Idiopidae, also known as armored or spiny trapdoor spiders, is a family of mygalomorph spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1889.
Behaviour Idiopidae build burrows, and some species close these with a trapdoor lined with silk. Prothemenops siamensis from Thailand, which is about 2 cm long, builds its retreat in a streamside vertical earth bank in lower montane rainforest. Each burrow has two or three entrances that lead into a main tube. The trapdoor is a form of safety and ways of ambushing prey. Idiopidae adapt and live in many various environments as seen by the map on the far right, which leads to the various species to co-exist with other Idiopidae and other spiders outside of the family. Idiopidae do not deliver a bite that is dangerous to humans.
Description
Spiders in this family have large bodies, similar to those of tarantulas. In most species the males have a spur on their legs, which is used to immobilise the female and prevent her from biting during the mating process. The lateral posterior spinnerets are elongated.
The oldest known idiopid, Number 16, died at the age of 43 years.
Genera
, this family includes 23 genera and 451 species:
Arbanitis L. Koch, 1874 – Australia, possibly New Guinea Blakistonia Hogg, 1902 – Australia Bungulla Rix, Main, Raven & Harvey, 2017 – Australia Cantuaria Hogg, 1902 – Australia, New Zealand Cataxia Rainbow, 1914 – Australia Cryptoforis Wilson, Rix & Raven, 2020 – Australia Ctenolophus Purcell, 1904 – South Africa Eucanippe Rix, Main, Raven & Harvey, 2017 – Australia Eucyrtops Pocock, 1897 – Australia Euoplos Rainbow, 1914 – Australia Gaius Rainbow, 1914 – Australia Galeosoma Purcell, 1903 – Mozambique, Botswana, South Africa Genysa Simon, 1889 – Madagascar Gorgyrella Purcell, 1902 – South Africa, Zimbabwe Heligmomerus Simon, 1892 – Africa, India, Sri Lanka Hiboka Fage, 1922 – Madagascar Idiops Perty, 1833 – Africa, India, Pakistan, Trinidad and Tobago, South America Idiosoma Ausserer, 1871 – Australia Neocteniza Pocock, 1895 – Central America, South America Prothemenops Schwendinger, 1991 – Thailand Scalidognathus Karsch, 1892 – India, Sri Lanka Segregara Tucker, 1917 – South Africa Titanidiops Simon, 1903 – Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Asia, Canary Islands
References
External links
Find-a-spider Guide: Images of several species