Lycosidae (wolf spiders)

The Wolf Spider

Hogna / Lycosa species

Mild

Photo: Unknown · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Family

Lycosidae (wolf spiders)

Size

Body 10–35 mm

Region

Worldwide

Habitat

Ground level — lawns, leaf litter, fields and basements.

Overview

A fast, robust ground hunter that chases prey instead of trapping it. Intimidating in size but rarely a threat.

Standout fact

A mother wolf spider carries dozens of spiderlings on her back until they are ready to disperse.

Parasteatoda tepidariorum

The spider you most often meet indoors. It builds tangled cobwebs in quiet corners and is completely harmless to people.

Latrodectus mactans

Glossy black with the unmistakable red hourglass. Its neurotoxic venom makes it the most medically significant spider in North America.

Loxosceles reclusa

A shy, reclusive hunter recognised by the dark violin shape on its back. Its cytotoxic venom can cause slow-healing wounds.

Phidippus audax

Charismatic, curious and fuzzy, with huge forward-facing eyes. It hunts by pouncing rather than building webs.