Trapdoor
Guides
Antrodiaetidae
folding-door spiders, folding trapdoor spiders, turret spiders
Antrodiaetidae is a small family of mygalomorph spiders comprising four genera and approximately 37 species. Members are commonly known as folding-door spiders or folding trapdoor spiders due to their distinctive burrow architecture: they construct silk-lined burrows with hinged, collapsible doors that fold or unfold to seal the entrance. The family is primarily distributed in the western and midwestern United States, with two relict species endemic to Japan. Antrodiaetidae are closely related to Atypidae (atypical tarantulas) and share the characteristic low dispersal ability typical of mygalomorph spiders.
Euctenizidae
Wafer-lid Trapdoor Spiders
Euctenizidae is a family of mygalomorph spiders elevated from subfamily status in 2012. The family contains approximately 79 described species across eight genera, including Aptostichus, Myrmekiaphila, and Promyrmekiaphila. Members are characterized by their fossorial lifestyle and construction of silk-lined burrows with distinctive trapdoors. The family is now considered more closely related to Idiopidae than to other trapdoor spider families.
Nemesiidae
Tubetrapdoor and Wishbone Spiders, wishbone spiders
Nemesiidae is a family of mygalomorph spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1889 and elevated to family status in 1985, having previously been considered part of Dipluridae. The family comprises relatively large, darkly colored spiders with elongated bodies and robust legs, commonly known as wishbone spiders due to the distinctive shape of their burrows. Members are primarily fossorial, constructing silk-lined burrows often equipped with hinged trapdoors for ambush predation. The family includes ten genera and approximately 195 species distributed across diverse habitats including coastal sands, forests, and mountainous regions on multiple continents.