Superfamily Argiopoidea 



Family LYCOSID^ (Ly-cos'-idae) 



The IVolf-spiders 



The Lycosidae are hunting spiders, which chase their prey. 

 For this reason the typical genus was named Lycosa, which is 

 from the Greek word for wolf. 



In this family the trochanters of the legs are notched as in 

 the preceding family (Fig. 711); but the lorum of the pedicel 

 of the abdomen is of a different form. In this family the lorum 

 is composed of two pieces of which the posterior one is notched to 

 receive the anterior one (Fig. 712). The cuticle is almost always 

 clothed with simple or squamose hairs; the tibia of the pedipalp 

 of the male is unarmed; and the embolus is short and rarely 

 exerted. The eyes are in three rows, the posterior lateral eye:, 

 being situated far behind the posterior median eyes (Fig. 713); 

 the first row consists of four small eyes and the two posterior rows 

 each of two large eyes. The relative proportions are very different 

 from what exists in the jumping spiders, where also the eves are 

 in three rows. 



In the Lycosidae the palpus of the male is essentially of the 

 same type as that of the Pisauridae, except that the tibia is not 

 furnished with an external apophysis. Figure 714 a represents 

 the expanded bulb of Lycosa erratica, with the parts lettered as in 

 other figures of palpi; see page 121. 



In the unexpanded bulb (Fig. 714 b) the embolus is curved so 

 that its tip rests in a furrow in the conductor of the embolus, 

 which is immediately distad of the median apophysis. The part 

 termed the auricula by Chamberlin ('08) is evidently the conductor 

 of the embolus. 



The wolf-spiders are common; they run through grass or 

 lurk under stones, especially in damp situations. Many species 

 dig tunnels in the earth, and some of these build a turret about 

 the mouth of their tunnel. They all carry their egg-sac attached 

 to the spinnerets by a bundle of threads. After hatching, the 

 young pass to the body of the mother and are carried about by 

 her for a considerable time (Fig. 715). Whether the mother 

 provides nourishment or not to the young during this period has 

 not been definitely determined. 



The egg-sac varies in shape, that made by some species is 

 spherical, in other cases it is flattened. It consists of two valves, 



618 



