Folding trapdoor spiders | |
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Antrodiaetus unicolor, female | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Euarthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
Family: |
Antrodiaetidae Gertsch, 1940 |
Genera | |
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Diversity | |
2 genera, 35 species | |
Antrodiaetidae is a small spider family, known as folding trapdoor spiders. There are about 35 species in two genera (Aliatypus and Antrodiaetus). They are related to the Atypidae (atypical tarantulas).
Antrodiaetids are found almost exclusively in the United States, in the west (California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Idaho), the midwest (Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Illinois), and the east (centered in the Appalachian mountains).
Two species (Antrodiaetus roretzi and A. yesoensis) are endemic to Japan. They are considered relict species; two separate vicariance events probably led to the evolution of these two species (Miller & Coyle, 1996).
The three species of the former genus Atypoides are now included in the genus Antrodiaetus (Hendrixson & Bond, 2007).