#atypidae

by Noah K. Fields

Noah K. Fields

Photo by Tom Patterson

One of the few tarantula-like spiders found north of the Mason-Dixon, purse-web spiders live up to their name by spinning silken “sock-shaped” pockets around tree trunks or cavities in the soil. The spider resides at the bottom of these silk-spun pockets, and when it detects vibrations from insects crawling above, it uses its enlarged fangs to stab and envenom its prey.  Now that I’ve moved into my new house, I should be able to resume posting at a regular schedule. 

The purse-web spider (Genus Atypus) always fascinated me! They live and hunt into a tube made of silk, impressively camouflaged as a small root or stem. They wait in ambush into it with their massive fangs, ready to strike and for the prey. Death comes from below and then preys are dragged inside the tube. 1: Atypus affinis closeup 2: detail of fangs (chelicera) 3: a firefly larva trapped by Atypus 4: the silk tube where this species lives and hunts #spider #atypus #atypidae #spidersofinstagram #picoftheday #nature #macro #macrophotography #naturalhistory #strangebuttrue #arachnida #ilovespiders #biodoversity @ilcp_photographers https://www.instagram.com/p/CUXqKbYqTYB/?utm_medium=tumblr

Good old-fashioned nightmare fuel. My little purse-web spider (Sphodros sp.) catches a cricket, then methodically repairs the damage done to its web.