Liphitius desultor

I have always been very fascinated by the Trapdoor Spider - Liphistius desultor. It is very different from all other spiders, including tarantulas. It makes very little webbing and it is seldom seen outside its trapdoor. It has very intense colouring and many times after I've posted some photos, I've been asked whether its real or it's just a plastic toy. I'm very lucky to be able to see it in its natural surroundings. Here are some photos that show their burrows in nature. The burrows are always closed by the "trapdoor".

The one thing that is common to all the photos shown above are the "trip lines" radiating outwards from the doors. These are sensors that allow the spider to feel when something ( eg. an insect ) walks over them.

Now for some photos of the actual spider.

The MALE is differently coloured. It is almost totally black. At first I thought I have found something new but upon closer examination it was found to be a male specimen.