CYCLOCOSMIA or TRAP DOOR SPIDER (Cyclocosmia truncata)
- Cyclocosmia or “trapdoor spider” is a genus of spiders in the Ctenizidae family.
- The abdomen of spiders in this genus is abruptly truncated and ends in a hardened disc which is strengthened by a system of ribs and grooves.
- The pattern of the end looks like a pre-Columbian design.*
- They use this blunt end as a cork to stopper the entrance of their deep vertical burrows when threatened, a phenomenon called phragmosis.
- Strong spines are located around the edge of the disc. The four spinnerets are found just anterior to it, with the posterior, retractable spinnerets particularly large. C. ricketti females are 28 mm long, with a disc diameter of 16 mm. Only the bottom portion of the burrow is silk lined.
- The individual species are separated from each other by the pattern of the abdominal disc, the number of hairs on its seam, and the shape of the spermathecae.
Fact Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclocosmia
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*patter below is on the plug end of the spider’s abdomen
