Four new species of trapdoor spider, known for their unique burrow entrances, have been discovered by scientists
from Queensland Museum and Griffith University.
And in a world first, the scientists have been able to positively identify these species of spider solely from
the appearance of their burrow entrances, which has never been done before in a group of closely related
trapdoor spider species.
The spiders belong to the ‘turrificus-group’, so named because they construct burrows which
project from the soil like little towers and the name ‘turrificus’ is formed from the Latin stem
‘Turris’ meaning ‘turret or tower’.
The Queensland spiders were described by Griffith University Ph.D. student Jeremy Wilson under the guidance of
Queensland Museum arachnologists and co-authors Dr Robert Raven and Dr Michael Rix.
The spiders were discovered in south-eastern Queensland between the Sunshine Coast localities of Montville and
Maleny, north to the Gympie region.
Minister for Science and Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch congratulated the Queensland Museum for its ongoing
contribution to science discovery.
“Once again Queensland Museum researchers are at the forefront of international science news,”
Minister Enoch said.
“The new species of trapdoor spider will lead to a wealth of valuable scientific knowledge.”
Mr Wilson said each of these new species constructs a unique type of turret-burrow, which in a world-first, had
allowed the spiders to be identified based on the appearance of their burrow alone.
“Trapdoor spiders belong to a group called the Mygalomorphae - spiders in this group don’t make
aerial webs like people see in their garden; instead they construct deep silk-lined burrows which sometimes have
a hinged door at the top,” Mr Wilson said.
“To identify a trapdoor spider species, you usually have to dig the spider up and look at it carefully
under a microscope, which can involve killing the spider, but what’s amazing about these new species is
that all four can be identified based on the appearance of their burrow, so you don’t have to dig up or
disturb the spiders at all.”
Mr Wilson said that many other trapdoor spider burrows are very well camouflaged, but these ones stick out
“like a sore thumb”, with some species constructing burrows with ornate doors involving strange
patterns and shapes.
“There must be an evolutionary reason why these spiders construct these peculiar burrows; we don’t
know what that is yet, but naming each species is the first step to learning about their mysterious
lives,” Mr Wilson said.
Burrows are pivotal to the survival of mygalomorph spiders, as they regulate humidity, provide protection from
predators and allow the spiders to ambush their prey.
All four of the new species appear to have very small ranges, with each species known from only one small
rainforest patch, or a few adjacent patches, amongst land otherwise cleared for agriculture or development.
“It’s amazing that strange new species like these occur within one of Australia’s most
developed regions, and it just goes to show the conservation importance of even small patches of remnant
forest,” Mr Wilson said.
“There are really interesting animals in those patches that we still don’t know about, and for some
of these species, the small rainforest patches that many of us drive past each day are their only home.”
Queensland Museum arachnologist Dr Robert Raven said given the unique structure of the burrows these new spiders
make, he was surprised they had only just been described.
“When we made the connection between the unique burrow entrances and the trapdoor spiders, it was an
amazing discovery and something I have not seen in my career studying spiders until now,” Dr Raven said.
“This is a remarkable discovery by Jeremy and will go a long way to helping identify these specific species
of trapdoor spiders in the future.”
Queensland Museum Network CEO Dr Jim Thompson said he was continually impressed with the work the museum’s
arachnology department undertakes.
“Dr Robert Raven heads Australia’s most active arachnology unit at Queensland Museum and under his
guidance young arachnologists such as Jeremy have been given the opportunity to make some significant scientific
discoveries,” Dr Thompson said.
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Christine Robertson, Senior Media Officer, 3840 7789 | 0417 741 710
Kylie Hay, Senior Media Officer, 3842 9388 | 0434 565 852