ground wolf spider

(Trochosa terricola)

Conservation Status
ground wolf spider
Photo by Alfredo Colon
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Ground wolf spider is a medium-sized, thick-bodied, short-legged, wolf spider. It occurs in temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere, mostly in Europe and North America. It is common in Minnesota. It is found in deciduous woodlands and shady fields, mostly at woodland edges, on the ground in leaf litter and under logs and stones.

Females are 516 to ½ (8.2 to 11.8 mm) in length and have a to 1316 (15 to 30 mm) legspan. Males are smaller, ¼ to (6.7 to 9.6 mm) in length.

The front part of the body (cephalothorax) is longer than wide. The upper side (carapace) of the cephalothorax is low, has a depression in the middle (fovea). It is relatively flat when viewed from the side, about the same height from the second (posterior) row of eyes to the rear. It is dark orangish-brown with a broad pale stripe in the middle and on each side a pale submarginal band. Within the median band there is a pair of short, dark, longitudinal streaks extending from behind the posterior row of eyes to the fovea. The presence of these stripes distinguishes this wolf spider as belonging to the genus Trochosa.

There are eight eyes in two rows of four each. The front (anterior) row has four small eyes and is straight or slightly curved forward. The rear (posterior) row has two very large posterior median eyes (PME) and two large posterior lateral eyes (PLE). The PLE are set behind the PME, and some authors describe this arrangement as three rows of eyes. The rear row is about equal in width to the middle row. The PME are closer to the PLE than to each other. The PME and PLE have a layer of reflective tissue internally. This allows the spider to see in relative darkness. It also causes their eyes to shine when hit by the beam of a flashlight. The basal segment of the jaws (chelicerae) is large and powerful. The forward-facing margin has three teeth, the rear-facing margin has two or three teeth.

The abdomen is egg-shaped and is covered with short hairs. It is yellowish-orange at the base with extensive dark mottling. On the front half there is a pale oval mark (cardiac mark) in the middle that is partially outlined with dark brown.

The legs are short, stout, spiny, and sparsely hairy. They are pale yellowish-brown and mottled with dark brown but are not banded. The ends of the fifth segment (tibia), sixth segment (metatarsus), and seventh segment (tarsus) are brown.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

Female Body Length: 516 to ½ (8.2 to 11.8 mm)

Male Body Length: ¼ to (6.7 to 9.6 mm)

Legspan: to 1316 (15 to 30 mm)

 
     
 

Web

 
 

None

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Deciduous woodlands and shady fields, mostly at woodland edges, on the ground in leaf litter and under logs and stones

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

March to November

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

 

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

Mating takes place in the spring. Adults mature in the fall.

 
     
 

Food

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 29, 30, 82.

Nearctic species of the wolf spider genus Trochosa (Araneae: Lycosidae) Allen Brady. 1980. Psyche, Cambridge 86:167-212.

 

 
  5/27/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common in Minnesota

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Class Arachnida (arachnids)  
 

Order

Araneae (spiders)  
 

Suborder

Araneomorphae (typical spiders)  
  Infraorder Entelegynae (entelegyne spiders)  
 

Superfamily

Lycosoidea (wolf spiders and allies)  
 

Family

Lycosidae (wolf spiders)  
 

Subfamily

Lycosinae  
 

Genus

Trochosa  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Lycosa orophila

Lycosa pratensis

Lycosa trabilis

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

common litter wolf spider

ground wolf spider

turf wolf spider

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Carapace

The hard, upper (dorsal), shell-like covering (exoskeleton) of the body or at least the thorax of many arthropods and of turtles and tortoises. On crustaceans, it covers the cephalothorax. On spiders, the top of the cephalothorax made from a series of fused sclerites.

 

Cardiac mark

An oval dark mark on the front half of the abdomen of some spiders, beneath which lies the heart.

 

Cephalothorax

The front part of the body of various arthropods, composed of the head region and the thoracic area fused together. Eyes, legs, and antennae are attached to this part.

 

Chelicerae

The pair of stout mouthparts, corresponding to jaws, in arachnids and other arthropods in the subphylum Chelicerata.

 

Fovea

On spiders, a depression in the middle of the carapace, which is the internal attachment point for the stomach muscles.

 

Metatarsus

The sixth segment of a spider leg.

 

Tarsus

On insects, the last two to five subdivisions of the leg, attached to the tibia; the foot. On spiders, the last segment of the leg. Plural: tarsi.

 

Tibia

The fourth segment of an insect leg, after the femur and before the tarsus (foot). The fifth segment of a spider leg or palp.

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Alfredo Colon

 
    ground wolf spider   ground wolf spider  
           
    ground wolf spider      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

 

 
           

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
Trochosa terricola
Lloyd Davies
  Trochosa terricola  
 
About

Trochosa terricola

 

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  Wolf Spider (Lycosidae: Trochosa terricola)
Carl Barrentine
 
   
 
About

May 14, 2010

Photographed at Kellys Slough NWR, North Dakota (14 May 2010).

 
  Wolf Spider (Lycosidae: Trochosa terricola) on Pavement
Carl Barrentine
 
   
 
About

Apr 18, 2010

Photographed at the Rydell NWR, Minnesota (17 April 2010).

 
  Trochosa terricola male
Stawonogi Polski
 
   
 
About

Feb 19, 2020

 
  Wolf Spider (Lycosidae: Trochosa terricola) Close-up
Carl Barrentine
 
   
 
About

Sep 13, 2011

Photographed at Grand Forks, North Dakota (13 September 2011). Thank you to Lynette Schimming (@Bugguide.net) for confirming the genus of this specimen, and to 'Epic Tazzleman' for recommending the species.

 

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

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  Alfredo Colon
8/12/2019

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

ground wolf spider  
  Alfredo Colon
8/4/2019

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

ground wolf spider  
           
 
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Created: 5/27/2022

Last Updated:

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