Liphistiidae

[c-land]

I posted about this before, but figured I would try again. On the petbugs.com website, there is a caresheet written up for a Malaysian trapdoor spider ("Liphistius sp. - possibly desultor") by John Fouskaris with information provided by Frank Somma. The picture provided is really impressive and the segmented plates on the abdomen are plain to see. However, I have never seen nor heard of Liphistiid spiders being sold or kept in captivity. I know that there are tarantula species being exported (and subsequently bred) from some of the countries in which Liphistiids are found, but have never seen a Liphistiid for sale. Are they protected or is there simply little or no interest in them? Thanks for any information,
Mike

 

[c-land]

I just read that Todd Gearheart has Liphistiids on his wishlist, so somebody is interested, but does really nobody have any information or opinions on the lack of these amazing arachnids in the hobby?!

 

[rag]

ive heard they are the kings of pet holes, but thats only what ive read and heard about them. $0.02

 

[Gigas]

0.02

haha, ha Well they are a burrower and if i think right are they the asiatic trapdoor guys? if so, expensive yus , protected, most probably they are like uber rare and ive never heard of them being for sale on mudd isle.

 

[lucanidae]

Hey Mike,
Found some cool info on the all-knowing "scientifically proven" wikipedia....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesothelae
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liphistiidae
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimura-gumo

And a good book:
Haupt, Joachim The Mesothelae - A Monograph of an Exceptional Group of Spiders (Araneae: Mesothelae)

But didn't find any on pricelists in the U.S.

 

[c-land]

some info

According to Spiders of New Zealand and their Worldwide Kin by Ray and Lyn Forster, the Liphistiid lineage precedes even the split between the Mygalomorph and Araneomorph spiders. They are obviously marked by the presence of segmented plates on the abdomen and the placement of spinnerets in the middle of the undersurface of the abdomen. They also commonly make sweet vertical burrows with radiating silk lines, as can be seen in one of the pic links. They may be good examples of pet holes, but I love my pet holes, and I know lots of other people on the boards do too. I just think that they are really fascinating in an evolutionary context. I figure that since there are species coming out of southeast Asia (they are also found in Japan, but I haven't heard of Japanese exports), that they would pop up occasionally. Anyway, here's some links to some pretty cool pics.

http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/mhng/image1/arto-liphi.jpg

http://spider.fun.cx/okinawa/List.htm

Enjoy,
Mike

 

[c-land]

haha

Nice post, Eric, thanks for the extra links, the pics of the Okinawa-kimuragumo are rad.
Mike

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

Hi,

Here's an old thread with a picture of a Liphistiid, for those who have no clue what these creatures look like.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=33018&highlight=Liphistiidae