Ummidia is a genus of spiders that can be found around the world. Among other genus, they are commonly called trapdoor spiders because they build underground tunnels that are secured with a trap-door.
Ummidia Spider Description
The color of Ummidia spiders ranges from very dark brown to a lighter reddish brown. Their cephalothorax is shiny and hard while their abdomen is usually brighter and hairy. They are fast runners and have two large fangs to catch prey. For humans, their bites aren’t usually dangerous. Ummidia spiders are often confused with the medically significant Australian funnel web spider that is native to, as the name suggests, Australia. So if you come across what appears to be a funnel web spider in the U.S., you are almost certainly looking at a non-aggressive and non-threatening ummidia trap-door spider.
Size
On average, an Ummidia spider reaches a body size of around 1 inch. However, some specimen can grow up to a size of 1.6 inches.
Web
As mentioned above, trapdoor spiders do not create a web like other spiders. They build underground tunnels and secure the entrance to it with a door that can be closed with a hinge. The trapdoor is made of the spider’s silk material.
Bite
Trapdoor spiders are not aggressive spiders and usually run away into the underground before any human can get close to them. In the rare cases in which a bite occurs, they are only mildly painful and not dangerous.
Ummidia scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Chelicerata
- Class: Arachnida
- Order: Araneae
- Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
- Family: Halonoproctidae
- Genus: Ummidia
Ummidia Distribution in the US
There are several species of Ummidia that can be found throughout the entire world. Therefore, Ummidia trap-door spiders can be found in every US state: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
I think I found one of these today, buried underground.
Black, body approx. .5 inch in size. Hair on legs and abdomen but shiny on other part of body. Found in Spokane WA near a landscaped rock wall in May.
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for the photo. This is some type of trapdoor spider (family Halonoproctidae). There are a lot of species that have a very similar appearance so an exact identification is only possibly under the microscope.
It is definitely not medically significant. You can find some more information about the on this overview about trapdoor spiders here:
https://usaspiders.com/ummidia-trap-door-spider