What's hiding behind the trapdoor?

Spiders, of course

Date: August 30, 2016

Source: Griffith University

Australia is known as a country full of deadly creatures - now people have trapdoor spiders hiding in their backyards.

The mysteriously elusive creatures are hiding in most forests in Brisbane and are tucked away in national parks throughout the state of Queensland, Australia.

PhD student Jeremy Wilson recently returned from a mission with the Queensland Museum to collect new specimens for its upcoming Wild State display, while also uncovering species of golden trapdoor spiders in common or remote parts of the state from Fraser Island to Cape York.

Mr Wilson has even found new spiders in Lamington National Park in the Gold Coast Hinterland, species that build intricate traps near Gympie and others around the Capricorn Caves in Rockhampton.

Because trapdoor spiders spend most of their life underground their true number and diversity has been a bit of a mystery.

Just four species of golden trapdoor spiders are known in southeast Queensland, but Mr Wilson says he's identified at least 10 more in that area alone.

"We believe there are many more undiscovered species out there," he says.

"The really cool thing about them is that they're really long lived and they don't move much, they live in these holes their entire life.

"What that means is it's really easy for populations to become isolated and become new species."

While some people's first instinct is to swat a spider away, Mr Wilson says these guys have an important role to play in the ecosystem.

The big female trapdoor spiders are likely to be the top invertebrate predator in their ecosystem.

Because populations are so dense, there can be a lot in a very small area which means whole populations could be wiped out by clearing a patch of forest.

"In Australia especially there is so much that is still unknown about them," Mr Wilson says.

Continued