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Angelina Jolie Trapdoor Spider
Aptostichus angelinajolieae
Aptostichus angelinajolieae, also known as the Angelina Jolie trapdoor spider, is a species of Euctenizidae, nocturnal arthropods who seize their prey after leaping out of their burrows and inject it with venom. It was described by the Auburn University professor Jason Bond in 2008, who named it after the American actress Angelina Jolie in recognition of her work on the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. It was one of only seven described species of Aptostichus until 2012, when it was joined by Bono's Joshua Tree trapdoor spider and 32 other species.
From the article Aptostichus angelinajolieae on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Range & habitat
It is difficult to identify an individual as being an A. angelinajolieae specimen due to the species' morphological similarity to A. atomarius and A. stanfordianus. A set of unique mitochondrial DNA nucleotide substitutions sets the species apart and allows a diagnosis. A. angelinajolieae inhabits the north of Monterey County, California, restricted to the Santa Lucia Range west of the Salinas Valley, which probably serves as a dispersal barrier. Its ecoregion consists of chaparral forest and shrub. It is not found in the coastal dunes, which are the habitat of the geographically proximate but lighter colored A. stephencolberti. Female specimens are normally seen on road cuts and humid, shaded steep banks. The species creates shallow burrows with a thin silk-soil trapdoor and white silken lined retreat.
Wikipedia: “Identification and distribution”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Aptostichus angelinajolieae in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 605272.