Lycosa | |
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Lycosa aragogi (female) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Lycosidae |
Genus: | Lycosa Latreille, 1804 [1] |
Species | |
Lycosa is a genus of wolf spiders distributed throughout most of the world. Sometimes called the "true tarantula", though not closely related to the spiders most commonly called tarantulas today, Lycosa spp. can be distinguished from common wolf spiders by their relatively large size. This genus includes the European Lycosa tarantula , which was once associated with tarantism, a dubious affliction whose symptoms included shaking, cold sweats, and a high fever, asserted to be curable only by the traditional tarantella dance. No scientific substantiation of that myth is known; the venom of Lycosa spiders is generally not harmful.
As of November 2020, more than 200 species in this genus had been described. [1] [2]
As of November 2020 [update] , the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species: [1]
Hogna is a genus of wolf spiders with more than 200 described species. It is found on all continents except Antarctica.
Tetragnatha is a genus of long-jawed orb-weavers found all over the world. It was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804, and it contains hundreds of species. Most occur in the tropics and subtropics, and many can run over water. They are commonly called stretch spiders in reference to their elongated body form and their ability to hide on blades of grass or similar elongated substrates by stretching their front legs forward and the others behind them. The name Tetragnatha is derived from Greek, tetra- a numerical prefix referring to four and gnatha meaning "jaw". On the Hawaiian islands, a shift of cursorial behavior occurred long ago, when their ancestors first arrived on the island chain.
Pardosa is a large genus of wolf spiders, with more than 500 described species that are found in all regions of the world.
Allocosa is a spider genus of the wolf spider family, Lycosidae. The 130 or more recognized species are spread worldwide.
Olios is the largest genus of huntsman spiders, containing 250 species. They are found throughout the world, with most species occurring in hot countries. The genus was first described by Charles Athanase Walckenaer in 1837.
Oxyopes is a genus of lynx spiders found worldwide. It includes arounds 300 species and is classified under the lynx spider family Oxyopidae. Like other lynx spiders, they are easily recognizable by the six larger eyes arranged hexagonally on top of the head (prosoma), with the remaining smaller two eyes in front. They are also characterized by long spine-like bristles (setae) on their legs. They are ambush predators, actively hunting prey by sight. Though they produce and use silk, they do not build webs to capture prey.
Ctenus is a genus of wandering spiders first described by Charles Athanase Walckenaer in 1805. It is widely distributed, from South America through Africa to East Asia. Little is known about the toxic potential of the genus Ctenus, however, it was recently discovered that the species Ctenus medius shares toxic properties with those presented by Phoneutria nigriventer, such as proteolytic, hyaluronidase and phospholipase activities, in addition to producing hyperalgesia and edema, the venom of C. medius also interferes with the complement system in concentrations in which the venom of P. nigriventer is inactive, indicating that this spider has a noxious venom to humans. The venom of C. medius causes an eleavage in the complement component 3 (C3) of the complement system, it affects the central factor of the cascades of the complement, and interferes with the lytic activity of this system, which causes stronger activation and consumption of the complement components. Unlike C. medius, the venom of P. nigriventer does not interfere with lytic activity.
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