Trapdoor spiders of the genus Cyclocosmia Ausserer, 1871 from China and Vietnam (Araneae, Ctenizidae)

Four new species of the trapdoor spider genus Conothele Thorell, 1878 from Mainland China and Laos (Araneae, Ctenizidae)

Here for the first time the presence of the trapdoor spider genus Conothele Thorell, 1878 (Araneae: Ctenizidae) is reported from mainland China and Laos. Four Conothele species collected from the regions are described as new to science, based on the female genital morphology: Conothele baiyunensis Xu, Xu & Liu, sp. n. (Guangdong Province), Conothele daxinensis Xu, Xu & Li, sp. n. (Guangxi Provi...

Twig-lining in a trap door spider Latouchia swinhoei (Araneae: Ctenizidae) from Okinawa

A twig-lining population of Latouchia swinhoei Pocock, 1901 (Ctenizidae) was found in Okinawa in a habitat also densely populated by other trapdoor spiders (Ryuthela nishihirai, Mesothelae). Specimens were tested in the laboratory for their utilization of objects offered to them for attachment to the rim of the burrow. The behavioural capacity of twig-lining is discussed in comparison with othe...

Taxonomic revision of the Trapdoor spider genus Eucteniza Ausserer (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Euctenizidae)

The mygalomorph spider genus Eucteniza Ausserer, 1875 comprises 15 nominal species known only from the southwestern United States (Texas) and Mexico (Northern, Central, and the Baja Peninsula). Eucteniza atoyacensis Bond & Opell, 2002 is considered a nomen dubium; E. rex (Chamberlin, 1940) and E. stolida (Gertsch & Mulaik, 1940) are both considered junior synonyms of E. relata (O.P.-Cambridge, ...

Fungal and rickettsial infections of some East Asian trapdoor spiders

While published data on fungal and rickettsial infections of spiders give the impression of a wide range of hosts infected by particular agents, field collections of trapdoor spiders from East Asia reveal a clear distinction: representatives of Mesothelae were infected by rickettsiae, while specimens of the genus Latouchia (Mygalomorphae, Ctenizidae) were found to be infected by the hyphomycete...

Short Communication Dispersal by Ummidia Spiderlings (araneae, Ctenizidae): Ancient Roots of Aerial Webs and Orientation?