Spotted Brush-footed Trapdoor Spider
This is the largest species of Barychelidae in Singapore, easily separated from Idioctis and Monodontium by its sheer size. Females have a compact body build and, under strong lighting, pale spots visible on the dorsum. The femora of females are often a chestnut brown. Mature males are longer-legged and possess a strong spur on each tibia I. similar to the males of Damarchus, but are easily separated by their woolly-looking carapace (wool lacking in Damarchus).
| Length | ♀23 mm; ♂ 14–17 mm |
| Distribution | Singapore, Malaysia (Perak, Penang, Selangor), Philippines. |
| Habitat | Among leaf litter in disturbed primary forest, secondary forest, and heavily wooded parkland. |
| Biology | They construct an almost horizontal tunnel-like retreat, up to 40 mm in length, with a pair of well-camouflaged trapdoors, each approximately 18 mm in diameter, at both ends. Though the species is nocturnal, adult males may occasionally roam outside their retreats after sunrise. |
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Suborder Mygalomorphae (Mygalomorphs)
Superfamily Avicularioidea
Rhianus atratus (Original description ♀)
Thorell, 1890d Arachnidi di Pinang raccolti nel 1889 dai Signori L: 277
Rhianodes atratus (♀, D♂)
Raven, 1994 Mygalomorph spiders of the Barychelidae in Australia and the western Pacific: 697, f. 12O-P, 13C-D, 14A, 236A-B, 237A-D, 238A-D, 239A-G
Idioctis sierramadrensis (Original description ♂)
Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 Riceland spiders of South and Southeast Asia: 25, f. 6a-n
Rhianodes atratus (Synonym of Idioctis sierramadrensis)
Raven, 2000a Taxonomica Araneae I: Barychelidae, Theraphosidae, Nemesiidae and Dipluridae (Araneae): 569
* Retrieved from the World Spider Catalog.
Singapore, Malaysia (Perak, Penang, Selangor), Philippines.