Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae, from the Ancient Greek word "λύκος" meaning "wolf". They are robust and agile hunters with excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude and hunt alone, and do not spin webs. Some are opportunistic hunters pouncing upon prey as they find it or even chasing it over short distances. Some wait for passing prey in or near the mouth of a burrow.
The Agelenidae are a large family of spiders in the suborder Araneomorphae. Well-known examples include the common "grass spiders" of the genus Agelenopsis. Nearly all Agelenidae are harmless to humans, but the bite of the hobo spider may be medically significant, and some evidence suggests it might cause necrotic lesions. However, the matter remains subject to debate. The most widely accepted common name for members of the family is funnel weaver.
Zoropsidae, also known as false wolf spiders for their physical similarity to wolf spiders, is a family of cribellate araneomorph spiders first described by Philipp Bertkau in 1882. They can be distinguished from wolf spiders by their two rows of eyes that are more equal in size than those of Lycosidae.
Periegops is a genus of spiders with six eyes instead of the usual eight. It is the only genus in its family (Periegopidae) and has three described species. It was long considered to be members of Sicariidae or Segestriidae until Raymond Forster elevated them to the family level in 1995.
Stiphidiidae, also called sheetweb spiders, is a family of araneomorph spiders first described in 1917, Most species are medium size and speckled brown with long legs. All members of this family occur in New Zealand and Australia except for Asmea. They build a horizontal sheet-like web under rocks, hence the name "sheetweb spiders".
Anapidae is a family of rather small spiders with 231 described species in 58 genera. It includes the former family Micropholcommatidae as the subfamily Micropholcommatinae, and the former family Holarchaeidae. Most species are less than 2 millimetres (0.079 in) long.
Cyatholipidae is a family of spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1894. Most live in moist montane forest, though several species, including Scharffia rossi, live in dry savannah regions. They occur in Africa, including Madagascar, New Zealand and Australia, and one species in Jamaica. Most members of this family hang beneath sheet webs. Fossil species occur in the Eocene aged Bitterfield and Baltic Ambers, suggesting a wider geographic distribution in the past.
Micrommata virescens, common name green huntsman spider, is a species of huntsman spiders belonging to the family Sparassidae.
Zoropsis spinimana is a spider species belonging to the family Zoropsidae.
The Artoriinae are a subfamily of wolf spiders. The monophyly of the subfamily has been confirmed in a molecular phylogenetic study, although the relationships among the subfamilies was shown to be less certain.
New Zealand has 1134 described spider species, with an estimated total fauna of 2000 species. Over 90 per cent are endemic, and the rest have been introduced through human activities or were natural wind-borne introductions.
Anoteropsis is a genus of wolf spiders. All the species except one are found in New Zealand and its islands.
Dolomedes schauinslandi or the Rangatira spider is a large spider of the family Pisauridae. It is only found on South East Island (Rangatira), Houruakopara and Mangere Islands in the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. It is one of New Zealand's largest and rarest spiders.
Anoteropsis litoralis is a species of wolf spider that is endemic to New Zealand.
Anoteropsis forsteri is a species of wolf spider that is endemic to New Zealand.
Anoteropsis hilaris, commonly referred to as the garden wolf spider, is a species of wolf spider that is endemic to New Zealand.
Anoteropsis cantuaria is a species of wolf spider that is endemic to the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand.
Anoteropsis montana is a species of wolf spider endemic to New Zealand. It was first formally named in 2002.
