Wolf spider

Lore & Background

Wolf spiders have eight eyes arranged in three rows: four small eyes on the bottom row, two very large eyes in the middle row (distinguishing them from nursery web spiders), and two medium-sized eyes on the top row. They possess the third-best eyesight of all spider groups, bettered only by jumping spiders and huntsman spiders. The tapetum lucidum, a retroreflective tissue found only in their four secondary eyes, produces eyeshine when a light source is directed at them. Wolf spiders are unique in carrying their egg sacs attached to their spinnerets at the end of the abdomen, requiring the abdomen to be held raised to prevent dragging. After spiderlings emerge, they climb onto the mother's back and are carried for several weeks before dispersing. Their coloration is generally appropriate to their favorite habitat, as they depend on camouflage for protection. Many species possess complex courtship behaviors and secondary sexual characteristics, such as tufts of bristles on legs or special colorations, often on males. Some species rely on multimodal courtship, including seismic signaling like stridulation or drumming forelegs, combined with visual cues such as waving front legs. Mated females are more likely to eat subsequent males, while mated males have higher success in mating again.

Reader's Guide

Wolf spiders are significant for their role in natural pest control, preying on crickets, ants, cockroaches, and sometimes lizards and frogs. They are found in a wide range of coastal and inland habitats, including shrublands, woodland, wet coastal forests, alpine meadows, suburban gardens, and homes. Their bites, while occasionally occurring when threatened, are not dangerous, typically causing only mild redness, itching, or ulcers if not cleaned. Wolf spiders likely originated during the late Eocene, with major radiations during the Oligocene and Miocene. Vagrant hunting is their likely ancestral state, with web-building and burrowing evolving later.

Did You Know?

• Wolf spiders carry their egg sacs attached to their spinnerets, not with their chelicerae like nursery web spiders.
• They have the third-best eyesight of all spider groups, after jumping spiders and huntsman spiders.
• The Carolina wolf spider (Hogna carolinensis) is the largest wolf spider in the U.S., with a body over 2.5 cm long.
• Wolf spider bites are not dangerous; symptoms include swelling and mild pain, and necrotic bites attributed to some species were likely from other families.