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Wolf spider
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==Description== [[Image:Wolf eyes for guide.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Eye configuration of a ''[[Hogna]]'' species]] The many genera of wolf spiders range in body size (legs not included) from less than {{cvt|0.4|to|1.38|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.australasian-arachnology.org/arachnology/araneae/lycosidae |title=Wolf Spiders: Lycosidae Sundevall 1833 |work=Australasian Arachnology Society |access-date=2 October 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | edition = 2| publisher = American Arachnological Society| isbn = 978-0-9980146-0-9 | first1 = Darrell | last1 = Ubick | first2 = Pierre | last2 = Paquin |first3 = Paula | last3 = Cushing | first4 = Vincent | last4 = Roth | others=Illustrated by Nadine Dupérré | title = Spiders of North America: an identification manual | location = Keene, New Hampshire | date = 2017}}</ref> They have eight eyes arranged in three rows. The bottom row consists of four small eyes, the middle row has two very large eyes (which distinguishes them from the [[Pisauridae]]), and the top row has two medium-sized eyes. Unlike most other arachnids, which are generally blind or have poor vision, wolf spiders have excellent eyesight. The ''[[tapetum lucidum]]'' is a retroreflective tissue found in eyes. This reflective tissue is only found in four<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gizmodo.com/this-is-how-to-find-the-spiders-that-are-staring-at-you-1721584332 |title=This Is How to Find the Spiders That Are Staring At You in the Dark |website=Gizmodo.com |last=Smith-Strickland |first=Kiona |date=8 February 2015 |access-date=23 July 2021 |quote=Most spiders have eight eyes. In some species — mostly those that hunt for their prey, like wolf spiders, four of those eyes have an iridescent layer behind their retinas, called a tapetum.}}</ref> [[Spider#Eyes|secondary eyes]] of the wolf spider. Flashing a beam of light over the spider produces eyeshine; this eyeshine can be seen when the lighting source is roughly [[coaxial]] with the viewer or sensor.<ref>2013: [http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_free/JoA_v41_n1/arac-41-1-43.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113013117/http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_free/JoA_v41_n1/arac-41-1-43.pdf|date=2020-01-13}} "In the [[lycosoid]] spiders, the secondary eyes possess a grate-shaped tapetum lucidum that reflects light, causing eyeshine when these spiders are viewed with approximately coaxial illumination."</ref> The light from the light source (e.g., a flashlight or sunlight) has been reflected from the spider's eyes directly back toward its source, producing a "glow" that is easily noticed. Wolf spiders possess the third-best eyesight of all spider groups, bettered by [[jumping spider]]s of the family Salticidae (which can distinguish colors) and the [[huntsman spider]]s of the family Sparassidae. [[File:Hogna lenta 18.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Anatomical_terms_of_location#Dorsal_and_ventral|Dorsal]] aspect of ''[[Hogna lenta]]'', a typical wolf spider]] [[File:Lycosidae female carrying young.jpg|thumb|upright|250px|A female wolf spider carrying her young on her back]] Wolf spiders are unique in the way that they carry their eggs. The egg sac, a round, silken globe, is attached to the spinnerets at the end of the abdomen, allowing the spider to carry her unhatched young with her. The abdomen must be held in a raised position to keep the egg case from dragging on the ground. Despite this handicap, they are still capable of hunting. Another aspect unique to wolf spiders is their method of caring for their young. Immediately after the spiderlings emerge from their protective silken case, they clamber up their mother's legs and crowd onto the dorsal side of her abdomen. The mother carries the spiderlings for several weeks before they are large enough to disperse and fend for themselves. Because they depend on [[crypsis|camouflage]] for protection, they do not have the flashy appearance of some other kinds of spiders. In general, their coloration is appropriate to their favorite habitat. ''[[Hogna]]'' is the genus with the largest of the wolf spiders. Among the ''Hogna'' species in the U.S., the nearly solid dark brown ''[[Hogna carolinensis|H. carolinensis]]'' (Carolina wolf spider) is the largest, with a body that can be more than {{cvt|2.5|cm|0|abbr=on}} long. It is sometimes confused with [[Hogna helluo|''H. helluo'']], which is somewhat smaller and different in coloration. The underside of ''H. carolinensis'' is solid black, but the underside of ''H. helluo'' is variegated and has reds, oranges, and yellows with shades of black. Some members of the Lycosidae, such as ''H. carolinensis'', make deep, tubular burrows where they often lurk. Others, such as ''H. helluo'', seek shelter under rocks and other shelters as nature may provide. As with spiders in general, males of almost any species can sometimes be found inside homes and buildings as they wander searching for females during the autumn. Wolf spiders play an important role in natural population control of insects and are often considered "[[beneficial bug]]s" due to their [[biological pest control|predation of pest species]] within farms and gardens.<ref name="Xerces">{{cite book |author1=The Xerces Society |title=Farming with Native Beneficial Insects: Ecological Pest Control Solutions |date=2014 |publisher=Storey Publishing |location=North Adams, Massachusetts |isbn=9781612122830 |pages=204–205}}</ref> ===Venom=== Wolf spiders inject [[Spider bite|venom]] if continually provoked. Symptoms of their bites include swelling and mild pain. In the past, [[necrotic]] bites have been attributed to some South American<ref name=":0" /> and Australian<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Isbister |first1=Geoffrey K. |last2=Framenau |first2=Volker W. |year=2004 |title=Australian Wolf Spider Bites (Lycosidae): Clinical Effects and Influence of Species on Bite Circumstances |journal=[[Clinical Toxicology]] |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=153–161 |doi=10.1081/CLT-120030941 |pmid=15214620 |s2cid=24310728 }}</ref> species, but further investigation has indicated that those problems that did occur were probably due to bites by members of other families<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Ribeiro |first1=L. A. |last2=Jorge |first2=M. T. |last3=Piesco |first3=R. V. |last4=Nishioka |first4=S. A. |year=1990 |title=Wolf spider bites in São Paulo, Brazil: A clinical and epidemiological study of 515 cases |journal=[[Toxicon]] |volume=28 |issue=6 |pages=715–717 |doi=10.1016/0041-0101(90)90260-E |pmid=2402765 }}</ref> or did not induce those effects.<ref name=":1" />
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