47-465: See text . Lycosa is a genus of wolf spiders distributed throughout most of the world. Sometimes called the "true tarantula", though not closely related to the spiders most commonly called tarantulas today, Lycosa spp. can be distinguished from common wolf spiders by their relatively large size. This genus includes the European Lycosa tarantula , which was once associated with tarantism ,
94-406: A "glow" that is easily noticed. Wolf spiders possess the third-best eyesight of all spider groups, bettered by jumping spiders of the family Salticidae (which can distinguish colors) and the huntsman spiders of the family Sparassidae. Wolf spiders are unique in the way that they carry their eggs. The egg sac, a round, silken globe, is attached to the spinnerets at the end of the abdomen, allowing
141-432: A darker black and the males can have orange coloration on the sides of their abdomen. The Carolina wolf spider has a few identifying characteristics. The orange coloration on the males is a good way to identify a male Carolina wolf spider. Females carry the egg-sac with them during incubation , so females can be identified in this way during the breeding season. Additionally, the eyes of these spiders reflect light, which
188-464: A dubious affliction whose symptoms included shaking, cold sweats, and a high fever, asserted to be curable only by the traditional tarantella dance. No scientific substantiation of that myth is known; the venom of Lycosa spiders is generally not harmful. As of November 2020, more than 200 species in this genus had been described. As of November 2020, the World Spider Catalog accepted
235-553: A female will court with a male if she has already copulated with a different male, but she will not pursue a second mating. As these spiders are mostly solitary, there is not much interaction between females. When female Carolina wolf spiders do interact, their behavior can range from merely making foreleg contact to cannibalism . Typically, they will make threatening motions like extending their forelegs, spreading their chelicerae, or drumming their palpi at each other. Though Carolina wolf spiders are not social, research has shown that
282-475: A group of predatory ants enter a spider's burrow, consume the spider, and take over the burrow as their own. There is not a significant difference of the sprint speed, (i.e. the speed at which they will escape perceived threats) of the Carolina wolf spider between males and females. There is, however, a difference in chances a male or a female will flee from a threat. Spiders will flee to try and get far enough from
329-455: A predator in hopes that they will lose interest in them. Male Carolina wolf spiders flee significantly more than females. Researchers believe that this is due to Carolina wolf spider burrowing habits. Male spiders do not own burrows as often as females, so they are not able to find a safe escape in their burrows as frequently as their female counterparts. Interestingly, the speed of the spider and flee distance are positively correlated, meaning that
376-456: A safe place for the spiders to live, these burrows are important microclimates for the Carolina wolf spiders. As the burrows go deep in the ground, some as deep as 30 cm, they tend to be about 4 °C cooler than the temperature on the surface. This is especially important for the spiders that live in deserts and other places with hot climates. The burrows are the main base for the Carolina wolf spider, and they typically have claim over
423-471: A trap door (depending on species). Arid-zone species construct turrets or plug their holes with leaves and pebbles during the rainy season to protect themselves from flood waters. Often, they are found in man-made locations such as sheds and other outdoor equipment. Many species of wolf spiders possess very complex courtship behaviors and secondary sexual characteristics, such as tufts of bristles on their legs or special colorations, which are most often found on
470-456: A unique type of venom that both paralyzes their prey and helps prevent microbes from their prey infecting them. H. carolinensis is able to thermoregulate quite well. This is particularly important for animals that inhabit desert ecosystems or other locations with large temperature swings. Hogna carolinensis is commonly known as the Carolina wolf spider. Historically, it was known as Lycosa carolinensis , but refinement in taxonomy in
517-435: Is a retroreflective tissue found in eyes. This reflective tissue is only found in four secondary eyes of the wolf spider. Flashing a beam of light over the spider produces eyeshine; this eyeshine can be seen when the lighting source is roughly coaxial with the viewer or sensor. The light from the light source (e.g., a flashlight or sunlight) has been reflected from the spider's eyes directly back toward its source, producing
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#1733085077008564-492: Is an especially good identifier when encountering one at night. Carolina wolf spiders are found throughout a large part of North America. This includes, but is not limited to, South Carolina , Kansas , all Great Lake States , and the American Southwest . Most research on Carolina wolf spiders, though they are present in many ecosystems, has been conducted on the desert-dwelling ones. The Carolina wolf spider
611-622: Is found all over the North American continent. Therefore, they are able to inhabit many types of geography and topology. Research suggests that these spiders prefer flatter and more open areas. In fact, researchers noticed that the home range of spiders (distance they frequent from their burrow) would be cut off by sharp topographical changes in desert areas. Carolina wolf spiders usually feed on insects and other small invertebrates . They typically eat grasshoppers and crickets, among other arthropods. Carolina wolf spiders will sometimes inhabit
658-429: Is mottled brown with a dark underside. Males have orange coloration on their sides. They live in either self-made burrows or ones they find. Like all wolf spiders, H. carolinensis does not make a web to catch prey. They hunt by ambushing prey from their burrows. These spiders are particularly known for the females carrying their egg sacs on their bodies during the incubation period. The Carolina wolf spider also has
705-475: Is not cleaned it could lead to infection . However, wolf spiders usually only bite when they feel threatened or mishandled. Wolf spiders have been found to be a vital source of natural pest control for many people's personal gardens or even homes, since the wolf spider preys on perceived pests such as crickets , ants , cockroaches , and in some cases lizards and frogs . In recent years, wolf spiders have been utilized as pest control in agriculture to reduce
752-400: Is present, male/male courting can occur. If the female is amenable to mating, she will face the male and elevate the front legs on one side of her body, waiting for the male to copulate. The male will then insert his palps several times into the female. After copulation , the male will quickly run away so he is not attacked and eaten by the female. It has been observed in a lab setting that
799-405: Is venomous, but is not meant as a defense system against threats. Instead it is thought that their venom, which is composed of lycotoxins, is used as a paralytic agent for their prey and as a method of defense against infection from any microbes that may be in their prey. Lycotoxins change the ion and voltage gradients in their targets, especially targeting the calcium ion , which is what makes it
846-523: The Hogna species in the U.S., the nearly solid dark brown H. carolinensis (Carolina wolf spider) is the largest, with a body that can be more than 2.5 cm (1 in) long. It is sometimes confused with H. helluo , which is somewhat smaller and different in coloration. The underside of H. carolinensis is solid black, but the underside of H. helluo is variegated and has reds, oranges, and yellows with shades of black. Some members of
893-411: The Carolina wolf spider digs out a small area, spins a web to act as a mat that will hold the structure. The spider then keeps digging out areas in this manner until they create a burrow that is a sufficient size. Though they are diggers, Carolina wolf spiders do not have specialized digging anatomy, so it is sometimes easier to take over the burrow of other small organisms. Occasionally, spiders take over
940-731: The Lycosidae, such as H. carolinensis , make deep, tubular burrows in which they lurk much of the time. Others, such as H. helluo , seek shelter under rocks and other shelters as nature may provide. As with spiders in general, males of almost any species can sometimes be found inside homes and buildings as they wander in search for females during the autumn. Wolf spiders play an important role in natural population control of insects and are often considered " beneficial bugs " due to their predation of pest species within farms and gardens. Wolf spiders inject venom if continually provoked. Symptoms of their bites include swelling and mild pain. In
987-518: The amount of pesticides needed on crops. A notable example is the use of wolf spiders in cranberry bogs as a means of controlling unwanted crop destruction. South Carolina designated the Carolina wolf spider ( Hogna carolinensis ) as the official state spider in 2000 due to the efforts of Skyler B. Hutto, a third-grade student at Sheridan Elementary School in Orangeburg . At the time, South Carolina
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#17330850770081034-556: The appropriate level for that temperature. This adaptation is helpful because it reduces the shifts in food and water needs that in other spiders is associated with large temperature shifts. In the short term, before they have thermoregulated, Carolina wolf spiders are able to keep cool by keeping their abdomens close to water and drinking large amounts of water. These water sources are especially important because Carolina wolf spiders need outside sources of water as they are not able to derive water metabolically . The Carolina wolf spider
1081-409: The area that is about a meter out from their burrow. They do not typically interact with others of their kind outside of mating and early offspring rearing, so burrows are dispersed randomly, no matter the environment, outside of the range of other spiders’ burrows. It has been noted that when Carolina wolf spiders are brought in to lab conditions for observations, they do not burrow as well as out in
1128-448: The areas around human homes, and will take advantage of available prey like cockroaches and other pests. Additionally, they have been observed with juvenile Texas banded geckos as prey, implying they are also able to catch and consume small vertebrate species. Carolina wolf spiders do not catch their prey within webs. They sit on the edge of their burrow or in some other good ambush location, and attack their prey when it gets near. If
1175-407: The burrow of their mother if she has died while her offspring are still spiderlings. Carolina wolf spider burrows vary in size and shape. Some are tubes that are dug straight down while others have bends. Researchers think the variety in size and shape has to do, in part, with spiders digging the path of least resistance, though there is some correlation between spider and burrow size. In addition to
1222-445: The burrows themselves, Carolina wolf spiders also create turrets around the entrance to their burrows using sticks, grasses, leaves, pebbles, small animal droppings, and mud. The exact purpose of these turrets is not known, but they are hypothesized to be a lookout or early warning system for potential predators. Carolina wolf spiders tend to dig and improve their burrows in the early part of their activity season. More than offering
1269-415: The dorsal side of her abdomen. The mother carries the spiderlings for several weeks before they are large enough to disperse and fend for themselves. Because they depend on camouflage for protection, they do not have the flashy appearance of some other kinds of spiders. In general, their coloration is appropriate to their favorite habitat. Hogna is the genus with the largest of the wolf spiders. Among
1316-422: The female, he will carefully prod her with his forelegs. The female will react in one of two ways: she will either fight or not. If the female fights the male and does not kill him, he will keep pursuing her. If she fights and then pursues after the male, he will flee and try to escape her attack. If she does not fight at all and instead flees, the male will follow her in order to continue the courtship. If no female
1363-412: The first move: the male will enter into a courtship posture by extending his forelegs . The male will then extend his palps and vibrate his abdomen, repeating this a few times. Then, depending on the movement of the female, the male will approach. If the female is moving around quickly, the male will too. The male will also mimic her movement speed if she is moving slowly. Once the male is close enough to
1410-409: The first six days of their life. During that time they learn different cues and behaviors from their mother and subsist on the remains of the yolk from where they emerged. The spiders then disperse and find their own burrows or places to live. As immature spiders, the spiderlings go through multiple instars (growing stages) until they reach breeding age at about three years. During their third summer,
1457-465: The following species: Wolf spider Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae (from Ancient Greek λύκος ( lúkos ) 'wolf'), named for their robust and agile hunting skills and excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude, hunt alone, and usually do not spin webs . Some are opportunistic hunters , pouncing upon prey as they find it or chasing it over short distances; others wait for passing prey in or near
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1504-673: The late Paleocene , with most main subfamilies likely originating during the Eocene and Early Oligocene between 41 and 32 million years ago. Wolf spiders are found in a wide range of coastal and inland habitats. These include shrublands, woodland, wet coastal forests, alpine meadows, suburban gardens, and homes. Spiderlings disperse aerially; consequently, wolf spiders have wide distributions. Although some species have very specific microhabitat needs (such as stream-side gravel beds or montane herb fields), most are wanderers without permanent homes. Some build burrows which can be left open or have
1551-490: The later half of the 20th century led to L. carolinensis , among many other spiders, being reclassified to the current genus, Hogna . The Carolina wolf spider is the largest wolf spider in North America. Adult females can reach 22–35 mm (0.87–1.4 in) and adult males 18–20 mm (0.71–0.79 in). They are an overall light brown color, but have darker brown patterning on their backs. Their undersides are
1598-444: The males of the species. These sexual characteristics vary by species and are most often found as modifications of the first pair of legs. First-leg modifications are often divided into elongated bristles on the legs, increased swelling of leg segments, or the full elongation of the first pair of legs compared to the other three pairs. Some mating behaviors are common between wolf spider genera, and many more that are species-specific. In
1645-713: The most commonly studied genus of wolf spiders, Schizocosa , researchers found that all males engage in a seismic component of their courtship display, either stridulation , or drumming their forelegs on the ground, but some also dependent on visual cues in their courtship display, as well as the seismic signaling, such as waving the front two legs in the air in front of the female, concluding that some Schizocosa species rely on multimodal courtship behaviors. The Lycosidae comprise mainly wandering spiders, and as such, population density and male-to-female sex ratio puts selective pressures on wolf spiders when finding mates. Female wolf spiders that have already mated are more likely to eat
1692-496: The mouth of a burrow. Wolf spiders resemble nursery web spiders (family Pisauridae), but wolf spiders carry their egg sacs by attaching them to their spinnerets , while the Pisauridae carry their egg sacs with their chelicerae and pedipalps . Two of the wolf spider's eight eyes are large and prominent; this distinguishes them from nursery web spiders, whose eyes are all of roughly equal size. This can also help distinguish them from
1739-403: The next male that tries to mate with them than those that have not mated yet. Males that have already mated have a higher probability of successfully mating again, but females that have already mated have a lower probability of mating again. Though wolf spiders do bite humans, their bites are not dangerous. Wolf spider bites often result in mild redness, itching , ulcers , and if the bite wound
1786-528: The offspring that stay with and socialize with their mother after birth have better hunting skills and bigger brains. Though excellent hunters, Carolina wolf spiders also find themselves subject to predation. As Carolina wolf spiders are widespread across the continent, they have myriad predators. Their predators include a variety of lizards, amphibians, wasps, and spider eating birds. Carolina wolf spiders are prey to large arthropods , including scorpions , as well as owls and coyotes . One researcher witnessed
1833-462: The past, necrotic bites have been attributed to some South American and Australian species, but further investigation has indicated that those problems that did occur were probably due to bites by members of other families or did not induce those effects. As of June 2022 , the World Spider Catalog accepts these genera: Wolf spiders likely originated after the K–Pg extinction event sometime in
1880-577: The similar-looking grass spiders . The many genera of wolf spiders range in body size (legs not included) from less than 10 to 35 mm (0.4 to 1.38 in). 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. Unlike most other arachnids, which are generally blind or have poor vision, wolf spiders have excellent eyesight. The tapetum lucidum
1927-434: The spider is not in its burrow when it catches its prey, it will feed on its prey before returning to the burrow. If a Carolina wolf spider is in its burrow when it catches its prey, it will drag it down into the depth, holding on to the prey with its chelicerae (the "jaws"). Carolina wolf spiders tend to live in burrows. They either make their own burrow or find and inhabit one already made. To construct their own burrow,
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1974-402: The spider to carry her unhatched young with her. The abdomen must be held in a raised position to keep the egg case from dragging on the ground. Despite this handicap, they are still capable of hunting. Another aspect unique to wolf spiders is their method of care of young. Immediately after the spiderlings emerge from their protective silken case, they clamber up their mother's legs and crowd onto
2021-677: The spiders that flee farther are able to run away faster, both mechanisms helping their antipredatory reactions. In addition to sight and olfactory senses, Carolina wolf spiders will react to vibrations they sense. They will either return to their burrow, if available, or they will flee. Carolina wolf spiders are able to thermoregulate very well, which is especially important for those that inhabit desert ecosystems or other locations with large temperature swings. They are able to acclimate to any sized (within reason) temperature change in 1.5–3 days. They do this by increasing their oxygen consumption levels to very high amounts and then lowering it to
2068-505: The spiders will reproduce for the first time. Males die that same summer, but female spiders can live for multiple breeding seasons. As a result, adult male percentage peaks in June and adult female percentage peaks in July. During the year, Carolina wolf spiders are active from March to October, and they hibernate from November through February. During courtship, a male will approach a female and make
2115-493: The top of their burrow with their heads down and their abdomen and egg sac, sticking up. The Carolina wolf spider is nocturnal , therefore this behavior is observed during night hours. Researchers do not know why this behavior occurs, but they believe the warmth helps the eggs to hatch more quickly. When the eggs hatch, there are about 200 spiderlings per sac. Spiderlings are born near the end of summer and, barring exceptional circumstances like flooding, stay with their mother for
2162-407: The wild. Carolina wolf spiders mate in late summer. The females carry the eggs, the sacs attached to their abdomen, during the approximately two week incubation period. There tends to be two main egg carrying seasons, the first in late July and the second in late August. While incubating the eggs, female spiders are often seen "sunning" the egg sacs. This is observed when the spider is sitting near
2209-466: Was the only U.S. state that recognized a state spider. In 2015, efforts began to name an official state spider for neighboring North Carolina. Hogna carolinensis Hogna carolinensis , commonly known as the Carolina wolf spider and giant wolf spider , is found across North America . It is the largest of the wolf spiders in North America, typically measuring at 18–20 mm for males and 22–35 mm for females. The Carolina wolf spider
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