Liphistius batuensis
Encyclopedia
Liphistius batuensis is a species of trapdoor spider
from Malaysia. It is thought to be restricted to the Batu Caves
, near Kuala Lumpur
. It was first collected by H. C. Abraham in 1923, and has been described as a living fossil
.
Adults build a nest which is 40–50 mm (1.6–2 ) long with an opening some 22 millimetre (0.866141732283465 in) wide, from which six to ten strands of silk
radiate out 12.5–15 cm (4.9–5.9 ) in a semicircle. The movement of an insect against these threads is detected by the spider which then rushes out and captures the insect. Spiderlings build smaller nests, only 10 millimetre (0.393700787401575 in) across, and seem to abandon these during development to build a bigger nest; intermediate sizes of nest are not seen.
Spiders of all ages may fall prey to cave-dwelling centipede
s.
Trapdoor spider
Trapdoor spiders are medium-sized mygalomorph spiders that construct burrows with a cork-like trapdoor made of soil, vegetation and silk. Some similar species are also called trapdoor spiders, such as the Liphistiidae, Barychelidae, Cyrtaucheniidae and some Idiopidae and Nemesiidae...
from Malaysia. It is thought to be restricted to the Batu Caves
Batu Caves
Batu Caves , is a limestone hill, which has a series of caves and cave temples, located in Gombak district, north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It takes its name from the Sungai Batu or Batu River, which flows past the hill. Batu Caves is also the name of the nearby village.The cave is one of the...
, near Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. It was first collected by H. C. Abraham in 1923, and has been described as a living fossil
Living fossil
Living fossil is an informal term for any living species which appears similar to a species otherwise only known from fossils and which has no close living relatives, or a group of organisms which have long fossil records...
.
Adults build a nest which is 40–50 mm (1.6–2 ) long with an opening some 22 millimetre (0.866141732283465 in) wide, from which six to ten strands of silk
Spider silk
Spider silk is a protein fiber spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make webs or other structures, which function as nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons for protection for their offspring...
radiate out 12.5–15 cm (4.9–5.9 ) in a semicircle. The movement of an insect against these threads is detected by the spider which then rushes out and captures the insect. Spiderlings build smaller nests, only 10 millimetre (0.393700787401575 in) across, and seem to abandon these during development to build a bigger nest; intermediate sizes of nest are not seen.
Spiders of all ages may fall prey to cave-dwelling centipede
Centipede
Centipedes are arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda of the subphylum Myriapoda. They are elongated metameric animals with one pair of legs per body segment. Despite the name, centipedes can have a varying number of legs from under 20 to over 300. Centipedes have an odd number of pairs of...
s.