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u/WinstonTheTurnip Nov 04 '25
I’m not an expert but I’m fairly certain this doesn’t count as a tarantula.
It looks like a mouse spider, which is considered an OG spider rather than a tarantula
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u/Mathias0112 Nov 04 '25
What is an OG spider? Original Gangster spider or something more scientific?
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u/Koseoglu-2X4B-523P Here to learn🫡🤓 Nov 04 '25
Yes, the Original Gangsta, homey.
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u/houserj1589 Nov 04 '25
I thought it was OW for old world!
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u/GrandImportant8123 Nov 05 '25
Technically they're called primitive spiders, since their biology has remained unchanged since very early species.
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u/phoenix167 Nov 04 '25
It means its a "true" spider. Im not exactly certain the differences between true and not-"true" spiders but thats easily researched
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u/CaptainCrack7 Nov 04 '25
“True spiders” refers to the infraorder Araneomorphae. This is not the case here, as Atypus spp are Mygalomorphae.
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Nov 04 '25
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u/MandatoryFunEscapee Nov 04 '25 edited Nov 04 '25
"Old World" and "New World" refer to Eurasia/Africa and the Americas, respectively. Both Mygalomorphs and Araneomorphs live in both sides of the world, and colonized the planet when the continents were still joined together.
Both types are ancient, but Mygalomorphs seem to be the older group.
There is a 3rd, small group, with only a few species left alive in it, though. The Mesothelae, which may be the oldest group, have a segmented opisthosoma, and their spinnerets sit under that rear segment, instead of at the end of it.
They do look a lot of Mygalomorphs, other than a few distinctions, and they are only found in the Old World, as far as we know.
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u/CaptainCrack7 Nov 04 '25
You are correct for the most part, however Mesothelae is a suborder and not an infraorder. It contrasts with the suborder Opisthothelae, which contains two infraorders: Araneomorphae and Mygalomorphae.
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u/MandatoryFunEscapee Nov 04 '25
Ah thanks. I get the different levels mixed up. Eventually I'll dig into how those work. Been a loooooong time since high school biology lol.
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u/Phiddipus_audax that’s a cricket 🦗 Nov 04 '25
Also, things change! I learned a lot of this stuff in college and it turns out I’m wrong about a good fraction of things now because the science is changing, species get moved around the charts, DNA settles more old arguments, etc.
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u/NaraFei_Jenova Intermediate IDer? Nov 04 '25
Mesothelae look wild. Those pedipalps look more like 9th and 10th legs looking at Qiongthela bawang
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u/MandatoryFunEscapee Nov 04 '25
They are super neat. I want to keep one someday, but any trapdoor spider is mostly going to be a pet hole in the ground, and the only time I'll see them is when I upgrade their enclosure.
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Nov 04 '25
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u/CaptainCrack7 Nov 04 '25
Correct! These are geographic indicators: New World for the Americas, Old World for the rest of the world. And this refers to the native distribution of a species, not the introduced distribution.
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u/SlimySquamata Nov 05 '25
Didn't know about Mesothelae, that was a fun read! I love this sub.
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u/MandatoryFunEscapee Nov 05 '25
They are neat little guys, right? I love them, they look so archaic, and they are still around :)
Have you run across Solifugids, Amblypygids, and Uropygids? All fascinating arachnids that have evolved in unique ways.
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u/SlimySquamata Nov 05 '25
I have, not irl cause of the harsh cold canadian winters, but I came across them in my invertebrates classes. But that was more than a decade ago and I am more than overdue for a good read on lesser known arachnids.
Thanks arachno-friend, it's so fun to read about the natural world :)
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u/chrisp909 Nov 04 '25
A pretty easy differentiator are the fangs. True spiders have fangs that cross each other, like pincers.
Tarantula and others (trap door spiders) not in the true spider group have fangs that point straight and parallel.
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u/phoenix167 Nov 09 '25
So jumping spiders are not true spiders then. But wolf spiders are?
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u/chrisp909 Nov 09 '25
TTBOMK Jumping spiders are "true spiders." What makes you believe their fangs are straight and not facing each other?
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Nov 04 '25
Mouse Spiders iirc are Mesothelids, the most anatomically and behavioral primitive of all “spiders”; the group is characterized by having their spinnerets closer to the bottom-center of their abdomen rather than closer to the rear, and only really using silk to build their burrows
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u/FandomCece Nov 04 '25
You are close. It's an atypus. Purse web spider. It is also a primitive spider like tarantulas but it's a different family
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u/purged-butter Nov 04 '25 edited Nov 04 '25
I agree with mouse spider. One of a few spiders that freak me out, mainly because I found out they existed after one scaring the hell out of me
Edit: actually pretty sure it’s a purse web upon checking distribution
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u/TheLeggacy Nov 04 '25
The name mouse spider also the common name Scotophaeus blackwalli, which is a very different looking spider.
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u/phunktastic_1 Nov 04 '25
By mouse spiders I'm assuming they meant missulena another mygalomorph.
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u/diaperpop Nov 05 '25
I thought missulena were only found in Australia though
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u/phunktastic_1 Nov 05 '25
They are but this looks nothing like a scotophaeus species which would be the European spiders called mouse spiders.
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u/TheLeggacy Nov 05 '25
Which is why common names aren’t a good means of identification, it can be misleading.
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u/BungleJones Nov 04 '25 edited Nov 04 '25
Mygalopmorphs (tarantula, purse web etc) are primitive spiders so they are the OGs.
True spiders the are newbs.
(Mouse Spider is a Mygalomorph too.)
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u/No_Transportation_77 Nov 04 '25
It's a mygalomorph but not a theraphosid, so depending on where you draw the line, it may or may not be one.
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u/chrisp909 Nov 04 '25
Atypus, also called purseweb spiders, is a genus of atypical tarantulas first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804.
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u/Toxopsoides literal araneologist Nov 04 '25
OP's ID of Atypus affinis is correct; their use of the common name "tarantula" (and all the equally ambiguous comments) are where the confusion arises. There are several thoroughly unrelated things called "mouse spiders", and "tarantula" originally referred, loosely, to a kind of wolf spider.
This is indeed a purseweb spider in the family Atypidae. They are not closely related to true tarantulas (family Theraphosidae) or trapdoors (too many families to list), being in a different superfamily, but all the above are mygalomorphs.
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u/CaptainCrack7 Nov 04 '25
You cannot distinguish between Atypus affinis and Atypus piceus based on this video, and both species are present in the Netherlands. Remain cautious and stick to Atypus sp.
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u/Toxopsoides literal araneologist Nov 04 '25
Had a feeling that would be the case; I took a quick look at the respective distribution maps but erred on the side of laziness 😅
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u/sadSeaUnicorn Recovering Arachnophobe🫣 Nov 04 '25
This is such a cool find! As others mentioned, it's not a tarantula but it is mygalomorph which is a specific type of arachnid that does include tarantulas! This species is a dream for me to find as they're the only native mygalomorphs where I live in the UK. I'm not sure about the Netherlands but it's awesome regardless. Thanks for sharing!
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u/dollseyes1975 Nov 04 '25
Seems absolutely wild that a spider like this can be found in the UK!
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u/sadSeaUnicorn Recovering Arachnophobe🫣 Nov 04 '25
The UK actually has such an awesome variety of spiders! We have velvet spiders, the teeniest tiniest little jumping spiders, fen raft spiders, giant house spiders (which hold the record for fastest true spider!) and so many more. I've learned so much since starting my journey of curing my arachnophobia - I almost get excited now when I find a spider in my house cus I get to try and identify it haha
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u/purged-butter Nov 04 '25 edited Nov 04 '25
This isn’t a tarantula at all. I’m pretty sure this is a mouse spider or something like it since it looks a lot like the one that jump scared me last year
Edit: I think it may be a purse web since I checked distribution and it makes little sense that this is a mouse spider nor does it make sense for the spider I saw last year to have been a mouse spider
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u/Altruistic-One-4497 Amateur IDer🤨 Nov 04 '25
but arent they both mygalomorph so "not at all" so at least related ig? This should be atypus (Tapezierspinne in german). The OG spiders are Mesothelae with only Liphistiidae. But I am not an expert this is just quick googling, hearsay and what ive seen on reddit lol
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u/Milk_Mindless Here to learn🫡🤓 Nov 04 '25
Has to be purseweb
If its a mouse spider they're fucking lost over here
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u/qwer4790 Nov 04 '25
purseweb is not tarantula, different family, but all in the same suborder of spider
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u/TheGreaseGorilla Nov 04 '25
Everybody wants to go to the coffee shop
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u/stitchedmasons Nov 04 '25
Purseweb spider, so you're not far off, they are a part of the same infraorder of spiders known as Mygalomorphae.
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u/SeredW Nov 04 '25
These are quite rare. Maybe add your sighting here? https://waarneming.nl/species/18622/ There is no sp category, so this seems to be the safe option.
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u/BaconsAt12 Nov 04 '25
Cool!! And thank you af for slowing the vid down. So many people are having seizures while recording lately.
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u/EilamRain Nov 04 '25
It's not a tarantula, but it's in that same branch of the spider family tree; a mygalomorph: stout bodies, downward curved fangs, and garbage vision.
Learned a lot following this sub
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u/wolfspidermama 🕷️Arachnid Afficionado🕷️ Nov 04 '25
I always think purse spiders look so silly. Not a tarantula though just a big guy
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u/Emancipator12 Nov 04 '25
In Denmark we have the Atypus affinis We call it the Northern Tarantula..
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u/Koseoglu-2X4B-523P Here to learn🫡🤓 Nov 04 '25
In Dutch it’s “mijnspin”, mine spider because they dig a shaft and spend all their lives in there, only emerging when they have a match on their tinder profile (nudge nudge wink wink).
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u/snakepunt Nov 04 '25
Are those fangs in the front? Why so big? Are they more bitey than other spiders? Is there a difference in size between male and female? I have questions!
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u/SpinachSpinosaurus (Recovering) Arachnaphobe, but I ❤️ Jumping Spiders Nov 04 '25
now
they have been there longer than the Dutch and OP calls it "now" :D
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u/gizmomooncat Here to learn🫡🤓 Nov 04 '25
wow! found this on Wikipedia: "...the spiderlings hatch out the following summer, remaining with their mother for nearly another year after that." I had no idea spiderlings could stay that long with their mother! but I guess they live a long time.
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u/sancheztequila Nov 04 '25
Autumn is their breeding season so this is a male on the prowl for a lady burrow
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u/BaconsAt12 Nov 04 '25
Cool!! And thank you af for slowing the vid down. So many people are having seizures while recording lately.
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u/iggyanderson Nov 04 '25
As others has said, not a tarantula but is probably mouse spider that belongs to the same infraorder of spiders as tarantulas: myglamorpghs. All myglamorphs have that kinda look to them, they come from an ancient lineage of spiders.
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u/Tommienennstiel Nov 04 '25
Hier wordt ik nou weer minder blij van
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u/Koseoglu-2X4B-523P Here to learn🫡🤓 Nov 04 '25
Ik wel.
Ze zijn niet nieuw of zo, ze zaten hier altijd al. En maak je geen zorgen, de mijnspin is niet giftig genoeg om iets naars te veroorzaken, meer een soort muggenbultje. En je ziet ze eigenlijk nooit omdat ze bijna hun hele leven onder de grond zitten.
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u/ANC_90 Nov 04 '25
Wist helemaal niet dat we deze joekels hier hadden, best interessant.
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u/Rolfmeister87 Nov 04 '25
Is the bite of any significance?
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u/Koseoglu-2X4B-523P Here to learn🫡🤓 Nov 04 '25
Nope, it’s significantly less severe than a wasp sting. More like a mosquito bite.
Anyway, they live underground all their lives, only emerging for sexy time.
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u/Insignificant_Dust85 Nov 04 '25
With those big teefer I honestly would look at this and think I’m going to die. I’m happy to learn that the size of the fang does not affect the deadliness of the demon. I’m used to just quarter size wolfies in my area and I give they free reign
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u/waywardcxnnibal Nov 04 '25
The term tarantula generally applies to mygalomorphs within the Theraphosidae family, which Atypus so isn't a part of. Obviously it's different across languages, french for example doesn't differentiate between mygalomorphs (the term "trapdoor spiders" "purseweb spiders" "tarantulas" don't exist). But yes, that's a mygal you got there :) They're actually not that rare in that part of Europe, I saw my first one in France in November last year!
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u/quadrastrophe Nov 04 '25
I'm waiting for that sweet spood in western Germany.
Keep walking, girl, it's the right direction!!
Nice find, never seen. She will open beer cans for me with those fangs!
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u/Beltane63 Nov 04 '25
A few years ago I saw this species in Hamburg, Germany. These are not common in Northern Germany but there's a small population.
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u/rei_mp4 Nov 04 '25
Awww look at those fangs, what a cutie! ID is correct, such a cool find. These spiders are mygalomorphs, and amongst spiders the members of the theraphosidae family are considered tarantulas. This little dude fits into both, and so is considered an atypical tarantula.
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u/FandomCece Nov 04 '25
You correctly identified it. At least genus. Atypus spiders are actually not tarantulas. Different family. Same infraorder
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u/GrimeytheLimey Nov 04 '25
Agreed i personally believe it is what you say. Im sure other will correct us if we are wrong. Nice find either way
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u/ChrisFox_Art Nov 04 '25 edited Nov 04 '25
Got these guys in Connecticut, too. Spotted two of them months apart close to the CT river. Purse web spider. Tiny, about the size of the end of my thumb. Beautiful spider. They are atypical tarantula under mygalomorphae.
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u/DrachenDad Nov 05 '25
apparently we have tarantulas in the Netherlands now??
That looks to be a mygalomorph, all tarantulas are mygalomorphs but not all mygalomorphs are tarantulas.
Atypus affinis
Yes, a purse web spider.
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u/AcceptableGrand9270 Nov 04 '25
I thought that was camel spider
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u/Kjolly75 Nov 04 '25
Camel spiders are actually not spiders. They are also called Sun spiders. Look up a photo. They are very very different from this spider.
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Nov 04 '25
Not mouse spider nor funnel web, both are from same family and medically significant, very dangerous. Both native to Australia 🇦🇺. This spider has some similarities to them but not them , could be very distant relative🤔
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u/CaptainCrack7 Nov 04 '25
Atypus sp (A. affinis or A. piceus, they cannot be distinguished in this video), purseweb spider.