Brown trapdoor spiders

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Brown trapdoor spiders
Acanthogonatus francki

Acanthogonatus francki

Systematics
Trunk : Arthropod (arthropoda)
Sub-stem : Jawbearers (Chelicerata)
Class : Arachnids (arachnida)
Order : Spiders (Araneae)
Subordination : Tarantulas (Mygalomorphae)
Family : Brown trapdoor spiders
Scientific name
Nemesiidae
Simon , 1892

Brown trapdoor spiders (Nemesiidae) are a family of spiders within the suborder of tarantulas . 45 genera and 424 species are currently described worldwide (as of December 2018).

Appearance and behavior

Like all mygalomorphic spiders, the brown trapdoor spiders have a stocky build with strong legs. The color is usually a lighter or darker brown. A drawing is mostly inconspicuous brown or missing. The chelicerae are strong and the basal limb is directed forward.

In contrast to the actual trapdoor spiders, brown trapdoor spiders have adhesive hairs (scopula) on the tarsi , which means that they can run up relatively well even on smooth vertical surfaces.

The representatives of the family dig a conduit in the ground and line it with spider silk. They close the opening of the tube with a lid made of spider silk and material from the environment. This means that the tubes are particularly well camouflaged. The lid, the "trap door", is constructed differently for the different types. With some it is a rigid lid with a hinge, with other types it is a thin web that is pushed over the opening of the tube like a folding roof.

When hunting, the animals lurk in their tunnel with the trap door half open. The front legs are stretched out of the tube and perceive vibrations of the ground caused by prey. When prey passes close enough to the tube, the spider jumps out of the hiding place, grasps and overwhelms the prey, immediately carries it back into the tube and eats it there.

Some species improve their perception of vibrations by attaching signal threads in the vicinity of the tube or by spinning parts of the surrounding plants with the edge of the tube.

distribution

Brown trapdoor spiders do not occur in Central Europe . However, several species of the genera Brachythele , Iberesia , Nemesia and Spiroctenus are common in the Mediterranean and Southeastern Europe.

Genera

The World Spider Catalog lists 45 genera and 424 species for the brown trapdoor spiders. (As of December 2018)

Individual evidence

  1. a b c Natural History Museum of the Burgergemeinde Bern: World Spider Catalog Version 19.5 - Nemesiidae . Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  2. a b c Heiko Bellmann : Kosmos-Atlas arachnids of Europe . 2nd Edition. Kosmos-Verlag, 2001, ISBN 3-440-09071-X .
  3. ^ Rainer F. Foelix : Biology of Spiders . 2nd Edition. Oxford Thieme, 1996, ISBN 0-19-509594-4 .

Web links

Commons : Brown trapdoor spiders (Nemesiidae)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Nemesiidae in the World Spider Catalog