Venatrix furcillata, one of the wolf spiders, is a mid sized spider found in eastern Australia. The body length of the female is up to 13 mm, the male 9 mm. The abdomen has distinctive tapering markings. Sometimes noted in suburban gardens and lawns. It lives in a simple burrow, but may be seen migrating in large numbers to a communal web, an unusual feature for wolf spiders. The grey coloured spherical egg sac is around 6 mm in diameter, carried by the female. Eggs are 45 to 60 in number, 0.8 mm in diameter. Prey is ground dwelling insects.[1][2][3][4] The spider has been identified as occurring in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria.

Little wolf spider
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Lycosidae
Genus: Venatrix
Species:
V. furcillata
Binomial name
Venatrix furcillata
L.Koch, 1867
Synonyms
  • Lycosa furcillata L. Koch, 1867: 201-202.
  • Lycosa furcillata L. Koch.- Koch (1877a): 903-906, plate 78, Figs 1A-B, 2A-B.
  • Lycosa furcillata L. Koch.- Rainbow, 1911: 268.
  • Allocosa furcillata (L. Koch).- Roewer, 1955c: 206.
  • Allocosa furcillata L. Koch.- Rack, 1961: 37.
  • Lycosa furcillata L. Koch.- McKay, 1973: 379.
  • Lycosa furcillata L. Koch.- McKay, 1974a: 15-18, Figs 3C-D, K-M.
  • Lycosa furcillata L. Koch.- McKay, 1985b: 77.
  • Lycosa furcillata L. Koch.- Platnick, 1993: 487.
  • Venatrix furcillata (L. Koch).- Framenau & Vink, 2001: 957-959, Figs 36A-D, 37.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Australian Spiders in Colour - Ramon Mascord. 1970 SBN 589 07065 7, page 108
  2. ^ Ron Atkinson. "Wolf Spider". FindaSpider.org.au. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  3. ^ "Venatrix furcillata (L. Koch, 1867)". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  4. ^ Volker W. Framenau. "Venatrix furcillata (L. Koch, 1867)". lycosidae.info. Retrieved February 9, 2020.