Lycosa


Lycosa is a genus of wolf spiders distributed throughout most of the world, with more than two hundred described species.
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.

Life style

Species of Lycosa spin no web. The larger forms live in silk-lined burrows and under stones. Females carry the cocoon attached to their spinnerets, and after hatching the young swarm on the mother's back.

Description

The carapace is long with a vertical facial area and slanting sides. The four posterior eyes are large and arranged in a quadrangle that is slightly wider behind than in front. In Lycosa, the eyes of the second row are larger than those of the third row.
The labium is always longer than wide with a prominent basal excavation that occupies usually one-third or more of the labium's length. The clypeus is not vertical.
The legs have tibiae I and II armed with three pairs of ventral spines. Metatarsus IV of leg IV is never longer than the tibia plus patella together.

Taxonomy

The main diagnostic characters considered by Zyuzin and Logunov include the large size and the tongue-shaped septum of the epigyne with an elongated anterior part. The male palp of Lycosa currently includes many medium to large wolf spiders that are not congeneric with the type species L. tarantula, making Lycosa undoubtedly a polyphyletic taxon.

Species

, this genus includes 213 species and five subspecies.
These species have articles on Wikipedia:Lycosa aragogi Nadolny & Zamani, 2017 – IranLycosa bistriata Gravely, 1924 – Pakistan, India, BhutanLycosa capensis Simon, 1898 – South AfricaLycosa connexa Roewer, 1960 – South AfricaLycosa dacica – RomaniaLycosa erythrognatha Lucas, 1836 – Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, ArgentinaLycosa gigantea – South AfricaLycosa howarthi Gertsch, 1973 – HawaiiLycosa indagatrix Walckenaer, 1837 – India, Sri LankaLycosa inviolata Roewer, 1960 – South AfricaLycosa pachana Pocock, 1898 – Malawi, Zimbabwe, South AfricaLycosa palliata Roewer, 1960 – South AfricaLycosa perspicua Roewer, 1960 – South AfricaLycosa rimicola Purcell, 1903 – South AfricaLycosa shillongensis Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 – IndiaLycosa tarantula – France, Italy, Balkans, Turkey, Middle East Lycosa yerburyi Pocock, 1901 – Sri LankaLycosa abidae Sherwood, 2025 – PakistanLycosa abnormis Guy, 1966 – MoroccoLycosa accurata – MexicoLycosa adusta Banks, 1898 – MexicoLycosa affinis Lucas, 1846 – AlgeriaLycosa apacha Chamberlin, 1925 – United StatesLycosa approximata – China Lycosa aragogi Nadolny & Zamani, 2017 – IranLycosa arambagensis B. Biswas & K. Biswas, 1992 – IndiaLycosa ariadnae McKay, 1979 – Australia Lycosa articulata Costa, 1875 – IsraelLycosa aurea Hogg, 1896 – Central AustraliaLycosa auroguttata – BrazilLycosa australicola – Australia Lycosa australis Simon, 1884 – ChileLycosa balaramai Patel & Reddy, 1993 – IndiaLycosa barnesi Gravely, 1924 – IndiaLycosa baulnyi Simon, 1876 – North AfricaLycosa bedeli Simon, 1876 – North AfricaLycosa beihaiensis Yin, Bao & Zhang, 1995 – ChinaLycosa bezzii Mello-Leitão, 1944 – ArgentinaLycosa biolleyi Banks, 1909 – Costa RicaLycosa bistriata Gravely, 1924 – Pakistan, India, BhutanLycosa boninensis Tanaka, 1989 – Taiwan, Japan, KoreaLycosa bonneti Guy & Carricaburu, 1967 – AlgeriaLycosa brunnea F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902 – Costa Rica, Guatemala, MexicoLycosa caenosa Rainbow, 1899 – New Caledonia, VanuatuLycosa canescens Schenkel, 1963 – ChinaLycosa capensis Simon, 1898 – South AfricaLycosa carbonelli Costa & Capocasale, 1984 – UruguayLycosa carmichaeli Gravely, 1924 – India, BhutanLycosa cerrofloresiana Petrunkevitch, 1925 – El Salvador to PanamaLycosa chaperi Simon, 1885 – Pakistan, IndiaLycosa choudhuryi Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 – India, ChinaLycosa cingara – EgyptLycosa coelestis L. Koch, 1878 – China, Korea, JapanLycosa connexa Roewer, 1960 – South AfricaLycosa contestata Montgomery, 1903 – United StatesLycosa corallina McKay, 1974 – Australia Lycosa coreana Paik, 1994 – KoreaLycosa cowlei Hogg, 1896 – Central AustraliaLycosa cretacea Simon, 1898 – North AfricaLycosa dacica – RomaniaLycosa danjiangensis Yin, Zhao & Bao, 1997 – ChinaLycosa dilatata F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902 – Mexico to El SalvadorLycosa dimota Simon, 1909 – Australia Lycosa discolor Walckenaer, 1837 – United StatesLycosa elymaisa Zamani & Nadolny, 2022 – IranLycosa emuncta Banks, 1898 – MexicoLycosa erjianensis Yin & Zhao, 1996 – ChinaLycosa erythrognatha Lucas, 1836 – Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, ArgentinaLycosa eutypa Chamberlin, 1925 – PanamaLycosa falconensis Schenkel, 1953 – VenezuelaLycosa fasciiventris Dufour, 1835 – Portugal, Spain, MoroccoLycosa fernandezi – Chile Lycosa ferriculosa Chamberlin, 1919 – United StatesLycosa formosana Saito, 1936 – TaiwanLycosa fuscana Pocock, 1901 – IndiaLycosa futilis Banks, 1898 – MexicoLycosa geotubalis Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 – IndiaLycosa gesserit Armiach Steinpress, Cohen, Pétillon, Chipman & Gavish-Regev, 2022 – IsraelLycosa gibsoni McKay, 1979 – Australia Lycosa gigantea – South AfricaLycosa gobiensis Schenkel, 1936 – Mongolia, ChinaLycosa goliathus Pocock, 1901 – IndiaLycosa grahami Fox, 1935 – ChinaLycosa gravelyi Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 2014 – BangladeshLycosa guayaquiliana Mello-Leitão, 1939 – EcuadorLycosa hickmani – New Guinea, Australia Lycosa hildegardae Casanueva, 1980 – ChileLycosa hispanica – Spain
  • * L. h. dufouri – Portugal, SpainLycosa horrida – ColombiaLycosa howarthi Gertsch, 1973 – HawaiiLycosa hyraculus Armiach Steinpress, Cohen, Pétillon, Chipman & Gavish-Regev, 2022 – Egypt, IsraelLycosa illicita Gertsch, 1934 – MexicoLycosa immanis L. Koch, 1879 – Russia Lycosa impavida Walckenaer, 1837 – United StatesLycosa implacida Nicolet, 1849 – ChileLycosa indagatrix Walckenaer, 1837 – India, Sri LankaLycosa indomita Nicolet, 1849 – ChileLycosa infesta Walckenaer, 1837 – United StatesLycosa injusta Banks, 1898 – MexicoLycosa innocua Doleschall, 1859 – Indonesia Lycosa inornata Blackwall, 1862 – BrazilLycosa insulana – BarbadosLycosa insularis Lucas, 1857 – CubaLycosa intermedialis Roewer, 1955 – LibyaLycosa interstitialis – AlgeriaLycosa inviolata Roewer, 1960 – South AfricaLycosa iranii Pocock, 1901 – IndiaLycosa ishikariana – Russia, JapanLycosa isolata Bryant, 1940 – CubaLycosa jagadalpurensis Gajbe, 2004 – IndiaLycosa japhlongensis Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 2014 – BangladeshLycosa kempi Gravely, 1924 – Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, ChinaLycosa koyuga McKay, 1979 – Australia Lycosa kuryk Esyunin & Efimik, 2025 – KazakhstanLycosa labialis Mao & Song, 1985 – China, KoreaLycosa labialisoides Peng, Yin, Zhang & Kim, 1997 – ChinaLycosa laeta L. Koch, 1877 – Australia Lycosa lambai Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 – IndiaLycosa lativulva F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902 – GuatemalaLycosa lebakensis Doleschall, 1859 – Indonesia Lycosa leucogastra Mello-Leitão, 1944 – ArgentinaLycosa leucophaeoides – Australia Lycosa leucophthalma Mello-Leitão, 1940 – ArgentinaLycosa leucotaeniata – BrazilLycosa liliputana Nicolet, 1849 – ChileLycosa longivulva F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902 – GuatemalaLycosa mackenziei Gravely, 1924 – Pakistan, India, BangladeshLycosa macrophthalma Nadolny & Zamani, 2020 – IranLycosa madagascariensis Vinson, 1863 – MadagascarLycosa madani Pocock, 1901 – Pakistan, IndiaLycosa magallanica Karsch, 1880 – ChileLycosa magnifica Hu, 2001 – ChinaLycosa mahabaleshwarensis Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 – IndiaLycosa masteri Pocock, 1901 – IndiaLycosa matusitai Nakatsudi, 1943 – Japan to MicronesiaLycosa maya Chamberlin, 1925 – MexicoLycosa mexicana Banks, 1898 – MexicoLycosa minae – JapanLycosa mordax Walckenaer, 1837 – United StatesLycosa moulmeinensis Gravely, 1924 – MyanmarLycosa mukana Roewer, 1960 – DR CongoLycosa munieri Simon, 1876 – North Africa, Spain, Italy Lycosa muntea – CongoLycosa niceforoi Mello-Leitão, 1941 – ColombiaLycosa nigricans Butt, Anwar & Tahir, 2006 – PakistanLycosa nigromarmorata Mello-Leitão, 1941 – ColombiaLycosa nigropunctata Rainbow, 1915 – Australia Lycosa nigrotaeniata Mello-Leitão, 1941 – ColombiaLycosa nigrotibialis Simon, 1884 – India, Bhutan, MyanmarLycosa nordenskjoldi Tullgren, 1905 – Brazil, BoliviaLycosa oculata Simon, 1876 – Western MediterraneanLycosa pachana Pocock, 1898 – Malawi, Zimbabwe, South AfricaLycosa palliata Roewer, 1960 – South AfricaLycosa pampeana Holmberg, 1876 – Paraguay, ArgentinaLycosa paranensis Holmberg, 1876 – Brazil, ArgentinaLycosa parvipudens Karsch, 1881 – Kiribati Lycosa patagonica Simon, 1886 – ChileLycosa pavlovi Schenkel, 1953 – ChinaLycosa perkinsi Simon, 1904 – HawaiiLycosa perspicua Roewer, 1960 – South AfricaLycosa philadelphiana Walckenaer, 1837 – United StatesLycosa phipsoni Pocock, 1899 – India to China, Taiwan
  • * L. p. leucophora – MyanmarLycosa pia – JapanLycosa picta Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 2014 – BangladeshLycosa pictipes – Brazil, ArgentinaLycosa pictula Pocock, 1901 – IndiaLycosa pintoi Mello-Leitão, 1931 – BrazilLycosa piochardi Simon, 1876 – Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, IranLycosa poliostoma – Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, ArgentinaLycosa poonaensis Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 – IndiaLycosa porteri Simon, 1904 – ChileLycosa praegrandis C. L. Koch, 1836 – Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Iran, Central Asia
  • * L. p. discoloriventer Caporiacco, 1949 – AlbaniaLycosa praestans Roewer, 1960 – BotswanaLycosa proletarioides Mello-Leitão, 1941 – ArgentinaLycosa prolifica Pocock, 1901 – IndiaLycosa pulchella – New Guinea, Papua New Guinea Lycosa punctiventralis – MexicoLycosa quadrimaculata Lucas, 1858 – GabonLycosa rimicola Purcell, 1903 – South AfricaLycosa rufisterna Schenkel, 1953 – ChinaLycosa russea Schenkel, 1953 – ChinaLycosa sabulosa – China, and Tjikistan, AfghanistanLycosa salifodina McKay, 1976 – Australia Lycosa salvadorensis Kraus, 1955 – El SalvadorLycosa separata – MozambiqueLycosa septembris – EthiopiaLycosa sericovittata Mello-Leitão, 1939 – BrazilLycosa serranoa Tullgren, 1901 – ChileLycosa shahapuraensis Gajbe, 2004 – IndiaLycosa shaktae Bhandari & Gajbe, 2001 – IndiaLycosa shansia – China, MongoliaLycosa shillongensis Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 – IndiaLycosa signata Lenz, 1886 – MadagascarLycosa signiventris Banks, 1909 – El Salvador, Costa RicaLycosa sigridae – MexicoLycosa similis Banks, 1892 – United StatesLycosa singoriensis – Central to eastern Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, China, KoreaLycosa soboutii Shafaie, Nadolny & Mirshamsi, 2022 – Georgia, IranLycosa sochoi Mello-Leitão, 1947 – BrazilLycosa storeniformis Simon, 1909 – Guinea-BissauLycosa subfusca F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902 – Mexico, Costa RicaLycosa suboculata Guy, 1966 – North AfricaLycosa suzukii Kishida, 1960 – Russia, China, Korea, JapanLycosa sylvatica – AlgeriaLycosa tarantula – France, Italy, Balkans, Turkey, Middle East
  • * L. t. carsica Caporiacco, 1949 – Italy
  • * L. t. cisalpina Simon, 1937 – FranceLycosa tarantuloides Perty, 1833 – BrazilLycosa tasmanicola Roewer, 1960 – Australia Lycosa teranganicola – Indonesia Lycosa terrestris Butt, Anwar & Tahir, 2006 – PakistanLycosa tetrophthalma Mello-Leitão, 1939 – ParaguayLycosa thoracica Patel & Reddy, 1993 – IndiaLycosa tista Tikader, 1970 – India, BangladeshLycosa transversa F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902 – GuatemalaLycosa trichopus – AfghanistanLycosa tula – Australia Lycosa u-album Mello-Leitão, 1938 – ArgentinaLycosa uzbekistanica Logunov, 2023 – Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan?Lycosa vachoni Guy, 1966 – AlgeriaLycosa vellutina Mello-Leitão, 1941 – ColombiaLycosa ventralis F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902 – MexicoLycosa vittata Yin, Bao & Zhang, 1995 – ChinaLycosa wadaiensis Roewer, 1960 – ChadLycosa wangi Yin, Peng & Wang, 1996 – ChinaLycosa woonda McKay, 1979 – Australia Lycosa wroughtoni Pocock, 1899 – Pakistan, IndiaLycosa wulsini Fox, 1935 – ChinaLycosa yalkara McKay, 1979 – Australia Lycosa yerburyi Pocock, 1901 – Sri LankaLycosa yizhangensis Yin, Peng & Wang, 1996 – ChinaLycosa yunnanensis Yin, Peng & Wang, 1996 – China