Amazing Species: Kanthan Cave Trapdoor Spider The Kanthan Cave Trapdoor Spider, Liphistius kanthan, is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. This species is known only from a single cave in a limestone hill named Gunung Kanthan in West Malaysia. The Liphistius are primitive trapdoor spiders and can be described as ancient ‘living fossils’ because, unlike present day spiders, they have segmented abdomens. Geographical range
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The Kanthan Cave Trapdoor Spider has managed to survive since at least the Carboniferous period some 350 million years ago, but is now severely threatened by limestone quarrying which has already eliminated most of the hill. Not only is the extent of this spider within the cave system unknown, but also any risks of changes in humidity, air flow and light within the cave cannot be estimated. The impacts of even a single blasting of the external rock cannot be assessed – but are likely to be disastrous. Liphistius spiders receive some protection under the 2012 amendment to the Malaysian Wildlife Conservation Bill but so far this has not influenced the quarry plans. The most effective feasible action is the protection of this last, unquarried section of Gunung Kanthan and/or the legal protection of the species. The production of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is made possible through the IUCN Red List Partnership.