Wolf spider
From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids
| Wolf spider | ||||||||||||
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Burrowing wolf spider defending its egg sac
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| Diversity | ||||||||||||
| 104 genera, 2304 species | ||||||||||||
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Acantholycosa |
The wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae.
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[edit] Description
| They resemble nursery web spiders (family Pisauridae), but they carry their egg sacks by attaching them to their spinnerets (instead of by means of their jaws and pedipalps).
Some wolf spiders are very small, 0.2 inch (5 mm) or smaller, and others are rather large, 1 inch (25 mm) or more. Hogna carolinensis (the "Carolina wolf spider") is the largest U.S. species, with a body that can be more than one inch long. |
[edit] Habits
Except for the genus Sosippus, these spiders do not use their silk to make a snare. Some use their silk to line a tubular tunnel in the ground. Some take regular shelter in natural crevices. Still others spend their entire lives wandering around with no fixed abode. Unlike many other spiders, they have good vision and they chase their prey.
Female wolf spiders carry their eggs along with them in spherical, silk egg sacs attached to their spinnerets. After the eggs hatch, the multitude of tiny spiders climb onto their mother's abdomen, where she carries them for about one month.[1]
[edit] Additional photos
[edit] References
- ^ Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Wolf spider
[edit] External links
Carolina Wolf Spider, care sheet