antonsrkn
Trapdoor spider
trapdoor spider (Aptostichus sp) - Contra Costa County, California, USA
An interesting spider that was seen skittering across the trail one evening in the hills above Berkeley, CA. I immediately knew it was some sort of mygalomorph spider (the family that includes Tarantulas, funnelweb spiders, and trapdoor spiders), specifically I strongly suspected it was some sort of trap door spider. I looked into it and I'm now fairly certain its a species in the Aptostichus genus. A really cool group of spiders with quite a diversity of species most of which are rather range restricted. While I haven't specifically keyed this one out by characteristics or range, I suspect it is probably endemic to the general area. A nice surprise to find. I look forward to seeing this and its congeners again sometime soonish.
And in case you missed it, here is a link to an previously posted photo of beetle which I'm pretty sure was eating one of these spiders: www.flickr.com/photos/26500525@N08/49324514701/in/datepos...
Trapdoor spider
trapdoor spider (Aptostichus sp) - Contra Costa County, California, USA
An interesting spider that was seen skittering across the trail one evening in the hills above Berkeley, CA. I immediately knew it was some sort of mygalomorph spider (the family that includes Tarantulas, funnelweb spiders, and trapdoor spiders), specifically I strongly suspected it was some sort of trap door spider. I looked into it and I'm now fairly certain its a species in the Aptostichus genus. A really cool group of spiders with quite a diversity of species most of which are rather range restricted. While I haven't specifically keyed this one out by characteristics or range, I suspect it is probably endemic to the general area. A nice surprise to find. I look forward to seeing this and its congeners again sometime soonish.
And in case you missed it, here is a link to an previously posted photo of beetle which I'm pretty sure was eating one of these spiders: www.flickr.com/photos/26500525@N08/49324514701/in/datepos...