Folding Door Spider ©David B. Fankhauser, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Chemistry University of Cincinnati Clermont College, Batavia OH 45103
top view of Folding Door Spider	This page has been accessed  times since 6 November 2004.  created 6 November 2004	Eyes of  Folding Door Spider

    This spider was found on the UC Clermont Campus by a student of mine, Joe Wolf, on the morning of 4 November 2004. It was living, but missing a rear leg.  It was placed in a net covered jar, but died within four hours of capture.

    We were interested to note the large cephalothorax, very large fangs, smaller abdomen, and "muscular" legs.

    With the assistance of Assistant Professor Jan Carter, we determined that its fangs projected downward, rather than inward, placing it in the same group as tarantula spiders.  (Most spiders have fangs that project inward.)

Also, Ms. Carter noted the male sex organs on the tips of the pedipalps.

We believe that it is a Folding Door Spider, belonging to the sub order Mygalomorphae (previously called the Orthognatha), family Antrodiaetidae.  Here is an excellent page describing the Mygalomorphae.

	1 Antrodiaetidae_folding door_spider_whole_PB040051		2 Antrodiaetidae_front _PB040062		3 Antrodiaetidae eyes _PB040053		4 Antrodiaetidae face_PB040061
	5 Antrodiaetidae fangs_PB040056		6 Antrodiaetidae fangs_PB040057		7 Antrodiaetidae male_organ_PB040058		8 atypoides_hadros (from the web)
	9 chericerae_theraphosidae (from the web (Japanese...))