[1] Schiødte spelt the name Lipistius;[2] this was corrected to Liphistius by Tamerlan Thorell in 1869, a change endorsed by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature in 1970.

[4] Female body lengths range from 9 to 29 mm (0.35 to 1.14 in); males are slightly smaller.

The burrow is sealed with a thin, circular, woven door, which is disguised with soil and moss.

While they spend the day deep inside their burrows, at night they wait just below the door for insects, woodlice, and similar invertebrates that stumble over one of the seven silken threads that radiate from the entrance.

The Malaysian trapdoor spiders are protected by local law, though continuous threats come from loss of habitat and collection by exotic pet traders.