Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae, 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. Wolf spiders resemble nursery web spiders, but wolf spiders carry their egg sacs by attaching them to their spinnerets, while the Pisauridae carry their egg sacs with their chelicerae and pedipalps. Two of the wolf spider's eight eyes are large and prominent; this distinguishes them from nursery web spiders, whose eyes are all of roughly equal size. This can also help distinguish them from the similar-looking grass spiders.
Atypidae, also known as atypical tarantulas or purseweb spiders, is a spider family containing only three genera. They are accomplished ambush predators that spend most of their time in a sock-like, silken retreat on the ground from where they kill their prey.
Lycosa tarantula is the species originally known as the tarantula, a name that nowadays in English commonly refers to spiders in another family entirely, the Theraphosidae. It now may be better called the tarantula wolf spider, being in the wolf spider family, the Lycosidae. L. tarantula is a large species found in southern Europe, especially in the Apulia region of Italy and near the city of Taranto, from which it gets its name.
Actinopodidae is a family of mygalomorph spiders found in mainland Australia and South America usually in open forest. Species are most common in Queensland, Australia. It includes mouse spiders, whose bites, though rare, are considered medically significant and potentially dangerous.
Barychelidae, also known as brushed trapdoor spiders, is a spider family with about 300 species in 39 genera.
Carya floridana the scrub hickory, is a small tree native to the Southeast United States, where it is endemic to central Florida.
Hogna carolinensis, commonly known as the Carolina wolf spider and giant wolf spider, is found across North America. It is the largest of the wolf spiders in North America, typically measuring at 18–20 mm for males and 22–35 mm for females.
Solidago missouriensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Missouri goldenrod and prairie goldenrod. It is native to North America, where it is widespread across much of Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. It grows from British Columbia east to Manitoba, south as far as Sonora, Coahuila, Texas, and Mississippi.
Geolycosa is a genus of wolf spiders first described in 1904.
Geolycosa pikei is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae from the United States. It can blend into sand, which it also burrows in. The spider can heal its wounds quickly.
Geolycosa gosoga is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. It is found in the United States.
Geolycosa ornatipes is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. It is found in the United States.
Geolycosa riograndae is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. It is found in the United States.
Geolycosa wrighti is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. It is found in the United States and Canada.
Geolycosa turricola is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. It is found in the eastern United States and as far west as Ohio. The spider has a two year life cycle, with copulation occurring in late summer.
Arctosa sanctaerosae, the Santa Rosa wolf spider, is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. It is found in the United States.
Ctenus captiosus, known generally as the Florida false wolf spider or tropical wolf spider, is a species of wandering spider in the family Ctenidae. It is found in the United States., and is one of two species of Ctenidae occurring in Florida. Little is known about the biology of this species.
Geolycosa fatifera is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. It is found in the United States.
Arctosa perita, also known as the sand bear spider, is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. They are native to Europe, North Africa, Turkey, the Caucasus, and Russia, however they have also been introduced into Canada. They live on dry, sandy soils or coastal dunes, where they create their burrows.
Geolycosa patellonigra is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. It is found in the United States.
