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Identify spider please
Location: South British Columbia, Canada. Okanagan Region.
September 24, 2011 4:18 pm
Hello,
We have these spiders come out in fall. Someone identified them as a type of trap door, related to tarantula. I would like another opinion please. They have ranged from not aggressive at all to being very aggressive. We have warm to hot summers and mild winters. They like to come inside our house when it gets cool out in fall and when maybe it is mating season?
Thank you,
Curt
Signature: Best wishes?

Folding Door Spider

Hi Curt,
We agree with the identification you received, however, we will take that a bit farther.  Based on photos posted to BugGuide, we believe your spider is the same species as an unidentified species in the genus Antrodiaetus.  There are several images on BugGuide from the Pacific Northwest with the same coloration.  Folding Door Spiders are one group of Trapdoor Spiders.  We also believe your individual is a male.  Males often wander in search of mates while females remain in their burrows, hence it is less likely to encounter a female Trapdoor Spider.  Despite your observation that some individuals act aggressively, Trapdoor Spiders are not considered a harmful species to humans.

Folding Door Spider

Hi Daniel,
Awesome, thank you very much for your reply. I appreciate the time you have taken.
This one in particular was very calm. When I find them in our house, I always catch them and let them go outside. It gives us an opportunity to have a good look at them as they’re quite interesting. Over the past ten years or so, we have run into several wandering around our back door and in our basement. In addition, we have a lot that look like different types of wolf spiders but many more that look like the hobo spider too. I find it hard to tell the difference.
Regarding the folding door spider, the first time I saw one was when our cat went to get a closer look at something. I saw the spider rear up and then run after our cat! I thought I was seeing things! It kind of looked like it was bent upward and its front legs were spread apart and in the air as it ran. In another instance, when I was trying to catch one in our house, it reared up like the one that chased after our cat and then jumped at me. I had the heebie jeebies for days. All the other ones we’ve caught have been calm. Maybe the ones that have seemed aggressive have not been, and are just after warmth or going towards vibration or something? Or maybe they were just very passionate? Seems too Hollywood.
Thank you for the information.
Curt

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