Lycosa narbonensis

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Lycosa narbonensis
Museum specimen of Lycosa narbonensis from Sicily
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Family:	Lycosidae
Genus:	Lycosa
Species:	L. narbonensis
Binomial name
Lycosa narbonensis Walckenaer, 1806

Lycosa narbonensis is a species of spiders in the family Lycosidae.

Description

Lycosa narbonensis can reach a length of 5–6 centimetres (2.0–2.4 in). These spiders have a hairy brownish-black body, long legs, and a light brown abdomen. They have quite good eyesight. As with other wolf spiders, the silken sac containing over one hundred eggs is carried attached to the mother's spinnerets. They feed on insects and other small invertebrates.

In common with other wolf spiders, the European Lycosa narbonensis protect her egg-sac by carrying it everywhere, attached to the spinnerets. She has a powerful instinct to defend it but can be easily fooled: if her egg-sac is changed for something artificial, like a piece of cork or a wad of paper, she will be defend the substitute with her life. After 2 or 3 weeks, the mother bites open the sac to allow the brood of up to 100 spiderlings to climb onto her abdomen , several layers deep. Living on their reserves, they hold on for about a week while she continues to hunt, and defend herself if necessary. However, there is no mutual recognition. Females accept spiderlngs from another female, and the spiderlings will climb onto the back of other even spiders, even males of other species, which often simply eat them.

Distribution

This species is present in France, Italy, Macedonia, Malta, Spain, former Yugoslavia and in North Africa.

Subspecies

• Lycosa narbonensis cisalpina Simon, 1937

References

• Biolib
• Fauna Europaea
• Sapere