Since his arrival at Auburn in December, Bond led a research
team through the process of classifying a new arachnid species
found in his own neighborhood by fellow researcher Charles Ray.
Myrmekiaphila tigris, also known as the Auburn Tiger Trapdoor
Spider, was recently discovered in the community of Grove Hill
in Auburn. This May, open access journal “Zookeys” published the
study on Myrmekiaphila tigris. The investigation began after Ray
brought Bond an unfamiliar spider specimen to examine. After
careful inspection, this spider was determined to be different
from others of its kind due to its pedipalps, which is how male
spiders transfer sperm. This specific anatomical structure
varies between spider species and is used for identification.
The research team continued to harvest spiders. According to
Bond, several males were found in a swimming pool in Grove Hill,
but the females were harder to locate because female trapdoor
spiders do not leave their subterranean burrows. Instead, as
their name reflects, th