Does anyone else keep N.A. trapdoors?

[WithCerberus]

I was just wondering if anyone else on this forum keeps any American trapdoor species. If anyone does....let's see some pics :)

Bobby

[Wade]

I'm keeping a local Ummidia sp. , or at least I think I am since I' haven't seen it since I set it up in it's current container ;) I have a 35mm slide of it, but as yet no photo I can post.

Wade

[WithCerberus]

Wade, what was the habitat like where you collected your Ummidia?

bobby

[Wade]

I didn't collect it myself, a woman who found it while digging in her garden brought it to me for identification! I've never been fortunate enough to find them myself.

Wade

[chyguy]

i have collected a few in the wild they like wooded areas with lots of shade
and leaves to make lids with i have had mine about a year and havent seen it unless i open its trap door. not very active . no pics though sorry
thanks chyguy

[WithCerberus]

Hrmm seems I will have a very hard time finding an Ummidia in Illinois. There are lots of shady places with lots of leaves :) . The illinois species, U. tuobita, has only been found maybe a dozen times I believe. No one knows how to find the bugger. Wade, do you work at a nature center? That is what I want to do when I graduate :) . It must have been a nice surprize when the lady brought you that spider! Anyways, I have some new pics from this weekend I thought i'd share...

here is a Antrodiaetus unicolor spiderling hunting
http://textamerica.com/user.images/69/IMG_393969/T40405040847590.jpg

here is Dr. Beatty showing me how useful a tracer is in excavating burrows
http://textamerica.com/user.images/69/IMG_393969/T40405040848130.jpg

here is the very large female from that burrow
http://textamerica.com/user.images/69/IMG_393969/T40405040851170.jpg

and lastly one the most interesting trapdoors(at least I think so) Cyclocosmia torreya. This is from Dr. Beatty's collection. this ones a little dark.
http://textamerica.com/user.images/69/IMG_393969/T40405040852410.jpg

[Wade]

Wade, do you work at a nature center? That is what I want to do when I graduate :) . It must have been a nice surprize when the lady brought you that spider!

I work at Three Lakes Nature Center in Richmond, VA. It's a good job, I can keep all the live critters I want in my office!

The spider was a nice surprise, I had never seen a native VA trapdoor before. Since then, I've met several people who have also encounterd them while digging in their lawns. It seems that may be the only way to find them, they're burrow doors so cryptic! I did find a small male spider that I ***THINK*** was a trapdoor that was wandering in my basement (I suspect he came in through ground-level ventilation windows).

Thanks for posting the pics. It's cool to see field work in progress, plus you seem to get some really nice close shots. Keep 'em coming!

Wade