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Comments & ID Thoughts
Ravine trap door spider
Cyclocosmia truncate
We found this while digging near a creek in N. Alabama.
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Feb 8, 2024
- Photographed: Feb 8, 2024
- Spider: Unidentified
- Location: Boa, Alabama, United States
- Spotted Outdoors: Ground layer (leaf litter, dirt, grass, etc),Freshwater river, lake, stream
- Found in web?: No
- Attributes:
https://bugguide.net/node/view/31430 Cool! When I was a kid my dream was to did up a dinosaur or this species of spider. I lived in Connecticut, the dinosaur dream was actually possible, but not the spider.
My 2 grandsons and I were puzzled to find the spider. One said it looks like something from Australia. We thought the shovel had cut off the back of the abdomen until we got him to the house and found him on the internet.
Nice find. The only trap door spider I have ever seen is the California trap door spider.
Bothriocyrtum californicum. None of these with the flattened abdomen.
We thought we had cut off part of his abdomen with the shovel. We brought him to the house, identified him and then gave him a bath to make the photo. Amazing designs on abdomen.
You almost had the name. “truncata” means cut off or shortened. It’s cute that you gave it a bath for the photo. There have been a few times when I thought I chopped a spider or insect with my shovel, but was relieved to learn it wasn’t my fault, that’s just what the critter looks like. I’m glad your grandsons got to experience this spider.