.

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