Great sun wolf

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Great sun wolf
Great sun wolf (Xerolycosa nemoralis), female

Great sun wolf ( Xerolycosa nemoralis ), female

Systematics
Order : Spiders (Araneae)
Subordination : Real spiders (Araneomorphae)
Partial order : Entelegynae
Family : Wolf spiders (Lycosidae)
Genre : Sun wolves ( Xerolycosa )
Type : Great sun wolf
Scientific name
Xerolycosa nemoralis
( Westring , 1861)

The Great Sun Wolf or the Great Sun Wolf spider ( Xerolycosa nemoralis ), as the mourning wolf spider ( Pardosa lugubris ) and forest wolf spider called, is a spider from the family of wolf spiders (Lycosidae). It is a Eurasian species that is one of the more common representatives of its family.

features

male

The female of the large sun wolf reaches a body length of five to 7.5 and the female one of 4.5 to 5.7 millimeters, making the species one of the smaller wolf spiders.

The prosoma (front body) of the great sun wolf has a brown basic color. In the center of the carapace (back shield of the prosoma) runs a light median band, which is flanked by white-haired edges that run parallel to each other. The sternum (breast shield of the prosoma) is dark brown to black in color. The prosoma of the great sun wolf is also covered in light hairs, which vary depending on the individual, but which, apart from the hairiness of the median ligament and its side ligaments, can also be completely absent.

The legs of the species are colored brown in the female and also have several darker spots that sometimes grow together and form leg rings. The legs of the male are predominantly colored like those of the female, but have a darker color , especially on the femura (greaves).

The opisthosoma (abdomen) of the great sun wolf has a dark brown base color. There is a dark spot in the heart region. In addition, the opisthosoma is adorned further back with two pairs of white dots and indistinct angular spots.

Structure of the sexual organs

The bulbi (male genital organs) have a median apophysis that is the same length as width at the base. This abophysis appears from a retrolateral point of view in the shape of a new moon .

The epigyne (female sex organ) consists of oval or hoof-shaped openings. The spermathek (seed pocket) is U-shaped.

Similar species

Within the family of wolf spiders there are some other species similar to the Great Sun Wolf, whose similarities, similarities and differences are explained in the following sections.

Similarities to the Little Sun Wolf

Female of the closely related Little Sun Wolf ( Xerolycosa miniata )

Most similarities of the Great Sun Wolf made with the also to the sun wolves ( Xerolycosa counted) Little Sun Wolf ( X. miniata ), who, however, preferred habitats with short grass and sandy ground. Both species can be distinguished mainly by the median band on the prosoma, the flanks of which appear indented in the center in the small sun wolf spider, while in the large sun wolf it runs parallel.

In addition, the two species can also be distinguished from one another by genital morphological features. The very similar bulbi of both species differ in terms of their structure. The female epigyne of the lesser sun wolf has a smaller opening and is also onion-shaped. In addition, the sperm library is S-shaped here.

Similarities to the scared wolf spider

Black Wolf Spider ( Pardosa lugubris ) male

Another the Great sun Wolf similar type is the mourning Wolf spider ( Pardosa lugubris ) having a similar color scheme including a Media Bands on the Prosoma. However, both species can sometimes be distinguished by the shape of the head part, which in the black wolf spider, as in all species of the common wolf ( Pardosa ), slopes significantly more steeply, so that its head appears significantly narrower than that of the great sun wolf. In addition, the median band of the prosoma narrows further back in the black wolf spider, while it is constant in the great sun wolf.

Another distinguishing feature, which is not recognizable under normal circumstances, is the internal teeth of the chelicerae (jaw claws) of both species. In the great sun wolf this consists of two teeth per chelicere, in the barrel wolves including the scourge wolf spider there are three.

Similarities to the pseudo-tarantulas

Females of Dickfußpantherspinne ( A. cuneata ) from the kind of Scheintaranteln ( Alopecosa ) with a clearly visible spot skewer.

Besides the aforementioned species, the Great Sun Wolf also removed similarities with the species of the genus of Scheintaranteln ( Alopecosa on), mostly but are much larger. Similarities are also here the longitudinal band on the prosoma of the species. In addition to their size, the spiders also differ in the drawing on their abdomen. All species of the pseudo-tarantula have a characteristic skewer spot that the Great Sun Wolf lacks. In addition, the pseudo-tarantulas have much stronger legs.

Occurrence

Females in Latvia

The greater sun wolf is represented in Eurasia and has a large distribution area, the Europe ( Western and Central Europe and the south of England with the exception of the southwest), Turkey , Caucasus , Russia (European to Far Eastern part), Kazakhstan , Central Asia , China , Korea and Japan includes. The species reaches the Arctic Circle north of Scandinavia and Yakutia.

The species occurs there in some habitats together with the small sun wolf ( Xerolycosa miniata ), which, however, has a more extensive range. Furthermore, both species are the only ones of the sun wolves ( Xerolycosa ) that are common in Europe and North Africa. In the Palearctic, there is another species, Xerolycosa mongolica (Schenkel, 1963).

habitat

Clearings of pine forests like this in Sweden are among the preferred habitats of the Great Sun Wolf.

The great sun wolf takes on a large number of different habitats (habitat), but prefers sunny areas according to its trivial name . The species is most often found in clearings and on the edge of coniferous forests , but does not avoid other forest habitats either.

In addition, the Great Sun Wolf also lives in open dry areas. These include grasslands , including limestone , lean and sandy dry lawns . The species also lives in heaths and does not avoid ruderal areas . In addition, unlike many other wolf spiders, the great sun wolf also regularly inhabits the superstructure of railroad tracks, so a high density of individuals of the species was recorded in a disused marshalling yard in the United Kingdom .

The great sun wolf can also be found in isolated and dry moors and in mountainous areas. Overall, you can find it up to a height of about 700 meters above sea level.

Preference for fire places

It is noticeable that the populations of the great sun wolf, like those of some other spiders, are increasing in areas where fires previously raged. The species can be found in burnt heathland for up to four years after the fire.

In Finland , specimens of the species increased in human and fire-ridden areas. These include dried peat bogs and areas that have been affected by human pollution.

In addition, there have been reports of an increased incidence of the great sun wolf in fire-ravaged pine plantations in northern Germany. However, in some of these plantations that had previously been affected by fire, the black wolf spider ( Pardosa lugubris ) dominated.

Threat and protection

Due to its adaptability and its large distribution area, the great sun wolf can be found frequently in many places and is not endangered. Because of this, it is classified in the Red List of Endangered Species of Animals, Plants and Fungi in Germany as "not endangered " and is therefore not subject to any protection status.

The IUCN does not record the global population of the Great Sun Wolf .

Way of life

Like all sun wolves ( Xerolycosa ), the great sun wolf is one of the diurnal wolf spiders . He usually runs very fast and agile and thus moves skillfully around on the ground.

Like some other members of the family, the species of sand wolves, including the great sun wolf, dig burrows that are used by the spiders as a habitat. These living tubes are provided with pine needles, soil particles and other materials and thus camouflaged.

Hunting behavior and range of prey

The great sun wolf hunts mainly during the day, depending on its activity time. Like almost all wolf spiders, it also hunts without a safety net and thus free-roaming as a stalker . The Great Sun Wolf also uses its well-developed eyes to perceive prey. If such a thing has been located, the spider pounces on it with a surprise jump and puts it out of action with a poisonous bite. In the prey scheme of the great sun wolf mainly ground-dwelling insects fall .

Life cycle

As with many spiders, the life cycle is extremely diverse and also spread over different seasons.

Phenology

The phenology (activity time) of the great sun wolf covers the period between March and September for adult females, and between April and September for the male, which means that the species has a comparatively long activity time.

Mating and laying eggs

As with other wolf spiders, the male of the Great Sun Wolf feeds a female with a courtship dance typical of this family before mating takes place. Some time after this, the female makes an egg cocoon, which she carries around with her attached to the spinnerets, as is usual for wolf spiders. Most of the time, the female then remains in the living tube.

Studies have shown that the eggs of the great sun wolf contain a lower proportion of cadmium and copper than usual, depending on the location and especially in areas with higher environmental pollution . This serves to ensure that the embryos can withstand the contamination and that the species can thus establish itself or remain established in habitats that are influenced in this way.

The young animals grow up

As with all wolf spiders, the newly hatched young animals climb onto their mother's opisthosoma after hatching and allow themselves to be carried by the mother for a while before they become independent. After a while, like the full-grown spiders, they already create living tubes in which the molting takes place.

Systematics

The great sun wolf was classified in the genus Lycosa by the first descriptor Johan Peter Westring in 1861 and given the name L. nemoralis . The name Xerolycosa nemoralis , which is valid today , was first used in 1908 by Karl Friedrich Theodor Dahl , who at the same time first described the genus of the sun wolves ( Xerolycosa ) and thus classified the Great Sun Wolf in it. Since 1959, this term has been used consistently by Jacobus Theodorus Wiebes in 1959.

A synonymous species is Tarentula flavitibia Saito , 1934 (= Saitocosa flavitibia ), described from Japan. Animals from steppe habitats in Central Asia (Tuva, Mongolia, Russia), which in the past were often classified as Xerolycosa nemoralis , were separated as a separate species Xerolycosa mongolica (Schenkel, 1963) in 2011 .

gallery

  • Dorsal view of a female

  • Frontal view of a female

  • Lateral view of a female

  • Rear view of a female

  • Females and males in comparison

  • Dorsal view of a male

  • Frontal view of a male

  • Lateral view of a male missing one leg.

  • Rear view of a male

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Xerolycosa nemoralis (Westring, 1861) from araneae Spiders of Europe, by Wolfgang Nentwig, Theo Blick, Robert Bosmans, Daniel Gloor, Ambros Hänggi & Christian Kropf, accessed on May 12, 2020.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Xerolycosa nemoralis (Westring, 1861) from Natur in NRW, accessed on May 12, 2020.
  3. ↑ a b c Heiko Bellmann: The cosmos spider guide. Over 400 species in Europe. Kosmos Naturführer, Kosmos (Franckh-Kosmos), 2nd edition, 2016, p. 172, ISBN 978-3-440-14895-2 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i I. Varol, M. Ozaslan, A. Ozdemir, Z. Akan, F. Kutbay: Two Species of Genus Xerolycosa (Araneae: Lycosidae) New to the Turkish Spider Fauna , Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment 20, 1st volume, 2014, pp. 69-73, accessed on May 12, 2020.
  5. ↑ a b c d e f Xerolycosa (Dahl, 1908) at the Wiki der Arachnologische Gesellschaft e. V., accessed on May 12, 2020.
  6. ↑ a b c d Xerolycosa nemoralis (Westring, 1861) at the British Arachnological Society, accessed May 12, 2020.
  7. ↑ a b Xerolycosa nemoralis (Westring, 1861) in the WSC World Spider Catalog , accessed May 12, 2020.
  8. ↑ a b c Yuri M. Marusik, Mykola M. Kovblyuk, Seppo Koponen (2011): A survey of the East Palaearctic Lycosidae (Araneae). 9. Genus Xerolycosa Dahl, 1908 (Evippinae). Zookeys 119: 11-27. doi: 10.3897 / zookeys.119.1706
  9. ↑ a b Seppo Koponen: Early succession of a boreal spider community after forest fire , The Journal of Arachnology 33, 2005, pp. 230-235, accessed on May 12, 2020.
  10. ↑ Xerolycosa nemoralis (Westring, 1861) at the Red List Center, accessed on May 12, 2020.
  11. ^ Xerolycosa nemoralis (Westring, 1861) at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility , accessed on May 12, 2020.
  12. ↑ Xerolycosa nemoralis (Westring, 1861) from Naturspaziergang, accessed on May 12, 2020.
  13. ↑ A. Babczyńska, G. Wilczek, E. Szulińska, P. Migula, M. Binkowski: The development al potential of the embryos of wolf spider Xerolycosa nemoralis from areas variously burdened with metals , Web of Conferences 1, 34006, 34006, p . 1-3, accessed on May 12, 2020.

Web links

Commons : Large Sun Wolf  album with pictures, videos and audio files

literature