I know that this is not really the kind of article you would expect on a beetle breeding page, but I was collecting these fascinating spiders quite often, I wanted to share my experiences... Besides it is pictures of Rainforest and that makes it even better, haha.
These spiders live in the rainforest, usually in clay walls, that are overgrown with moss. Most of the time they stay inside their caves and that is why they are so difficult to find. The only way to spot their caves is to look for silk strings that are surrounding the door. It is not much known about their biology, nor about their poison. In Penang the best place to find them in wild is around Penang Hill (Bukit Bendera) and look out for old clay walls, usually along jungle paths. These spiders are hiding behind the door, waiting for prey (e.g. small insects) and once they detect any movement in the area around their door, they just come out to grab it and eat it inside the cave. That is all I know about these spiders, if somebody wants to share his experiences he or she is welcome...
Well, now a bit about collection, first you have to do is search for the trapdoors, in order to know where the spiders are. Once you found one, dig out the area around the door, best is to use a stick or a screwdriver. you follow up their cave to come to it's end, where the spider will be as well. After digging so much out, that you are bale to see the spider, place a small box at the opening of the cave and tickle the spider with the stick, so that she runs out and falls into the box. Attention, these spiders are really fast, when panicking.
I attached some pictures of how I did it, hope you enjoy.
Forestry Reserve in Penang, close to Teluk Bahang and the entrance to the Rainforest
Typical habitat of trapdoor spiders, a clay wall Trapdoor, pay attention to the silk strings
Trapdoor opened Opened cave, you can see the spider in the end
Another trapdoor, even more difficult to spot... And again, a photograph of the clay wall, where I found these spiders
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