Lycosa Latreille, 1804

Steinpress, Igor Armiach, Cohen, Mira, Pétillon, Julien, Chipman, Ariel D. & Gavish-Regev, Efrat, 2022, Lycosa Latreille, 1804 (Araneae, Lycosidae) of Israel, with a note on Geolycosa Montgomery, 1904, European Journal of Taxonomy 832 (1), pp. 1-54 : 13-14

Genus Lycosa Latreille, 1804

Type species

Lycosa tarantula ( Linnaeus, 1758) .

Diagnosis

Large lycosids; anterior eye row clearly shorter than PME; epigyne septum tongue-shaped or rhomboid, confined to posterior half of epigyne; septal pedicel reduced or absent; TA wide and flat, ending with a distal process (TAT) directed retrolaterally to posteriorly ( Zyuzin & Logunov 2000).

Description

Large lycosids (body length over 12 mm). Carapace sloping posterior to ocular area. Carapace margins with thick pubescence ( Zyuzin 1990). Chelicerae with three retromarginal teeth. AER recurved. PME wider than AER. Abdomen venter usually with black markings. Sexual dimorphism weak. Posterior part of epigynal septum widened and clearly outlined. Septal pedicle fused with genital groove or wholly absent. This contrasts with other large Lycosinae ( Hogna , Geolycosa ), having a clearly outlined pedicle. Cymbium asymmetrical. Tegular apophysis wide and flat, with an elongated distal process, directed retrolaterally to posteriorly. Embolus thin, long, with narrow epiconductor.

Natural history

Generalist predators, typical of open habitats. Most species are burrowing, but some seem to be vagrant ( Planas et al. 2013). The burrow entrance is usually modified with a door or a turret (an elevated structure made of silk and vegetation, surrounding the entrance). Activity is mostly nocturnal. Reproductive season recorded in the summer and autumn.

Distribution

Known from the Mediterranean Basin, eastern Europe, Middle East, central Asia and Japan ( World Spider Catalog 2022).

Relationships

Lycosa s. str. is related to Hogna Simon 1885 ( Piacentini & Ramírez 2019). According to Zyuzin & Logunov (2000), Lycosa is closely allied with Alopecosa pictilis (Emerton, 1885) , A. sibirica (Kulczyn´ski, 1908), A. solivaga (Kulczyn´ski, 1901) and A. hirtipes (Kulczyn´ski, 1908).