Thunderstorms Reveals Interesting Trapdoor Spider

Recent summer thunderstorms in the wheatbelt have uncovered another interesting species of trapdoor spider from the Grass Valley area, Western Australia.

Photo by Dr. Volker Framenau - check out his other images

Found after the storms which rolled across the Wheatbelt on New Years Eve, this new spider is closely related to the Black Wishbone Spider (check the article on Esperance Wildlife Blog). However, this spider is smaller and more brown in colour, making it likely to be a variant from the Black Wishbone Spider.

Wishbone spiders are so named due to the shape of their burrow, which generally have two entrances on the soil surface, leading to a single tunnel where the spider retreats to avoid predators and the heat.

Often regarded as one of the most common Mygalomorph spiders found in the wheatbelt after summer rain storms, this slightly different 'morphospecies' of Aname spp. is currently being investigated by spider experts and the Western Australian Museum's Arachnid and Myriopod Section.

The last time someone from Grass Valley found something interesting, it ended up being an entirely new species of trapdoor spider - and their discovery was considerd one of the Top Ten Weirdest Lifeforms of 2011 by National Geographic!

So, if you have seen any Mygalomorph spiders recently, or even unusual bugs or critters out in the Wheatbelt - all sorts of things appear at the light at the front door in the days after rain - email info@wheatbeltnrm.org.au and Wheatbelt NRM staff will do what they can to find out what your critter might be.