Myrmekiaphila facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Myrmekiaphila |
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| Myrmekiaphila tigris | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Euctenizidae |
| Genus: | Myrmekiaphila Atkinson, 1886 |
| Type species | |
| M. foliata Atkinson, 1886
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| Species | |
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12, see text |
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Myrmekiaphila is a group of amazing trapdoor spiders found in North America. These spiders belong to a family called Euctenizidae. They were first described by a scientist named G. F. Atkinson in 1886. All the known species of Myrmekiaphila spiders live only in the southeastern United States.
These spiders were first thought to be in a different family, but scientists moved them to the wafer trapdoor spiders in 1985, and then to the Euctenizidae family in 2012.
Contents
About Myrmekiaphila Spiders
What They Look Like
The different kinds of Myrmekiaphila spiders look quite similar to each other. Their main body part, called the carapace, can be about 2.8 to 8 millimeters long and 2.25 to 6.81 millimeters wide.
Female spiders usually have one solid color, like yellowish-red to dark reddish-brown. Some might have faint stripes on their back. Male spiders have special front legs that help them during mating.
Their Amazing Homes
All Myrmekiaphila spiders live in burrows they dig underground. These burrows are lined with silk, making them cozy homes. The entrance to their burrow is covered by a special trapdoor made of silk and soil. This trapdoor helps them hide from predators and ambush their prey!
Some of these spiders are extra clever! They build secret side rooms off their main burrow. What's really cool is that these side rooms can also be closed off with their own small trapdoors. This is a very unique feature among their spider relatives.
Why the Name?
The name Myrmekiaphila comes from two ancient Greek words. Myrmex means "ant," and philein means "to love." So, the name basically means "ant-loving."
G. F. Atkinson, the scientist who first described these spiders, often found them living close to ant nests. This is why he gave them a name that suggests they like ants!
Where They Live
As of 2019, there are twelve known species of Myrmekiaphila spiders. They all live in the southeastern United States. You can find them in many different places, from northern Virginia down through the Appalachian Mountains. They live in states like West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and northern Georgia. They also live in the plains of Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and even in the central Texas forests.
Here are the known species:
- Myrmekiaphila comstocki Bishop & Crosby, 1926 – USA
- Myrmekiaphila coreyi Bond & Platnick, 2007 – USA
- Myrmekiaphila flavipes (Petrunkevitch, 1925) – USA
- Myrmekiaphila fluviatilis (Hentz, 1850) – USA
- Myrmekiaphila foliata Atkinson, 1886 (type) – USA
- Myrmekiaphila howelli Bond & Platnick, 2007 – USA
- Myrmekiaphila jenkinsi Bond & Platnick, 2007 – USA
- Myrmekiaphila millerae Bond & Platnick, 2007 – USA
- Myrmekiaphila minuta Bond & Platnick, 2007 – USA
- Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi Bond & Platnick, 2007 – USA
- Myrmekiaphila tigris Bond & Ray, 2012 – USA
- Myrmekiaphila torreya Gertsch & Wallace, 1936 – USA
See also
In Spanish: Myrmekiaphila para niños
