| Wolf spiders are members of the
family Lycosidae, from the Greek word
"lycosa" meaning "wolf". Their method of
hunting is to run down their prey. They are
robust and agile hunters that rely on good
eyesight. They superficially resemble
nursery web spiders (family
Pisauridae), but they carry their
egg sacs by attaching them to their
spinnerets (instead of by means of their
jaws and
pedipalps). There are over 200 species
of Lycosidae in North America, ranging in
size from 3 - 35mm. They have eight eyes
arranged in three rows. The bottom row
consists of four small eyes, the middle row
has two very large eyes (which distinguishes
them from the Pisauridae), and the top row
has two medium-sized eyes.
Wolf spiders carry their eggs along with
them in a round silken globe, or egg sac,
which they attach to the spinnerettes at the
end of their abdomen. The abdomen is
held in a raised position to keep the egg
case from dragging on the ground, but they
are still capable of hunting while so
encumbered. Also unique among spiders is
their method of hatchling care: after the
eggs hatch and emerge from the protective
silken case, the new spiders climb up their
mother's legs and crowd onto her abdomen.
She may carry them around for several hours
or days until they are ready to fend for
themselves. It must be noted, however, that
the hatchlings will scatter immediately if
the mother spider is threatened or attacked. |
