Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae, so 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 the mouth of a burrow.
The Entelegynae or entelegynes are a subgroup of araneomorph spiders, the largest of the two main groups into which the araneomorphs were traditionally divided. Females have a genital plate (epigynum) and a "flow through" fertilization system; males have complex palpal bulbs. Molecular phylogenetic studies have supported the monophyly of Entelegynae.
Lyssomaninae is a subfamily of jumping spiders. It includes four genera, three from the New World.
Artoriopsis is a genus of wolf spiders first described by Volker W. Framenau in 2007. It is endemic to Australia and is most diverse in the southern half of the continent, though A. anacardium is found in the tropical north of Australia. Its body size ranges from 3 to 11 mm, with males smaller than females. It appears to prefer open, vegetated or sandy areas of moderate humidity.
Artoriopsis expolita is a species of wolf spider from southern Australia, first described in 1877 by Ludwig Koch as Lycosa expolita.
Thiratoscirtus obudu is a species of jumping spider in the genus Thiratoscirtus that lives in Nigeria. The species was first described in 2011 by Wanda Wesołowska and Russell-Smith. The holotype was found at an altitude of 1,900 m (6,200 ft) above sea level. on Obudu Plateau, Cross River State, after which it is named. Only the male has been described. It is a medium-sized spider, with a wider cephalothorax that is between 2.7 and 2.8 mm long and a thinner abdomen that is 2.2 and 2.4 mm in length, both oval in shape. The mouthparts include robust chelicerae and a short fang. It can be distinguished from other spiders in the genus by its copulatory organs. It has a small pedipalp with a rounded palpal bulb and a small spike on its palpal tibia called a tibial apophysis The apophysis is smaller than that found on other species.
Thiratoscirtus efik is a species of jumping spider in the genus Thiratoscirtus that lives in Nigeria. The species was first described in 2012 by Wanda Wesołowska and Glavis Edwards. The spider is named for the Efik people that live near where it was first found. It is a medium-sized spider, with a cephalothorax that is between 2.4 and 2.5 mm long and an abdomen that is 2.2 mm in length, both oval in shape. It is generally brown, apart from its abdomen, which is brownish-grey, with a covering of fine hairs. The male has pedipalps that are similar to the related Thiratoscirtus elgonensis and Thiratoscirtus obudu but differ in details, including the size of the spike on the palpal tibia known as the tibial apophysis.
Artoria is a genus of spiders in the family Lycosidae. It was first described in 1877 by Tamerlan Thorell, and the type species is Artoria parvula. In 1960, Roewer erected the genera Artoriella and Trabeola. However, in 2002, Volker Framenau reviewed Artoria and synonymised both these genera with Artoria.
Tetralycosa is a genus of Australian spiders in the family Lycosidae first described by Roewer in 1960, later revised by Framenau & Hudson to include thirteen species. Genetic studies show that these spiders all diverged from a common ancestor who likely wandered into the salty area and remained. They live exclusively in certain saline environments of Australia's interior, including coastal beaches, mound springs, clay pans, and salt lakes. There haven't been enough studies to establish a conservation status, but some species have only been found in solitary salt lakes, suggesting that the increase of mining, agriculture, recreational, and similar disturbances of these unique ecosystems may eventually lead to their extinction if not properly regulated.
Cyrtarachne inaequalis is a species of spider in the orb-weaver spider family Araneidae, found in India, Myanmar, China and Korea. Spiders in the genus Cyrtarachne construct "spanning-thread webs" rather than the more typical orb webs of the family Araneidae. These webs have a small number of radii and instead of a tight spiral of sticky threads, the sticky spanning threads are widely spaced and do not form a spiral. When prey is caught on one of the spanning threads, one end comes loose, and the prey, often a moth, dangles from the other end until hauled in by the spider.
Venator immansuetus is a wolf spider, endemic to Australia and found in the south-west of Western Australia.
Venator marginatus is a wolf spider, endemic to Australia and found in Victoria.
Volker W. Framenau is a German-born Australian arachnologist and entomologist.
Anomalosa oz is a spider in the Lycosidae family. It was first described in 2006 by Volker Framenau.
Anomalosa kochi is a spider in the Lycosidae family. It was first described in 1898 by Eugène Simon as Anomalomma kochi. In 1960, it was transferred to the genus Anomalosa by Carl Friedrich Roewer. The current description is given by Volker Framenau.
Artoria barringtonensis is a spider in the Lycosidae (wolf-spider) family. It was first described in 2018 by Volker Framenau and Barbara Baehr.
Artoria belfordensis, the Belford forest runner, is a spider in the Lycosidae (wolf-spider) family. It was first described in 2018 by Volker Framenau and Barbara Baehr.
Artoria beaury is a spider in the Lycosidae (wolf-spider) family. It was first described in 2018 by Volker Framenau and Barbara Baehr.
Hoggicosa natashae, commonly known as the giant white tiger wolf spider and Natasha's wolfspider, is a species of wolf spider endemic to Australia. This species was first described in 2010 by arachnologists Peter R. Langlands and Volker W. Framenau.
