Trap-door Spider
Bothriocyrtum californicum
It fits its burrow with a hinged door
The trap-door spider digs a burrow and builds a hinged, silk-and-soil door over the entrance, waiting behind it for passing prey. It has a stout body and strong fangs, spending most of its life inside the burrow.
Key figures
- Length
- About 1.5–3 cm
- Burrow
- Digs an underground burrow with a silk-and-soil trap door
- Life cycle
- Can live 10–20 years; females rarely leave the burrow
- Habitat
- Warm, dry banks and woodland edges
- Diet
- Ambushes insects that pass the burrow entrance
- Feature
- Stout fangs and eight robust legs
Life cycle
Egg → Spiderling → Adult
Ecological role
It ambushes surface insects and is both predator and prey in the woodland energy cycle.
Did you know
The trap door is nearly invisible from outside and blends with the ground when closed.
Range
Western North America
Status
Fairly common
Anatomy
- Abdomen — The stout abdomen stores energy for long spells of waiting
- Cephalothorax — Head and thorax fused, with well-developed fangs at the front
- Eyes — Eight simple eyes; it senses the entrance through vibration
- Fangs — Long, strong fangs for grabbing and biting prey
- Legs — Eight stout legs, good at digging
Open the interactive 3D specimen