Pacific Foldingdoor Spider
Antrodiaetus pacificus
This record describes Antrodiaetus pacificus (species). Recorded family: Antrodiaetidae. Recorded order: Araneae.
Identification and Appearance
Antrodiaetus pacificus is a species of antrodiaetid mygalomorph spider. It is native to the Pacific Northwest.
Wikipedia reference for Antrodiaetus pacificus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antrodiaetus_pacificus.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Arachnida
- Order
- Araneae (Spiders)
- Family
- Antrodiaetidae (Folding-door Spiders)
- Genus
- Antrodiaetus
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
About Spiders: the wider group
Order-level background for Araneae, the group containing Antrodiaetus pacificus. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
As of 2023, 51,673 spider species in 136 families have been recorded, though an estimated 150,000 species exist. Spiders rank 7th in total species diversity among all organism orders. Only 0.5% of spider species pose any risk to human health.
Ecological role of the group
Spider venom contains complex peptides with diverse pharmacological activities, making them valuable for drug development research. Spiders produce up to 7 types of silk from specialized glands. Spider silk genes have been inserted into mammals and plants for biotech applications.
Economic and practical significance of the group
The global spider community kills an estimated 400-800 million tons of prey annually (2017 study). Spiders provide billions of dollars in natural pest control for agriculture. Spider silk is 5× stronger than steel of the same diameter, driving a biomaterials research industry.
Recorded sources for this group: World Spider Catalog, PNAS, Nature, ScienceDirect. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Pacific Foldingdoor Spider (7)
Photo credits: (c) Marshal Hedin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Marshal Hedin | (c) Matthew Gilbert Koons, some rights reserved (CC BY-ND), uploaded by Matthew Gilbert Koons | (c) Ian Cooper, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ian Cooper | (c) Sean McCann, all rights reserved | (c) Richard Tehan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Richard Tehan | Contributed by Kari J McWest