Antrodiaetidae

Folding trapdoor spiders
Temporal range:
Antrodiaetus unicolor, female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Clade: Atypoidea
Family: Antrodiaetidae
Gertsch, 1940
Genera

See text.

Diversity
4 genera, > 37 species
blue: reported countries (WSC)
green: observation hotspots (iNaturalist)

Antrodiaetidae, also known as folding trapdoor spiders or folding-door spiders, is a small spider family related to atypical tarantulas. They are found almost exclusively in the western and midwestern United States, from California to Washington and east to the Appalachian Mountains.[1] Exceptions include Antrodiaetus roretzi and Antrodiaetus yesoensis, which are endemic to Japan and are considered relict species. It is likely that two separate vicariance events led to the evolution of these two species.[2]

Genera

As of January 2026, this family includes four genera and 37 species:[1]

Name

The name “folding-door” describes how they open or close the entrance to their burrow; they unfold or fold the door.

References

  1. ^ a b "Family Antrodiaetidae Gertsch, 1940". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2026-01-18.
  2. ^ Miller, J.A; Coyle, F.A. (1996). "Cladistic analysis of the Atypoides plus Antrodiaetus lineage of mygalomorph spiders (Araneae, Antrodiaetidae)" (PDF). Journal of Arachnology. 24 (3): 201–213. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
  • Hendrixson, B.E. & Bond, J.E. (2005). Two sympatric species of Antrodiaetus from southwestern North Carolina (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Antrodiaetidae). Zootaxa 872:1-19. PDF)