Cantuaria dendyi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cantuaria dendyi |
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Maoriana dendyi Hogg, 1901 |
Cantuaria dendyi is a type of trapdoor spider. It belongs to a family called Idiopidae. You can find this spider only in the South Island of New Zealand. Specifically, it lives around Christchurch and the Banks Peninsula. These spiders are known for living in burrows with a special "trapdoor" lid.
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Discovering Cantuaria dendyi
A British spider expert named Henry Roughton Hogg first described this spider in 1901. He called it Maoriana dendyi. He got a spider specimen from Christchurch, sent to him by Professor Arthur Dendy.
Just one year later, Hogg found out that the name Maoriana was already used for a type of sea snail. So, he gave the spider a new name: Cantuaria dendyi. The name Cantuaria comes from Canterbury Province, where the spider was found.
What Does Cantuaria dendyi Look Like?
Cantuaria dendyi is one of over 40 types of Cantuaria spiders. These spiders have a special tool called a rastellum. It's a set of strong spines on their mouthparts. They use these spines like a shovel to dig their burrows.
Another way to spot a Cantuaria spider is by its spinnerets. These are small parts that spin silk. Cantuaria spiders only have four of them.
These spiders can be quite large. They are usually about 2.3 centimeters (about an inch) long. Some can grow up to 3 centimeters. This measurement is from their eyes to the end of their body. So, they might look even bigger because their legs and fangs are not included.
C. dendyi spiders have a cream-colored body. They have small black spots that form three broken pale V-shapes on their back. Both male and female spiders have these V-shapes. Their legs and mouth parts are dark orange-brown.
Where Do They Live?
Cantuaria spiders are special because they are only found in New Zealand. They have lived there for a very long time, about 85 million years. This was since New Zealand broke away from a supercontinent called Gondwana. Most Cantuaria spiders live in the South Island. Some can also be found in the lower part of the North Island.
New Zealand's trapdoor spiders like grassy areas. They have learned to live in places changed by humans, like farms. You can often find them along fence lines and next to roads. They build their burrows with thin lids. These burrows are usually 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) deep.
Cantuaria spiders are very good at hiding. They mix nearby dirt and plants into their trapdoors. This makes the trapdoor look just like the ground around it. Once they build a burrow, they don't move far from it. This is why different types of Cantuaria spiders are found in scattered areas. Cantuaria dendyi is only found in the Christchurch and Banks Peninsula area.
Life in a Burrow
One of the most interesting things about Cantuaria dendyi is that it lives its whole life underground. Its burrow is about 10 to 20 centimeters (4 to 8 inches) deep. A special trapdoor covers the entrance. These spiders are very lazy and stay in their burrows almost all the time.
When male spiders grow up, they leave their burrows to find a mate. They usually leave in early winter, from April to June. Some males might not eat at all once they leave their home. Female spiders stay in their burrow their entire lives. They only come out if there's an emergency.
We don't know much about how Cantuaria spiders mate. But we have seen some things. A male spider will go to a female's burrow. He will hold his front legs out straight and tap them on the trapdoor. This tapping might tell the female he is there. We don't know if she lets him in or if he opens the trapdoor himself.
A cool fact is that baby spiders live with their mother for about 18 months. Then, they are ready to build their own burrows. Scientists have seen mother Cantuaria spiders protect their babies. One time, a scientist put a beetle in a burrow with a mother and baby spider. The baby ran out, but the mother stayed to fight the beetle. The mother spider won!
Cantuaria spiders live a long time, up to 20 years. They have a slow metabolism and don't move much. This helps them live for so long. They spend their time at the bottom of their burrow. They only open the trapdoor to catch food.
What Do They Eat?
Cantuaria spiders use their burrows to help them catch food. C. dendyi has a trapdoor on its burrow. The spider sits in its hole with the trapdoor slightly open. When it feels an insect walking by, the Cantuaria jumps out and grabs it!
The spider lunges out of its tunnel, over the insect. It catches its food with its fangs as it pulls the prey back down. Unlike some spiders, Cantuaria do not wrap their prey in silk. They drag the insect deep into the burrow. The trapdoor closes behind them.
These spiders are carnivores, meaning they eat meat. Their diet includes any insect that gets too close. Scientists have found parts of beetles at the bottom of their burrows. It's very important that the spider never jumps so far out that the trapdoor closes behind it. If that happens, the spider would be locked out! When Cantuaria spiders leap out for prey, they always hold onto the edge of the hole with their back legs. This stops the door from closing.
Scientists have found a good way to catch Cantuaria spiders. They use a mealworm beetle tied to a string. This method is faster and causes less harm to the environment than digging up the spider.
Who Hunts Cantuaria Spiders?
Even though Cantuaria spiders live safely underground, they still have enemies. The biggest enemy is New Zealand's largest black hunting wasp, Priocnemis monachus. Cantuaria spiders are big, so they make a good meal for the wasp's growing babies.
Wasps can be strong enough to pull open the trapdoor or even bite through it. This puts C. dendyi at risk. Some wasps even pretend to be an insect at the burrow entrance. When the spider attacks, the wasp quickly grabs it. Some wasps even take over the spider's burrow!
A scientist named Anthony Harris watched these wasps and spiders. He saw a wasp find a trapdoor spider outside its burrow and follow it. The spider tried to run away. But when it turned to face the wasp, a fight started. The wasp stung the spider many times until the spider collapsed. The spider was still alive, but couldn't move.
The wasp then dragged the spider's body back to its nest. The spider is put into a special cell in the nest. The wasp lays an egg on the spider. When the baby wasp hatches, it starts to eat the spider. The spider stays alive until the very end, when the wasp larva eats its most important organs.
Cantuaria spiders can also get parasites. Scientists have found tiny mites clinging to their bodies. These mites are common on C. dendyi. Worms called nematodes have also been found inside Cantuaria spiders. It's possible these spiders tried to escape the worms by leaving their burrow. If they got caught in water, they could drown.
Special Traits of Cantuaria
Cantuaria spiders are one of the few types of spiders that look after their babies. They care for their offspring until the young spiders can build their own burrows.
Another interesting thing about Cantuaria dendyi is that they are not cannibals. This means they don't eat each other. Scientists kept male and female spiders together in a box. No spider lost any limbs, and they didn't try to eat each other. Some even huddled together under a piece of grass.
As mentioned, Cantuaria spiders are known for living a very long time, up to 20 years!
