''Aliatypus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

n folding trapdoor spiders first described by C. P. Smith in 1908. They resemble members of

Ctenizidae Ctenizidae ( ) is a small family of mygalomorph spiders that construct burrows with a cork-like trapdoor made of soil, vegetation, and silk. They may be called trapdoor spiders, as are other, similar species, such as those of the families Li ...

in morphology and behavior, but this is due to

convergent evolution Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last comm ...

rather than direct relation. They are most closely related to members of ''

Antrodiaetus ''Antrodiaetus'' is a genus of American and Japanese folding trapdoor spiders first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871. The name is a combination of the Greek "antrodiaitos" (αντροδιαιτος), meaning "living in caves", "antron" (αν� ...

'', which build collar doors. It is likely that the shift from using collar doors to using trapdoors is what allowed them to survive in hot, dry conditions where their closest relatives could not. Often found in roadside banks or ravines, they build a burrow perpendicular to the surface with a wafer-like trapdoor entrance to catch prey. Burrows are often clustered together, sometimes quite densely in more favorable positions. They are native to the western United States, where the complex landscape creates pockets of isolated species limited to small regions. As one of the most abundant genera of trapdoor spiders in California, it is argued that their sedentary lifestyle and limited dispersal could benefit studies in the biogeography of California and the surrounding regions.

Species

it contains fourteen species, all found in the southwestern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

: *'' Aliatypus aquilonius'' Coyle, 1974 – USA *'' Aliatypus californicus'' (Banks, 1896) – USA *'' Aliatypus coylei'' Hedin & Carlson, 2011 – USA *'' Aliatypus erebus'' Coyle, 1974 – USA *'' Aliatypus gnomus'' Coyle, 1974 – USA *'' Aliatypus gulosus'' Coyle, 1974 – USA *'' Aliatypus isolatus'' Coyle, 1974 – USA *'' Aliatypus janus'' Coyle, 1974 – USA *'' Aliatypus plutonis'' Coyle, 1974 – USA *'' Aliatypus roxxiae'' Satler & Hedin, 2013 – USA *'' Aliatypus starretti'' Satler & Hedin, 2013 – USA *'' Aliatypus thompsoni'' Coyle, 1974 – USA *'' Aliatypus torridus'' Coyle, 1974 – USA *'' Aliatypus trophonius'' Coyle, 1974 – USA

Species

References

Further reading