Wolf spider

Fact Box Species: Lycosa species? (This tentative identification is based on similarities with known Lycosa species - see notes below) Family: Lycosidae Body length: female: 17 mm male: 15 mm Habitat: This species normally lives in an burrow in the ground that lacks a door but may have an entrance collar of dead leaf debris Toxicity: Handle with caution; this spider's venom may cause mild illness but fortunately wolf spiders normally only bite humans and large animals if prevented from escaping

Front view Underside of spider

Note: The Lycosidae of Australia are very difficult to identify without the aid of a stereo microscope and extensive taxonomic details. Surface markings can be quite variable for a given species, from specimen to specimen, from male to female, and from juvenile to adult. Over the last decade or so a major revision of the Australian wolf spider fauna has been undertaken by Dr. Volker Framenau and his colleagues. This revision is not yet complete so some of the lycosid identifications shown on this website are likely to be incorrect either now or in the near future. At the end of 2010 the most reliable sources of information/photos about the Australian lycosids can be found at the following two websites:

http://www.lycosidae.info/identification/australia/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/australianspiders/collections/72157622669463297/

Wolf spiders are notable vagrants and can sometimes be found outside the burrow foraging for insects. Females produce a white or pale blue spherical egg sac and this may be carried around attached to the spinnerets. When the spiderlings hatch out they crawl onto the female's upper surfaces, almost completely covering them. It is presumed this serves as an efficient means of dispersing the young spiders.

Spider(s) with a very similar appearance: This spider closely resembles Lycosa godeffroyi but lacks the black patch under the abdomen and the orange patch of hairs on the outside of each chelicera which are characteristics of L. godeffroyi. Also similar to this species are a number of other Lycosa species.