trapdoor and purseweb terrarium

[WithCerberus]

Hello everyone. I certainly haven't been on here in a while. It looks like I have missed some pretty interesting threads. I have a few new pictures as well as a video to share with everyone. The pictures are of my terrarium that started off being just for plants but now two of my spiders have made their way into it and are thriving. The spiders are Antrodiaetus unicolor and Sphodros niger. These two species live in the same habitat and I have found them living right next to each other before. The terrarium is filled with walking ferns and livewort with a few arrowhead ferns too. The soil is much the same as the soil that the spiders were removed from. The spiders have taken to their new set up quite well and have done some serious digging.

Terrarium

Sphodros niger burrow

Closed Antrodiaetus unicolor burrow

Open Antrodiaetus unicolor burrow

Another shot of the terrarium

Walking fern and liverwort

A.unicolor, not the one in the terrarium

This is the female Sphodros niger in the terrarium
.

The video is an old video of one of my A.unicolors feeding. She misses the mealworm the first time and you get a great view of her. Enjoy.


A.unicolor feeding video

peace,
Bobby

 

[Bastian Drolshagen]

hi,
unfortunately I can´t see a picture...

 

[Eclipse]

This is nice.

 

[WithCerberus]

Purseweb feeding video

I took this little video of my Sphodros niger tonight. I saw her working on her tube so I thought she might be interested in some food. I was right. I was hoping that her fangs would have come through the front. Next time maybe.

Sphodros niger feeding video

peace,
Bobby

 

[cacoseraph]

dude! that is awesome!


i have found some other mygalomorph tunnels right next to Bothriocytrum californicum burrows. haven't seen what is making the other tunnels though

 

[8+)]

Great vids and sweet setup!!! :clap:

Thanks!

 

[froggyman]

where did you get them??

 

[WithCerberus]

Thank you everyone for your compliments. I am really enjoying this setup and I believe the spiders are too. I am glad you enjoyed the videos. I hope to get some that are of better quality. I will share them when I do.

@Froggyman- Both of these spiders were collected in the Kentucky section of Land Between The Lakes NRA. I worked as a naturalist there and had all of the proper permits. It is a really great place for all sorts of spiders, especially mygales. I have found Sphodros, Antrodiaetus, Myrmekiaphila, and Ummidia there. I am told that Cyclocosmia can be found there as well. I highly recommend LBL for a trip.

peace,
Bobby

 

[tin man]

very nice spiders, but how do you keep it so wet in the terrarium?

 

[WithCerberus]

The lid for the terrarium is a glass sheet a half inch shorter than the terrarium. This keeps the humidity levels pretty high. It is not normally as wet as in the pictures. It was misted prior to me taking them.
peace,
Bobby

 

[WithCerberus]

Hello all. Here are a few more pictures from my terrarium.

After being introduced to my terrarium a few weeks ago this fat little girl has done much work on her tube.

I was able to snap a few shots of her grabbing a meal worm. The view of her feeding is better than usual because she had the top of the tube open because she was extending it. Enjoy.

After she eats she always pops back up to repair her tube. Again, because of the open top I was able to see more of her than usual.

I was also able to prod my Antrodiaetus unicolor to the top of her burrow to snap a decent pic of her.

If anyone else here keeps pursewebs or native US trapdoors, let's see some pictures!

peace,
Bobby

 

[froggyman]

that one in the tube web is just too cool!

how far north are these species found?

 

[WithCerberus]

Thanks for the compliments. Sphodros niger can be found pretty far north, all the way to southern Canada. In Pennsylvania a really cool species can be found, Atypus snetsingeri. It has only been collected from the town of Landsdowne and is the only Atypus species in the US. I have been thinking about taking a road trip out there. These spiders are a blast to observe.

peace,
Bobby

 

[tikbalang]

nice setup you got there, very natural. i wish i can develop one.

 

[froggyman]

thanks for the info...

where can they be found in their habitat??

 

[WithCerberus]

Atypus snetsingeri has only been collected from two places in Landsdowne as far as I know a local park and a piece of private property. On the private property most of the spiders were found along the foundation of the house and in a hedge. In the park they were found in a small strip of woods. Sphodros niger is really difficult to find. Most of the times the tubes are laying horizontally on the ground and covered with debris. I have also found them on a stream banks with the tubes connected to the ferns on the side.


peace,
Bobby

 

[froggyman]

thank you so much

 

[lhystrix]

If anyone else here keeps pursewebs or native US trapdoors, let's see some pictures!

peace,
Bobby

Not my pics, but a link with some great Calomatta images:

http://translate.google.com/transla...prev=/search?q=Calommata+&start=20&hl=en&sa=N

I wish C. simoni would turn up in one of those African trapdoor shipments one day...

Oh yeah, your pics here and on your site are great, too.