Trapdoor spiders in Virginia - where are they lurking?

[trappedinaburrow]

Newbie in need of some expert advice! In late February, I found this guy or gal on the sidewalk in Arlington, VA. I’m fairly sure this is a cork-door trapdoor spider. I was surprised to 1) see one outside a burrow on a cold February morning, 2) surprised to see one outside during the day, and 3) amazed that there were spiders like this in Northern VA. I’m not an expert or a someone who keeps spiders, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the fact that there are trapdoor spiders so close to my home. I wanted to know if anyone knows how to identify their burrows. I would love to keep track of the little guys out in the wild. I know they mostly stay in their burrows, so it would be fun to know where they are to keep tabs on them from time to time. See how they’re doing, tempt them to pop out with a cricket every so often. Stuff like that.

From my basic research, I know trapdoors in the eastern US tend to live on forested ravines (I live right along one), but how do I identify their burrows exactly? I don’t really know what signs to look for, or the best places to start (yes, I know they are intended to be hidden and hard to find, but a keen eye and some knowledge can go along way). To help, I live near the edge of a forest and a small stream. There are banks on either side of the stream that rang from sheer rock faces about 10 feet up, to sloping banks made up of small rocks, trees, moss and lots of dead leaves and twigs. Do trapdoors like to stay in more flat, open areas, or do they prefer some sort of incline? Do they tend to stay around the bases of trees? Remain under areas usually covered with fallen leaves? Or do they stay out with their trapdoors exposed and uncovered? For a forested environment, do spiders like drier soil or more most soil?

Any information will be greatly appreciated! If you have none, please enjoy my picture of the most amazing spider I have ever found, which I lovingly named Derrick. We let him wander on his way, fingers crossed a bird didn’t eat him.

 

[Biollantefan54]

That appears to be a member of the genus Antrodiaetus. I have found this genus on two separate occasions. Once in Georgia and the other here in NC in the mountains. In Georgia, I found it on a clay bank high above a stream near the road. I was only able to see it because the leg of a harvestman was sticking out of its burrow. In NC, I found them under logs in the forest, they were extremely common.
Based on your location, I would think they are living in habitats similar to the Georgia one I found vs the cold mountain top spruce-fir forest. These don’t make regular trap door lids, their lids look like a tube pulled together in the middle. Unfortunately they are really hard to find and I only found the one in Georgia because of the leg sticking through a crack in the ground which turned out to be the spiders burrow.
I had luck finding an Ummidia sling and some Myrmekiaphila in Georgia as well by taking a garden shovel and scraping the leaf litter on a bank, it exposed a couple burrows but other than that, they are really hard to find.

 

[viper69]

Underground is my best guess

 

[goonius]

I can’t help with finding them. I too would love to know how to find them in the wild — just for observational purposes. I became enchanted with them after finding a mature male Ummidia in my backyard.

What I will share instead is this article that I enjoyed about the oldest known spider in the world, which outlived the original researcher who was keeping tabs on it. If you can find some, your observations could be important work, maybe get people thinking about the small hidden creatures that are disappearing in our increasingly ravaged ecosystems.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/05/01/the-extraordinary-life-and-death-of-the-worlds-oldest-known-spider/

Too, the last part of the video below is a guy in Oregon finding tons of trapdoor spiders in the woods near his house. I suspect trapdoor spiders aren’t so commonplace here, but perhaps his methods for seeking out their dens could help you get started on looking for them here on the east coast. I’d think maybe ours might have similar habits.(?)

 

[wendell]

Newbie in need of some expert advice! In late February, I found this guy or gal on the sidewalk in Arlington, VA. I’m fairly sure this is a cork-door trapdoor spider. I was surprised to 1) see one outside a burrow on a cold February morning, 2) surprised to see one outside during the day, and 3) amazed that there were spiders like this in Northern VA. I’m not an expert or a someone who keeps spiders, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the fact that there are trapdoor spiders so close to my home. I wanted to know if anyone knows how to identify their burrows. I would love to keep track of the little guys out in the wild. I know they mostly stay in their burrows, so it would be fun to know where they are to keep tabs on them from time to time. See how they’re doing, tempt them to pop out with a cricket every so often. Stuff like that.

From my basic research, I know trapdoors in the eastern US tend to live on forested ravines (I live right along one), but how do I identify their burrows exactly? I don’t really know what signs to look for, or the best places to start (yes, I know they are intended to be hidden and hard to find, but a keen eye and some knowledge can go along way). To help, I live near the edge of a forest and a small stream. There are banks on either side of the stream that rang from sheer rock faces about 10 feet up, to sloping banks made up of small rocks, trees, moss and lots of dead leaves and twigs. Do trapdoors like to stay in more flat, open areas, or do they prefer some sort of incline? Do they tend to stay around the bases of trees? Remain under areas usually covered with fallen leaves? Or do they stay out with their trapdoors exposed and uncovered? For a forested environment, do spiders like drier soil or more most soil?

Any information will be greatly appreciated! If you have none, please enjoy my picture of the most amazing spider I have ever found, which I lovingly named Derrick. We let him wander on his way, fingers crossed a bird didn’t eat him.

I am 61, work outdoors in Va, and I have only seen 4. Three were wandering. One peeked out of his or her burrow as I passed on a mower. Two were near Danville and two were in Suffolk.

 

[Logan Ryatt]

I know this thread is relatively old but while I'm here, I'll share how I have success finding corklids in Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama. I've noticed, there seem to be a few qualifications for big colonies of corklids. First, I've never found them where there is an abundance of pine trees, only hardwood forests. Second, I've always found them on moist soft clay bluffs that don't wash away easily, such as when it rains. This is because trapdoor spiders can live over 20 years, and if possible the females don't ever want to leave their holes. Sometimes they are directly above small streams, and sometimes they are a few hills up from one. Trapdoor spiders also prefer to live in almost mountainous territory as opposed to something like a river bank that floods frequently. Hope you've had luck since you posted this question, and if you want more specific details, please ask and I will try to get back with you.

 

[wendell]

I am 61 and I have only seen 4. Two were in the foothills of Virginia, and two were about 50 miles from the coast. One was crossing a highway during a light rain. I have never found one when Iwas looking for them.