Wolf SpiderWolf Spider (Allocosa sp) Wolf Spider (Venatrix arenaris)
Found throughout Australia, Wolf spiders are a common spider that do not spinning webs, instead they hunt their prey. A robust solitary spider, they are agile hunters, that are found in a variety of habitats, in particular they usually live on the ground, in leaf litter or burrows.
Belonging to the family Lycosidae sp, the Wolf Spider describes over 120 genera, encompassing thousands of species.
The wolf spider are unique in how they carry their eggs around. The eggs are carried in a round silken globe shaped egg sac that is attached to the spinnerets at the end of the abdomen. Also unique to the wolf spiders is how they care for their young. Once the spiderlings emerge from the egg sac, they all climb onto the dorsal side of the mother’s abdomen. The mother spider will carry the young for several weeks, until they are able to fend for themselves.
In the following you can see Venatrix arenaris carrying her egg sac.
Venatrix arenaris
Whilst some species of the wolf spiders have been seen to appear to walk across water, they usually walk quickly across water, as they can drown.
Many thanks to Narelle Murphy from Australian spider identification page (on Facebook) for identifying this spider for us.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Chelicerata
- Class: Arachnida
- Order: Araneae
- Infraorder: Araneomorphae
- Superfamily: Lycosoidea
- Family: Lycosidae
- Genus: Venatrix
- Species: V. arenaris
- Binomial name: Venatrix arenaris
Footnote & References
- Wolf spider (Venatrix arenaris), Narelle Murphy, Australian spider identification page, www.facebook.com/groups/1743343242607376
- LYCOSIDAE Wolf spiders, Arachne.org.au, www.arachne.org.au
- Wolf spider, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider (last visited May 20, 2021).
- Venatrix arenaris, female with eggsac (Gwambigyne Pool Reserve, WA) – River Huntress, Volker Framenau, flickr, www.flickr.com/photos/australianspiders/4517342005
- Wolf Spiders, Australian Museum, https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/wolf-spiders/
SpidersIndex of Spider Images Spiders in Australia Araneidae — Orb Weavers Arkys Australian Huntsman Spider Barking Spider Black House Spider Carepalxis sp Celaenia sp Crab Spiders Deinopidae — Net-casting Spiders Dolomedes sp Dolophones sp Flower Spiders Hackled Orbweavers (Uloboridae) Jewel Spider Jumping Spider Long Jawed Spider (Tetragnatha sp) Lynx Spider (Oxyopes) Mangrovia albida Maratus volans Missulena occatoria (Red-headed Mouse Spider) Miturgidae Nicodamidae (Red and Black Spider) Ogre-faced Net-casting Spider Poltys sp (Twig Spider) Redback Spider Scorpion-tailed Spider (Arachnura higginsi) Thomisidae Tiger Spider (Trichonephila plumipes) White-spotted Swift Spider (Nyssus albopunctatus) Wolf Spider