Spotted Vole Wolf

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Spotted Vole Wolf
Spotted Vole Wolf (Arctosa maculata), female

Spotted Vole Wolf ( Arctosa maculata ), female

Systematics
Class : Arachnids (arachnida)
Order : Spiders (Araneae)
Subordination : Real spiders (Araneomorphae)
Family : Wolf spiders (Lycosidae)
Genre : Voles ( Arctosa )
Type : Spotted Vole Wolf
Scientific name
Arctosa maculata
( Hahn , 1822)

The spotted Wühlwolf or spotted sand wolf spider ( Arctosa maculata ), also spotted the bear called, is a spider from the family of wolf spiders (Lycosidae). The species is mainly found in several parts of Europe .

features

Excerpt from Monographia Aranearum = monograph of the spiders by Carl Wilhelm Hahn (1820), which shows the spotted Wühlwolf (above) and the gravel wolf ( Pardosa wagleri , below).

The female of the spotted wolf reaches a body length of 10 to 14 millimeters and the male one of nine to 11 millimeters. The prosoma (front body) takes a length of 4.1 to 4.5 millimeters in the female and 4.1 to five millimeters in the male. Like other voles ( Arctosa ), the spotted Wühlwolf is one of the comparatively large wolf spiders found in Central Europe .

The prosoma has a reddish-brown basic color. The carapace (back shield of the prosoma) is adorned with a light median band, which in turn is provided with spikes. In addition, there are several dark spots on the carapace, lateral bands composed of lighter spots and two light spots behind posterior lateral eyes. The legs of the spotted voles appear yellowish, the femora (thighs) are also slightly curled.

The opisthosoma (abdomen) has a light brown basic color and, like the legs, a yellowish median band, which is widened at the front and merges into light punk pairs at the back. In addition, there are several dark angular spots and a light heart mark on the opisthosoma.

Structure of the sexual organs

The bulbi (male sexual organs) have a tegulum apophyse ( chitinized process) with a distal process.

The epigyne (female sexual organ) is characterized by a tongue-shaped plate located in the center and widened to the rear.

Similar species

Female of the closely related river wolf spider ( Arctosa cinerea )

The spotted Wühlwolf partially resembles also the Wühlwölfen ( Arctosa counting) Arctosa cinerea ( A. cinerea ), sometimes similar habitats preferred. However, the spotted vole wolf is significantly smaller than the river bank wolf spider and generally has a slightly darker color.

Another similar species is the Stubby Wühlwolf ( A. stigmosa ), which also belongs to this genus , but which in turn remains somewhat smaller than the Spotted Wühlwolf and, in contrast to this, has a more yellowish or reddish color. Both types have a very similar character pattern.

Occurrence

Female of the Spotted Wühlwolf in Styria

The Spotted Wühlwolf is represented and widespread in Europe and Turkey . However, so far there is no evidence from Iceland , Scandinavia , the British Isles , the Baltic States , with the exception of Latvia , white and parts of western Russia , the Benelux -countries, France , Portugal , the Republic of Moldova , the Kosovo , Sicily , Sardinia , Corsica , the European Part of Turkey and the Caucasus .

Habitats

Gravel banks in the Breitach river near Markt Oberstdorf , Oberallgäu district in Bavaria , one of the few habitats of the spotted wolf in Germany.

The Spotted Wühlwolf lives in the vicinity of bodies of water (preferably running water) and prefers particularly stony or gravelly banks of water in the shadow area, but can also be found in other wet biotopes with suitable conditions, such as mud flats or even moist garden soil.

In Germany the previous locations of the species are limited to the south of Bavaria and the northern edge of the Alps . The Spotted Wühlwolf can be found on the banks of the rivers of the Alps and Pre-Alps, but has generally rarely been detected there. In Austria, for example, the species has been found in Carinthia and Styria . In the latter state, for. B. Finds from the Graz urban area on the near-natural banks of the Mur , the Krois and the Schöckelbach are known.

Threat and protection

The Spotted Wühlwolf in Central Europe is exposed to a certain degree of endangerment due to its dependence on specific habitats including its already very limited distribution there, especially since finds of the species are anyway rather rare.

In the Red List of Endangered Species of Animals, Plants and Fungi in Germany, for example, the species is listed in category 3 ("endangered"). However, in contrast to the 2016 Red List, in which the species was still listed in Category 2 ("critically endangered"), a lower risk of endangerment could be determined. The reason for this is the increase in knowledge about the endangerment situation of the species.

In the Red List of Austria the spotted Wühlwolf is listed in the category G ("endangerment of unknown extent"). In Carinthia in particular , serious threats to the population of the species have been documented.

The IUCN does not record the general population of the spotted voles .

Way of life

Female outside of its shelter, found near Mangfalltal in Bavaria .

The Spotted Wühlwolf differs from the other voles ( Arctosa ) in terms of its way of life and, in contrast to the other species of the genus, does not dig burrows , but instead places webs of dwelling in existing cavities under stones or builds a shelter with webs within its habitat under stones in the form of a cavity.

Hunting behavior and catch of prey

As the predominant species of the wolf spider hunts and the like almost all spiders predators living Spotted Wühlwolf free hunting without safety net and uses his well-developed sense of vision for the purpose of perception and locating prey. These are then overwhelmed in a jump attack, while the hunter simultaneously injects the prey with poison using his chelicerae (jaw claws) and thus puts it out of action. Other arthropods of a suitable size fall into the prey spectrum of the spotted voles .

Life cycle

As with many spider species that are common in temperate climates, the life cycle of the spotted wolf is divided into several phases and also depends on the seasons.

Phenology

The phenology (time of activity) of the adult spotted volesus spider amounts to the periods between the months of April and June and August and November, while it is interrupted in June and due to the hibernation between December and March.

Reproduction

The reproductive behavior of the spotted Wühlwolf corresponds to that of other wolf spiders, so here too the male performs a courtship dance typical of wolf spiders compared to a female of its own species . Mating occurs if the male is willing to mate. In July you can also find females with egg cocoons in their hiding places. The female of the spotted vole wolf also carries her egg cocoon with her attached to the spinnerets and the young animals climb onto their mother's back after hatching. They stay there for some time and then become independent. The young animals reach sexual maturity in the following year.

Systematics

When it was first described in 1822 by its first describer Carl Wilhelm Hahn, the spotted Wühlwolf was classified as all wolf spiders in the genus Lycosa and was given the name L. maculata . When Carl Ludwig Koch first described the genus of the voles ( Arctosa ) in 1847 , he also classified the spotted voles in it and first gave the species the name A. farinosa . The current name A. maculata was first used in 1908 by Friedrich Dahl and has been used consistently since 1965.

The species name maculata comes from the Latin language and is a modification of the verb maculare , which means "speckled" and thus indicates the spotty pattern of the species, which has also brought its German trivial name .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Heiko Bellmann: Der Kosmos Spinnenführer. Over 400 species in Europe. Kosmos Naturführer, Kosmos (Franckh-Kosmos), 2nd edition, 2016, p. 190, ISBN 978-3-440-14895-2 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Arctosa maculata (Hahn, 1822) at araneae - Spiders of Europe, accessed on June 19, 2020.
  3. ↑ a b c d Arctosa maculata (Hahn, 1822) from the nature guide Styrian Wulkanland, accessed on June 19, 2020.
  4. ↑ a b c d Arctosa maculata (Hahn, 1822) at the Wiki der Arachnologische Gesellschaft e. V., accessed on June 19, 2020.
  5. ↑ a b Christian Komposch: Day of Biodiversity - Spiders and Harvesters (Arachnida: Araneae, Opiliones) in the Graz Botanical Garden. , Mitteilungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Verein für Steiermark, Volume 141, 2011, pp. 167-184, accessed on June 19, 2020.
  6. ↑ Arctosa maculata (Hahn, 1822) at the Red List Center, accessed on June 19, 2020.
  7. ^ Arctosa maculata (Hahn, 1822) at Global Biodiversity Information Facility , accessed June 19, 2020.
  8. ↑ Arctosa maculata (Hahn, 1822) in the WSC World Spider Catalog , accessed June 19, 2020.

literature

Web links

Commons : Spotted Wühlwolf  - Collection of images, videos and audio files