Arctosa species are swift runners with relatively keen eyesight. Most species inhabit sandy places such as seashores or the banks of rivers and lakes, though some occupy heath or lichen habitats in high mountains. The principal body colors are gray, off-white, and tawny brown, matching their habitat.[3]
Description
Arctosa species are medium-sized wolf spiders with a total length ranging from 4.5 to 16.0 mm.[3]
The carapace is broad and rather low, with relatively uniform height between the dorsal groove and posterior row of eyes. The carapace is usually glabrous or nearly so, colored yellow, off-white, or mottled with gray, yellow, or brown.[3]
The anterior row of eyes may be straight, somewhat procurved, or recurved, and varies in length relative to the middle row. The promargin of the fang furrow bears two or three teeth, while the retromargin has three teeth. The abdomen is usually pale and mottled similar to the carapace.[3]
The legs are usually pale and robust with dark bands, lightly scopulate. Tibia III bears two dorsal macrosetae or one plus a basal bristle, along with one to three retrolateral macrosetae. The trochanters are usually deeply notched at the tip on the ventral surface.[3]
The terminal apophysis of the male pedipalp is conspicuous and occurs in two parts or in one part of two different shapes and degrees of sclerotization. The embolus is straight or curved and largely hidden by the median apophysis in ventral view. The epigyne of females usually has a conspicuous atrium divided by a median septum and lacks a hood.[3]
Females usually attend their eggs in silk-lined burrows rather than carrying them about, and most species appear to be nocturnal.[3]
Taxonomy
The numerous African Arctosa species require revision.[3]
Species
As of October2025[update], this genus includes 165 species and two subspecies.[2]
Arctosa cinerea(Fabricius, 1777) – Europe, North Africa, Congo, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Far East), Middle East, Kazakhstan, China, Korea, Japan (type species)
Arctosa cinerea(Fabricius, 1777) – Europe, North Africa, Congo, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Far East), Middle East, Kazakhstan, China, Korea, Japan (type species)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Lycosidae of South Africa. Version 1: part 1 (A-H). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p.23. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6324709.This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.