Wolves With

Eight Legs

An Introduction to
the Wolf Spiders
Adult female Lycosa sp. (Libya)
with spiderlings on her back.
Photo: F. Tomasinelli

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ponds, and alpine areas. Some small

specimens have been found at elevations of over 4,000 metres (13,000
feet).

Hunting

Lycosidae sp. (Brazil) female. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

Of the true, araneomorph

spiders (suborder Labidognatha), more than 2,000
species belong to one of
the first described families: Lycosidae, the wolf spiders.
The common name can be misleading. These spiders do not
hunt in packs and are not
even particularly hairy.
Found in all kinds of
habitats from deserts to
forests and lowlands to
high mountains, they are
lone hunters that actively
search for prey on the
ground. They do not use
silk snares, but rely
instead on keen eyesight,
speed, and brute force to
bring down prey.

Identification
Despite the great number of
species in the family, all wolf spiders
share common characteristics that
make them easy to identify. The

cephalothorax is generally large and

high. The legs, which are attached to
the cephalothorax, are bulky but not
very long, and are sparsely strewn
with strong hairs. But the most certain identifying characteristic is eye
arrangement. Wolf spiders have

Vesubia jugorum with spiderlings. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

eight eyes arranged in three rows:

the middle row consists of two large
anterior median eyes; below these is
a row of four small eyes across the
front; above the anterior medians is
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a row of two even smaller eyes located somewhat laterally, almost on top
of the cephalothorax.
In some ways, wolf spiders could
perhaps be confused with wandering
spiders (Ctenidae) and nursery or
fishing spiders (Pisauridae), as well as
with spiders of other families of different habits (e.g.,
Agelenidae, Gnaphosidae,
etc.). However, no others
have the same eye arrangement as wolf spiders, so
identification is not difficult.
Many species of wolf spiders can reach considerable size, some surpassing
3 centimetres in body
length. But many other
species are quite small,
with body lengths of less
than 1 centimetre.
The large number of species and
their successful design has enabled
wolf spiders to occupy a great variety of habitats including desert,
grassland, rocky outcrops, forest,

Wolf spiders have a typical lifestyle in common with other hunting

spiders. They do not build silk webs,
but instead actively search the
ground for suitable-sized arthropods
or sometimes vertebrates.
Most wolf spiders are strictly terrestrial and do not like to climb up
into vegetation. Some species are
completely nomadic, but others dig
holes in the ground and emerge only
at night. Many are also active during
the day, and have keen eyesight (not
a common feature among spiders).
Especially diurnal species can hunt
effectively using their eyes to detect
moving objects a few centimetres
away. Some species are credited
with the ability to use moonlight to
find their way at night.
Wolf spiders perceive movement
with their smaller eyes and then
focus on the targets with the two
larger anterior median eyes. Still,
they also heavily depend on tactile
stimuli such as vibrations. Very different from jumping spiders which
have more advanced eyes and vertebrate-like curious attitudes wolf
spiders seem to be almost insensitive
to prey until the very last moment
when the lightning-quick attack is
launched. Wolf spiders rush on prey,
grab it with their front legs, and kill it
with a deadly bite. Even flies can be
taken with spectacular speed by
apparently resting spiders.
Although they are said to have an
active lifestyle similar to that of jumping spiders, wolf spiders are rather
sedentary in comparison. Many
would be better described as sit-andwait predators. Still, they tend to
move much more than tarantulas of
the family Theraphosidae, making
them very interesting to observe both
in the wild and in captivity.

Female Pirata tenuitarsis on the water. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

Juvenile female Vesubia jugorum. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

Housing
The correct setup for a wolf spider
depends on the particular species
being kept. In general, they can be

Lycosa sp. (Paraguay) with egg sac. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

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Lycosidae sp. (Brazil). Photo: E. Biggi

kept like terrestrial tarantulas, but

need proportionally bigger enclosures. Even though they are not
extremely active, they do like to
take a look around. An enclosure
of 20 x 40 x 20 centimetres is good
for most species. Most mediumsized and large spiders (of more
than 1 centimetre in body length)
cannot climb on glass, so are easy to
control and transfer to different
containers.
Wolf spiders are solitary and do
not like the presence of fellows.
Confinement together can lead to
cannibalism, which is most common
among full-grown specimens of large
species.
If you are collecting specimens in
the wild just simulate the environment they come from in the terrarium. Some wolf spiders do not
require a retreat, but if you do not
know the habits of the particular
species you acquire, always provide
a retreat and then observe whether
the spider uses it.
Burrowing species, which are usually nocturnal predators from sunny

Female Lycosa hispanica. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

Lycosa hispanica adults. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

and rocky areas, should always be

provided a few inches of a sand-soil
mixture to allow for digging.
Simulate the natural conditions of
drier soil on the surface and more
humid soil underground by using
small plastic tubes to add water deep
into the soil. Be sure not to flood the
retreat.
Many species from scrubland,
savanna, and grassland, like a hot
spot. I provide this with a small light
bulb aimed at a rock inside the terrarium, or with a heating pad mounted above half of the enclosure. Sand
and rocks in this area will hold heat
well and make a good basking spot.
An adult female will use the basking
spot to speed up development of
eggs in the abdomen or egg sac.
Specimens from tropical rainforest
are kept under the same conditions
as terrestrial tarantulas a moist
peat or moss substrate, temperatures
of 2530C (7786F) and 7090 percent humidity
Many species are resistant to
dehydration and like sunny places,
but never expose a closed terrarium

to direct sunlight. Ventilation is very

important, especially for species
from drier habitats. A screened lid
usually allows for enough air circulation. When in doubt about the correct maintenance conditions, try
providing a choice of environments
with one section of the terrarium
more humid and another section
warmer and drier and see what
the spider likes best.
Pay attention when handling wolf
spiders. They are not considered
dangerous, but some species can be
aggressive and can deliver nasty
bites. Always treat them with
respect and remember how fast they
are!
Wolf spiders in captivity almost
always have good appetites, feeding
readily on mealworms, king mealworms, wax worms, and crickets.

Mating
One the most interesting aspects
of wolf spider lifestyle is their complex courtship and unusual care of
young. Adult males are always
smaller than adult females. Males

Trochosa ruricola. Photo: E. Biggi

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Lycosidae sp. (Brazil) female with egg sac. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

also have evident pedipalps, proportionally longer legs, and sometimes

more vivid coloration. Males tend to
mature before females.
Before copulation, male courtship
behaviour consists of sounds (stridulation), vibrations (drumming on the
substrate), and visual displays. These
are species-specific a female will
respond only if the displaying male
produces the sequence specific to
her species. Diurnal species pay
more attention to visual cues, but
their courtship often also involves
other senses.
The procedure can be fascinating
to observe. An adult, receptive female will cover the substrate of her
enclosure with strands of silk impregnated with pheromones. This is
a signal to males. When a male
comes upon freshly laid silk lines, he
immediately starts a complex display. If the female recognizes the
display, she will come closer and
investigate the males efforts with
growing interest. If everything is
carried out in the correct way, the
encounter will eventually culminate

in copulation. The male hugs the

female from above and introduces
sperm with his pedipalps. The mating process varies in duration from
minutes to hours.
After 18 weeks, the first egg sac
will be produced. It is a spherical
white or brown silk case that can
hold from several dozen to hundreds
of eggs. The sac is attached to the
females spinnerets, and she pulls it
around with her always, never leaving it alone, and defending it fiercely.
Sometimes the female will release
the sac and bring the eggs forward
for a close inspection. In burrowing
species the sac can be exposed to
direct sunlight to speed up development and prevent the growth of
moulds and fungi.

Care of spiderlings
Offspring normally hatch 36
weeks later as nymphs, with huge
abdomens filled with yolk. They
moult either immediately or within a
few days, and are then ready to
climb up onto the mothers abdomen
with the aid of hooked hairs on their

Adult female Lycosa sp. (Libya) with spiderlings on her back. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

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Juvenile female Hogna radiata. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

own abdomens and legs. The mother carries the spiderlings around in a
cluster on her back without any
apparent fatigue. They dismount in
small groups to eat and drink, and
then climb back onto the mother. In
most cases they do not start feeding
until they are ready to disperse. This
can be a week or even a month after
the first moult. When the spiderlings
begin to walk around they progressively lose their immunity from
mothers and brothers and are ready
to start solitary lives.
Sometimes a female dies of old age
with spiderlings on her back, and is
partially devoured by the offspring,
which are ready to exploit every possible energy resource.
If you want to raise the young, do
not keep them together for a long
time. In the wild, if young spiders
abound and prey is scarce the spiderlings begin to eat their brothers
and sisters. In captivity they can be
fed fruit flies and kept together for
26 weeks in a big cage, but be ready
to separate them when size differences develop.

Female Pardosa wagleri with egg sac. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

Juvenile Pirata tenuitarsis. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

Pardosa monticola on the snow. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

Female Hogna radiata with prey. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

In small species, spiderlings can be

really tiny and I do not recommend
keeping them in captivity. Fruit flies
can be too large for them, and providing food of the correct size can be
a big problem in the first weeks.
Unfortunately several species of
large wolf spiders do not mature as
fast as other true spiders. Many
tropical species reach adulthood in
less than 2 years, but temperate
species can take longer because of
winter diapause. In any case, most
wolf spiders can live for at least 3
years, and some in temperate climates are said to live for more than
5 years.

rate of this species is not particularly

fast. Spiderlings are born in late
summer, and mature in 2 years.
During winter, juveniles and adults
retreat into their burrows to hibernate. Females can live for more than
4 years; males for only 2 years.
This species is the famous Italian
tarantula considered guilty of serious envenomation, leading to the
tarantella dance in southern Italy.
Most serious bites were actually
inflicted by the much more dangerous black widow Latrodectus
tredecimguttatus.
Lycosa narbonensis, from southern
France, is very similar to L. tarentula
in size and ethology. L. narbonensis
can be distinguished by its extended
black area and lack of the reddish
band typical of the underside of the
abdomen of L. tarentula.
Lycosa hispanica is the Spanish
variant of L. narbonensis, with identical habits. Lycosa oculata, found in
Corsica (and perhaps in Sardinia, but
data is still doubtful), is another very
similar variant of L. narbonensis.
Hogna radiata is from Italy, the
Balkan region, southern France,
and Corsica. The female reaches
2025 millimetres in body length;
the male, 1518 millimetres. A
widespread species common in
fields from late spring to early
autumn, females are nocturnal but
may be seen during the day too.
This spider does not dig a retreat,
but sometimes hides under rocks
and logs. Its life cycle is similar to
that of Lycosa tarentula but Hogna
grows faster. Pregnant females can
be found in late summer.
Pirata piraticus is found in all of
southern Europe. The female grows

to 10 millimetres in body length; the

male to 8 millimetres. This interesting species lives near ponds and
lakes. It does not catch fish (as does
the fishing spider Dolomedes), but
it can dive underwater to escape
predators.
Another species of this genus, P.
tenuitarsis is so similar that only
close examination with a binocular
microscope can ensure correct
identification. The two species are
often sympatric, so identifacation
based on geographic location is
practically impossible. Spiderlings
are born in late summer and
mature in just 1 year.
Vesubia jugorum is from Italy
and France. The female reaches
2025 millimetres in body length;
the male reaches 1518 millimetres.
A very interesting and massive
species, it is found only in certain
rocky habitats of the Mercantour
and Alpi Marittime National Parks,
at above 2,000 metres (6,500 feet).
This spider hibernates most of the
year, and growth is probably very
slow, taking more than 3 years to
mature. Pregnant females can be
found in July and early August.

Observation

Lycosidae sp.(Brazil) female with egg sac. Photo: F. Tomasinelli

Unfortunately wolf spiders are

not common among dealers and
breeders, but is possible to find
them in the wild. Many can be discovered in the grass and under
stones. Burrowing species can be
gently coaxed out of the ground by
moving a grass stem in front of the
hole.
Nighttime is always a good time to
look for spiders, and wolf spiders are
among the easiest to find. When
illuminated with a flashlight, their
eyes reflect the light brightly even
from a few metres away.

European species

Male Lycosa narbonensis. Photo: E. Biggi

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Lycosa tarentula is native to southern Italy, Croatia, and Spain. The

female measures 2530 millimetres
in body length; the male, 1820 millimetres. This nocturnal species is
common in dry and rocky habitats.
Females and juveniles dig burrows
and venture out to hunt only at
nights. Males roam. The growth

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Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Emanuele Biggi
for his help with the photography,
and to Claudio Arn for his valuable
identification data for the family
Lycosidae.

Bibliography
JONES, D., 2001. Guides des araignees et
opilions dEurope. ditions Delachaux et
Niestl, Lausanne-Paris.
NIEUWENHUYS, E. Araneae, Spiders of
North-West Europe. www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/
Spiders/spidhome.htm.