Trapdoor spiders are difficult to spot. This photo was captured by Dan Carter in 2023.
Here is your chance to see one found in Jirdarup opening and closing (August 2024). Dr Leanda Mason has identified this one as a shield-backed trapdoor spider (Idiosoma sigillatum) which she believes is critically endangered.
See the trapdoor open, filmed by Elbia
Trapdoor spiders are particularly vulnerable during fire. An investigation of the survival of survival of mygalomorph (ground dwelling/burrowing) spiders following fire was published in 2019 by Mason et al.[i] Survival was monitored for a year following high-intensity and low-intensity fires in Banksia woodland remnants in urban Perth including Kensington Bushland. The results found that while most spiders can survive low-intensity fires, very few can survive a hot burn.
If spiders and other non-charismatic species are your thing, check out the website of Dr Leanda or read this article from Conversations.
[i] Mason L, Bateman PW, Miller BP & Wardell-Johnson GW (2019). Ashes to Ashes: Intense fires extinguish populations of urban short-range endemics. Austral Ecology, 44, P514-522.
