"Eye arrangement is also a big one. All these little details … come together." Colour can be one of the least helpful indicators of identification. Brown trapdoor spiders can be black ...

The spider has since been taken in by enthusiast Jack Casson from Hartlepool, whose girlfriend named her Bessie.

of trapdoor spiders’ eyes to distinguish between Karoo species. She named Stasimopus dylani after her husband, Dylan, in recognition of his support and encouragement during the course of her ...