Trapdoor Spider Genome Sequenced by UC Davis Team

Researchers published the 4.6-billion-base-pair genome of a California coastal dune spider in the Journal of Heredity.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Life Sciences

Trapdoor Spider Genome Sequenced by UC Davis Team

Researchers sequenced the genome of the trapdoor spider Aptostichus stephencolberti, a species about the size of a quarter. The genome was published in the journal Journal of Heredity in September 2026.

Why it matters

The spider is the first member of its family to have its genome sequenced, giving future studies of this spider and its close relatives a reference for comparison. The data is publicly available in an online archive, supporting broader genomic research in California.

The genome spans 4.6 billion DNA base pairs across 52 chromosomes, compared with 23 in a single human chromosome set, with about 77% made of repeated sequences and 14,067 genes identified by automated search. The analysis does not yet establish what the identified genes do, and the genome lacks the five-letter telomere repeat the search looked for.

The players

UC Davis

The University of California, Davis is a public research university in Davis, California, whose researchers led the sequencing of the spider's genome.

Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert is an American comedian and television host best known for hosting The Late Show, who in 2008 requested that a spider be named after him.

The details

Female trapdoor spiders of this species live in silk-lined burrows sealed by a hinged door and wait for prey vibrations before rushing out to grab it. The spider lives only in coastal sand dunes between the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey, and its venom is not dangerous to humans, unlike the 30 to 50 of more than 50,000 known spider species with toxic venom.

2008: Stephen Colbert demanded a spider be named after him on his show, and Bond obliged.
September 2026: The team's report on the genome was published in the Journal of Heredity.

The Big Picture

The genome is part of the California Conservation Genomics Project, extending that state-funded effort to catalog the genomes of native species. The spider is the first member of its family to be sequenced, marking a new reference point for trapdoor spider research.

Because the genome is publicly available in an online archive, researchers can use it directly as a reference for studying this spider and its relatives. The data may support future work on venom, burrowing behavior, and genetic comparisons across trapdoor spiders.

The takeaway

A single spider's genome now serves as a reference point for an entire family that had not been sequenced before, showing how one species can open new lines of research. Readers curious about the research can explore the publicly available data archive that accompanies the study.