Trap-door spiders, brush-footed trap-door spiders

Code MA099999

A family of mygalomorph spiders. Barychelids are a terrestrial, ground-hunting, burrowing (trap-door) group. However, in the northern rainforests of coastal Queensland, some species that live in muddy, water-logged creek banks or in low lying, frequently flooded regions, may be found in aquatic situations. Generally, barychelids avoid drowning during floods by plugging their nests. However, they are also able to survive by trapping air bubbles within their velvety 'fur' to form an enclosing bubble (Main, 1976; Main, 1980). Like the spider family Theraphosidae, they are able to run up smooth surfaces of glass jars, so care must be taken when collecting them. Some barychelids possess stridulatory ('singing') organs. Burrows always have a trap door. Barychelids may be black, grey, or brown in colour, sometimes with bright red underparts on the cepthalothorax (Main, 1976).

The following genera occur in Australia: Encyocrypta (also: Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia), Idiommata (also: Malaysia, Papua New Guinea), and the endemic Synothele, Trittame, and Zophrame (Main et al., 1985). A comprehensive cladistic and systematic analysis of the Mygalomorphae was carried out by Raven (1986).

Worldwide, barychelids are found in South America, Africa, Madagascar, India and New Guinea, and Pacific islands (Main et al., 1985). Species found in aquatic situations tend to be tropical (Main, 1976).

References

Main, B.Y. 1976. Spiders. Collins, Sydney.

Main, B.Y. 1980. Spiders of Australia. Axiom Books, South Australia.

Main, B.Y., V.T. Davies, and M.S. Harvey. 1985. Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Vol. 3: Arachnida: Mygalomorphae, Araneomorphae in part; Pseudoscorpionida; Amblypygi and Palpigradi. AGPS for Bureau of Flora and Fauna, Canberra.

Raven, R.J. 1986. The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae (Araneae): cladistics and systematics. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 182: 1-180.