Spider identification

Hi

Yes I would go with male trapdoor spider (Mygalomorph). Exact species a major challenge. Many are undescribed..and if they are a known species you may need the female for positive ID. Differences between species are not always visible to the naked eye. Western Australian Museum maybe interested if OP has kept specimens (drop them in some metho in small glass jar - not the best but better than nothing). Dont go collecting willy nilly though...some are rare and specially protected and you need a licence.

I am submitting some for ID shortly - the one posted looks similar to this one..but as mentioned difficult to distinguish exact species.

Image Could Not Be Found

Cheers
Greg

Dead ringer for a trapdoor.

Hi Brett

You dont get "Bird Eating Spiders" in south west WA so Armadale guys were on the wrong track.

Cheers
Greg

Unless it hitched a ride, Greg. A friend found one under her ute in Penong after a trip to Darwin and Kakadu.

Anything's possible but more likely a misuse of the term "bird eating spider" by the Armadale (WA) crew.

Cheers
Greg

They did say it was unusual for me to come across one in Perth, but I do travel north in the deserts regularly, so maybe it hitched a ride.

I was so intrigued with it, I decided to take it to them.

It was in the bottom of the pool for about 3 days. Took it out, and put it under a bucket (I grew up with funnel webs in nsw) and about 3 hours a later it was alive. Quite amazing how they can slow their metabolism down.

Hi

Pretty sure its not a wolf spider - why do you thinks it's not a trapdooor (mygalomorph) ? You need to see the fangs and/or book lungs to be 100% sure of a Myg but based on ones I have collected before this is not a wolf spider. Downward pointing fangs are a give away (seems the case to me) but difficult to see in picture.

Cheers
Greg

I've only played with the wolfies up in the alpine tussock, teasing them out of their holes. They had trapdoors too. Maybe I learnt the wrong name for them as a kid. I'm no spider expert. Sorry. I can ID an alpine funnel web, they like the warmth under tents in winter and have a habit of dropping out of trees in late spring.

Hi

No worries - no expert either. I am lead to believe that some wolf spiders have burrows with trapdoors (most dont). Goes to show how generic common names can be confusing. Anyway ...as no info relating to the spiders "home" was provided was just going off the look of the beast (i.e looks almost identical to my picture of a mygalomorph (trapdoor) from 100km south of OP's sighting). Bet my house on the fact the OPs specimen is not a wolf or huntsman spider (subject to bank approval:)

Cheers
Greg

Hi

"Mouse spiders" are Mygalomorphs so on track there. More likely a male though as the females stay put (large bodies, small legs)..males have the long legs as they are more active/mobile.

Cheers
Greg