Armored trapdoor spiders | |
---|---|
Idiops constructor, male | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
Clade: | Avicularioidea |
Family: |
Idiopidae Simon, 1889 |
Diversity | |
23 genera, 441 species | |
Idiopidae, also known as armored or spiny trapdoor spiders, [1] is a family of mygalomorph [2] spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1889. [3]
Idiopidae build burrows, and some species close these with a door. 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 spiders 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. [4]
The oldest known idiopid, Number 16, died at the age of 43 years. [5]
As of 2019, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following genera: [6]