Garden Wolf Spider
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creative commons
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Tasmanicosa
- Species
- godeffroyi
- Family
- Lycosidae
- Order
- Araneae
- Class
- Arachnida
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Size Range
- 1.5 cm - 2.2 cm
-
- Habitats
- woodland
-
- Life history mode
- terrestrial
-
- Feeding Habits
- arthropod-feeder, carnivorous, insectivorous, predator
Introduction
Wolf spiders are robust, agile, fast-moving ground hunters that chase down or ambush prey.
Identification
The Garden Wolf Spider is large and strongly patterned in grey, brown and white with a black underside. They have large eyes with which they locate their prey. Their characteristic eye formation is four large eyes arranged in a square on top of the head with four smaller eyes in a row at the front.
Habitat
Garden Wolf Spiders prefer urban areas, forests and woodlands and heath.
Distribution
Garden Wolf Spiders are found throughout southern Australia.
Other behaviours and adaptations
Most live in leaf litter or in burrows in fairly open ground. Its open burrows are often seen in Sydney gardens. The best time to see wolf spiders is at night when they are searching for prey. Use a torch to spot the greenish yellow reflection from their large eyes.
Life history cycle
Female wolf spiders carry their egg sac behind them, attached to the spinnerets (silk-spinning organs) on the abdomen. When the eggs hatch, the spiderlings hitch a ride on the mother's back, clinging onto special knobbed hairs.
Danger to humans
Not known to be dangerous.
