Armored Trapdoor Spiders (Liphistius sp.)

[Liquifin]

There is little-to-nothing on the Lisphistius genus/species. So I'll just make this for future documentation/information for someone else who happens to find something else about this genus. Any input or additional information is welcomed, so if you have something from the genus and are willing to share. Please feel free to do so on this thread.

This is my experience, so here goes. I have acquired some Thailand Armored Trapdoor Spiders a few months ago myself, which were labeled: Liphistius sp. "Thailand"

My expectations of these guys was that they mature at 2''-3'' and also that they were slow growing for being a primitive spider. I wasn't too sure what the care was like as everyone just said clay and "this or that" mixture is important to keeping these guys alive. I decided to just ask my dad for answers as he grew-up around there. So, I just got some of my local creek silt/clay that had a very close if not exactly like texture, water retention, and properties as to what my dad told me.

I kept them in large enough vials to where they could roam a bit and also build a trapdoor. The little specimens were only about 1/4'' when I got them. They all built trapdoors, but sadly two had passed. One passed molting in its burrow and the other one just passed on with no idea of how or why it happened. Two, however, thrived but were very slow/patient to ambush prey, as I would just drop prey into the enclosure and go to sleep to wake up and see that the prey is eaten. Now, after they built their trapdoors, I've never saw them out again. Until a few months later as one of them actually emerged out a mature male. But he was not 3'' nor 2'' in size like what everyone said. He was a very, very, very small 1''-1.25'' mature male. I know that the size of mature male spiders can and will vary drastically, even for the same species. But this male was puny. I looked around on the internet and it seems some species of Liphistius species within the genus are smaller than others. So I'm assuming this Liphistius sp. "thailand" is actually a smaller species. If I had to take a long-shot guess, I'd say a female can possibly be of breedable size at 1.5'' for the Liphistius sp. "Thailand" but that's just my guess and speculation. Now the sad part was that this mature male was very reclusive and even as a mature male he was still using his trapdoor during the day time and coming out late at night. So I have no clue as to how long he have been mature. He was a bit sluggish and rarely bolted except going up my arm once. But after that, he hardly moved or tried anything. He just recently lost some legs and is dying of old age. So it's a sad shame to not get a chance to get him out or find him a mate. The second trapdoor spider is only about 1/2''-3/4'' in size. So he grew very quickly in comparison to his sibling.

I did get pictures and a video. But maybe someone who reads this can someday perfect, correct, or provide additional information in the future. Which is why i'm creating this thread now, which is for future owners of this genus/species to input and evolve what is currently known now. So if someone actually has useful information and knowledge, it would be a pleasure to share it on this thread.


Liphistius sp. "Thailand" Mature Male at 1'' Inch (2.5 cm)




My Video:

Anyone with information or input is free to post or share it onto this thread.

 

[Lordosteous]

Excellent documentation of a greatly underrated spider! I'm working with Liphistius cf. malayanus (also sold as L. "jarujien" or incorrectly as L. jarujini), which are among the largest Liphistius species. I currently have two adult females with legspans exceeding 3 inches, and two captive born slings. The adults are black, and the young a greyish blue. I've had the young for over a year, and they've only molted twice, so they are very slow growers. The females I got with the newest wave of imports, and they have adjusted to captivity well. The key, at least for this species, is giving them a variety of "starter" holes to make a burrow out of, as they don't survive without a burrow and paradoxically are bad at digging them themselves.
I have collected a good chunk of the scientific literature on this species and some related Liphistiidae, if you're interested I can send you links. I'm nowhere near as far along in my breeding project as you are, but I'm gradually adding my findings and research to this doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cg838xpBbMjL-l6N3EfIsJ1xBPRBdl-usasAuHBcRuU/edit?usp=sharing

There's also this great thread on the successful breeding of Liphistius ornatus: https://arachnoboards.com/threads/l...y-liphistius-ornatus-breeding-success.276746/

 

[RezonantVoid]

You were spot on opting for clay as a substrate choice. They prefer such soils in their wild habitat, as your dad observed, and I'm strongly for giving them an accurate habitat in captivity. Substrate is all the more important for lid builders as they will actually be building with it and shaping structures out it. There's a reason we humans build houses with concrete instead of sand, and the same principle should always be applied when deciding what trapdoors will be living in IMO.

Correct observation on the male maturing faster than its sibling, I believe this is the case with many species across the globe. I found the same thing when breeding Australian Arbanitis sp. and keeping some of the offspring, males always mature years ahead of their siblings.

 

[RezonantVoid]

Excellent documentation of a greatly underrated spider! I'm working with Liphistius cf. malayanus (also sold as L. "jarujien" or incorrectly as L. jarujini), which are among the largest Liphistius species. I currently have two adult females with legspans exceeding 3 inches, and two captive born slings. The adults are black, and the young a greyish blue. I've had the young for over a year, and they've only molted twice, so they are very slow growers. The females I got with the newest wave of imports, and they have adjusted to captivity well. The key, at least for this species, is giving them a variety of "starter" holes to make a burrow out of, as they don't survive without a burrow and paradoxically are bad at digging them themselves.
I have collected a good chunk of the scientific literature on this species and some related Liphistiidae, if you're interested I can send you links. I'm nowhere near as far along in my breeding project as you are, but I'm gradually adding my findings and research to this doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cg838xpBbMjL-l6N3EfIsJ1xBPRBdl-usasAuHBcRuU/edit?usp=sharing

There's also this great thread on the successful breeding of Liphistius ornatus: https://arachnoboards.com/threads/l...y-liphistius-ornatus-breeding-success.276746/

Regarding their reluctance to burrow on their own, how were you housing them out of curiosity?

 

[CommanderBacon]

I've kept some Liphistius for a few years now. All mine are doing well from what I can tell. I was also not able to find anything about their husbandry, so I did my best to try to find out more about their environment and how they live in nature. I ended up setting them up fossorially with Reptisoil mixed with excavator clay and a little sand, and they burrowed into the starter holes I made within 24 hours. I moisten a corner of their substrate weekly because it seemed like they lived in damper environments, and so far they have stayed alive and seem to be okay.

One, a Liphistius yangae, I've had since it was a tiny speck in June 2020 and I feed it weekly, but I take away the prey item if it doesn't pop out and grab it right away. Now it is maybe a little over an inch dls, but I don't see it very much. It just pops out for a snack and then ducks back in. I enjoy taking slow motion video of it.

I purchased five in a lot when a friend was getting out of the hobby in March of last year, and I ended up giving three away to friends, but I kept an L ornatus and one labeled as L jarujini.

The L "jarujini" is large and probably mature. I can see it in its web tube. It does not often eat but it eats from time to time.

The L ornatus is a monster. I rehoused it and it seems fine. I believe it's around 2".

I mailed a second, much larger specimen labeled L jarujini to a friend and it did not behave at all like a tarantula while I packed it up. They seem to like to be flat instead of long, if that makes any sense, so I shipped it in a condiment cup instead of the dram I had originally prepared. It was very angry. To my knowledge, it's still alive and doing well.

 

[Lordosteous]

Regarding their reluctance to burrow on their own, how were you housing them out of curiosity?

I generally followed the techniques outlined in the thread I linked earlier about Liphistius ornatus, but bigger. Both females are housed in a bioactive 40 gal terrarium with moss, a large log, and a few plants. For the substrate, I mixed organic mulch, garden soil, tree fern fiber, and zoo med excavator clay until I got something that held a burrow and humidity well. Conditions inside average 74-85F and 70-90% humidity, and the substrate is 3-4 inches deep. Both slings are kept in tarantula sling tubes filled 3/4 full with the same substrate mixture.
The first females took one of my starter holes and made it her home right away, the other took a couple days but ended up pretty much digging a burrow herself. I also accidentally knocked one of the slings' containers over and completely ruined it's burrow, but it dug a new one from scratch within a day, so they absolutely can dig their own, it just makes the job a little easier for weak imports.

 

[Jaromysfuneral]

I have a female Jarujien, clay is the way to go. A 4” dls is a stretch from what I have seen but it could happen. I’ve actually been looking for a male so that I might be able to pair her and get some captive bred slings in the hobby if anyone else knows of one?

 

[Liquifin]

I have a female Jarujien, clay is the way to go. A 4” dls is a stretch from what I have seen but it could happen. I’ve actually been looking for a male so that I might be able to pair her and get some captive bred slings in the hobby if anyone else knows of one?

Almost all Liphistius species that are imported are female. Getting a male is very rare and very difficult. If someone had a male it's probably the person/people who imported them, which they kept a portion, if not all of the males to themselves. Almost all Liphistius species that brought into the hobby are wild caught. A business I knew imported about 50 pieces of them and they all turned out female. So I wish you luck and I would like to know if you do find them.

 

[NMTs]

Almost all Liphistius species that are imported are female. Getting a male is very rare and very difficult. If someone had a male it's probably the person/people who imported them, which they kept a portion, if not all of the males to themselves. Almost all Liphistius species that brought into the hobby are wild caught. A business I knew imported about 50 pieces of them and they all turned out female. So I wish you luck and I would like to know if you do find them.

I've got a Liphistius cf. yangae "Suwat" that matured several weeks ago. I wasn't positive that it was male or that it had matured, because I could just barely make out that it had molted through the webbing lining it's burrow. So, after weeks of not eating, which was very out of character for this specimen that ate without fail prior to molting, I decided yesterday to tickle it out of the burrow and see what was going on.



He's pretty big - about 4" DLS:


A close up of the modified pedipalp and ventral side of the abdomen:



Hopefully someone will be able to use him for a breeding project, but we'll see.

 

[Liquifin]

I've got a Liphistius cf. yangae "Suwat" that matured several weeks ago. I wasn't positive that it was male or that it had matured, because I could just barely make out that it had molted through the webbing lining it's burrow. So, after weeks of not eating, which was very out of character for this specimen that ate without fail prior to molting, I decided yesterday to tickle it out of the burrow and see what was going on.
View attachment 485922
View attachment 485923

He's pretty big - about 4" DLS:
View attachment 485924

A close up of the modified pedipalp and ventral side of the abdomen:
View attachment 485925
View attachment 485926

Hopefully someone will be able to use him for a breeding project, but we'll see.

I better see some pairings soon. I have expectations now.

 

[NMTs]

I better see some pairings soon. I have expectations now.

That would be awesome - know anyone with a female? I put him in a classified ad, so hopefully someone that can use him will turn up soon.

 

[Repticulator]

Since I'm also a huge fan of trapdoor spiders (probably because of the movie Eight Legged Freaks), here's my contribution: my sold-to-me-as Liphistius jarujini. AKA: Pennywise.

I've had her(?) for 2.5 years now and have rehoused her one time into the same 6" tall 5" diameter that I put her in the day I got her, only due to her leaving her original burrow and wanting a new one, to which I happily obliged.

I haven't had a single issue with her since I got her 2.5 years ago, aside from a single rehouse, and she eats without fail. Every. Single. Time. I feed her one adult cricket every 1-2 weeks. I have dozens of feeding videos, one of which I'm attempting to attach to this post, so we'll see if the video works.

I've always kept her at room temps (~70°F) and kept the bottom-half of her substrate semi-damp, but never saturated. I've only misted the enclosure a few times, but it doesn't seem to change anything about her behavior to indicate that it makes a difference. My substrate consists of coconut fiber, soil, sphagnum moss, crushed leaves, and a little bit of activated carbon.

This is a favorite among my small collection of inverts, and as an adult(?) who I've had for this long, I'm happy to still have her around, and I hope this information is useful to anyone who may benefit from it!

 

[Repticulator]

Oh, and here's a screenshot from one of the feeding videos. I freaking love this spider.

 

[goofyGoober99]

I haven't had a single issue with her since I got her 2.5 years ago, aside from a single rehouse, and she eats without fail. Every. Single. Time. I feed her one adult cricket every 1-2 weeks. I have dozens of feeding videos, one of which I'm attempting to attach to this post, so we'll see if the video works.

Holy heck that's a speedy spider!!