Living fossils

A mesothelid spider: Liphistius desultor.
Penang, Malaysia. Note segmented abdomen. Photo: M Gray © Australian Museum.

Amazingly, segmented mesothelid spiders have survived in eastern Asia (China to Indonesia), virtually unchanged from late Palaeozoic times to the present day. These large, impressive spiders live in soil burrows with trapdoors in forested areas and caves.

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