Atypical tarantula
The
atypical tarantulas or purseweb spiders (family Atypidae) consist of only two
genera. In the United States these are
Sphodros and Atypus, and in Europe, Asia and Africa only
Atypus.
Atypus lives in a silken tube parallel to the surface of the ground, while
Sphodros usually props its tubes against a tree trunk. The females generally do not leave their silken tubes, but catch insects that crawl on the tube by biting the prey through the silk. Atypical tarantulas have huge chelicerae for their size and relatively long spinnerets (although not as long as those found in diplurids). The males are sometimes brightly colored and wander around looking for female tubes. The females are reddish-brown or dark-colored.
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