How to Identify Lycosidae

Lycosidae is a animal family in the Animalia kingdom, order Araneae, class Arachnida. The family contains 99 accepted species worldwide.

Key Identification Features

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Representative Lycosidae Species

How to identify Tigrosa annexa (Chamberlin & Ivie, 1944)

Tigrosa annexa (Chamberlin & Ivie, 1944)

Tigrosa annexa (Chamberlin & Ivie, 1944)

Tigrosa annexa is a wolf spider species with documented size, physical traits, e…

How to identify Alopecosa pulverulenta (Clerck, 1757)

Alopecosa pulverulenta (Clerck, 1757)

Alopecosa pulverulenta (Clerck, 1757)

Alopecosa pulverulenta is a Palearctic-distributed wolf spider first described b…

How to identify Arctosa littoralis (Hentz, 1844)

Arctosa littoralis (Hentz, 1844)

Arctosa littoralis (Hentz, 1844)

Arctosa littoralis, the beach wolf spider, is a Lycosidae wolf spider found in N…

How to identify Trochosa sepulchralis (Montgomery, 1902)

Trochosa sepulchralis (Montgomery, 1902)

Trochosa sepulchralis (Montgomery, 1902)

Trochosa sepulchralis is a wolf spider species from the Lycosidae family found i…

How to identify Pardosa pauxilla Montgomery, 1904

Pardosa pauxilla Montgomery, 1904

Pardosa pauxilla Montgomery, 1904

Pardosa pauxilla is a wolf spider species from the Lycosidae family found in the…

How to identify Pardosa moesta Banks, 1892

Pardosa moesta Banks, 1892

Pardosa moesta Banks, 1892

Pardosa moesta is a wolf spider species from the Lycosidae family, found in Cana…

How to identify Wadicosa fidelis (O.Pickard-Cambridge, 1872)

Wadicosa fidelis (O.Pickard-Cambridge, 1872)

Wadicosa fidelis (O.Pickard-Cambridge, 1872)

Wadicosa fidelis is a sexually dimorphic medium-sized wolf spider with a wide re…

How to identify Lycosa erythrognatha Lucas, 1836

Lycosa erythrognatha Lucas, 1836

Lycosa erythrognatha Lucas, 1836

Lycosa erythrognatha is a 1836-described Lycosa spider, the only known spider th…

How to identify Pardosa amentata (Clerck, 1757)

Pardosa amentata (Clerck, 1757)

Pardosa amentata (Clerck, 1757)

Pardosa amentata is a common wolf spider with distinct body traits, good eyesigh…

How to identify Hippasa holmerae Thorell, 1895

Hippasa holmerae Thorell, 1895

Hippasa holmerae Thorell, 1895

Hippasa holmerae is an unusual web-building wolf spider that preys on crop pests…

How to identify Pardosa laura Karsch, 1879

Pardosa laura Karsch, 1879

Pardosa laura Karsch, 1879

Pardosa laura is a medium-sized sexually dimorphic wolf spider found across East…

How to identify Acantholycosa lignaria (Clerck, 1757)

Acantholycosa lignaria (Clerck, 1757)

Acantholycosa lignaria (Clerck, 1757)

Acantholycosa lignaria is a widespread wolf spider species found across central …

Browse all 99 Lycosidae species →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you identify Lycosidae?

Lycosidae animals belong to the Araneae order in the Animalia kingdom. Tigrosa annexa has two distinct dark brown to black bars on the dorsal side of its cephalothorax, and lighter yellowish gray lines are often present on each side of these bars. For instant identification, use the iNature app — AI-powered and works offline.

What are the key characteristics of Lycosidae?

Lycosidae is classified in the order Araneae, class Arachnida, phylum Arthropoda. Lateral bands are typically absent, or only visible as indistinct lighter spots when present.

Sources: GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia · Disclaimer

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