Deadwood spiked wolf

Deadwood spiked wolf
	Deadwood Spiny Wolf ( Acantholycosa lignaria ), female
Systematics
Class :	Arachnids (arachnida)
Order :	Spiders (Araneae)
Subordination :	Real spiders (Araneomorphae)
Family :	Wolf spiders (Lycosidae)
Genre :	Spiny Wolves ( Acantholycosa )
Type :	Deadwood spiked wolf
Scientific name
	Acantholycosa lignaria
	( Clerck , 1757)

The deadwood spiny wolf ( Acantholycosa lignaria ), also called deadwood spiny wolf spider , is a spider from the family of wolf spiders (Lycosidae). The trivial names are a translation of the scientific name and come from the visual appearance and the usual locations of the species on wood trunks. This wolf spider is predominantly found in the Palearctic , i.e. in the northern part of the Old World .

features

Male of the deadwood spiny wolf spider

The body length of the female of the deadwood spiny wolf is eight and that of the male six millimeters. The dark appearance of the species is striking. The black prosoma (front body) is provided with light median stripes. The sternum (breast plate of the prosoma) is also almost black. The emboli (parts of the paired sexual organs) of the males are, unlike in the related species within the genus, not curved at the tip.

As with all members of the genus, the long legs are dark brown in color and lightly curled in the deadwood spiny wolf. Another characteristic of the spiny wolves ( Acantholycosa ), which also gives them their name, are the spines on the ventral sides of the tibiae of the first pair of legs. In the deadwood spiny wolf, their number is four each. They are each arranged in an inclined row.

The opisthosoma is also almost black and yellowish hairy. It is also provided with pairs of white dots. The egipyne (sex organ) of the female consists of a pocket that is narrower than the width of the septum.

Similar species

The deadwood spiked wolf is similar to the Pardosa trailli , which also belongs to the wolf spiders, but its body markings and leg ringing are less pronounced.

Another similar species is the Alpine spiny wolf ( Acantholycosa pedestris ) belonging to the same genus . This differs from the deadwood prickly wolf in its size, its darker color and the tibia of the first pair of legs, each with five to six spines. In contrast to the deadwood sting wolf , the alpine spiny wolf mainly inhabits block rubble areas in the high Alps , which means that both species are unlikely to occur together.

Occurrence

Female of the deadwood spiny wolf spider on the Krippenstein in Styria ( Austria )

The deadwood spiked wolf is present in large parts of Europe and with eastern Russia and China also in areas of Asia . In Germany, however, it can only be found in the Eastern Alps and the Bohemian Forest . The species mainly inhabits mountainous coniferous forests and, according to its trivial names, is found there preferentially on dead wood. Studies have shown that these spiders prefer areas where a forest fire had previously occurred, which could be explained by the way the spider lives on dead wood and the repopulation of the burned areas with preferred prey.

Threat and protection

The IUCN does not assess the global population of the deadwood spiny wolf . In Germany the species is very rare, not least because of its small distribution area there. Although stable partial stocks exist, there is still a moderate decline to be recorded. The dead wood spiked wolf is classified in the Red List of Endangered Species of Animals, Plants and Fungi in Germany in category 2 ("endangered").

Way of life

Females on dead wood, found near Frauenau ( Bavaria ).

The deadwood spiked wolf is primarily active during the day and likes to sunbathe on weathered wood. In addition, he also likes to walk around on dead wood trunks and, thanks to his long legs, can reach considerable speeds. When disturbed, the spider tries to hide in cracks in the wood. Like many wolf spiders, the deadwood spiny wolf does not create a spider web for catching purposes, but hunts any prey as an ambulance hunter with the help of its well-developed eyes.

Phenology and reproduction

Adult specimens of both sexes of the deadwood sting wolf can be found between June and August. The reproductive behavior is essentially the same as that of other wolf spiders. A sexually mature female tries to attract males willing to mate with the help of pheromones . These then perform a kind of courtship dance and thus approach the females. For the purpose of mating, the male rises on the back of the female and leads his bulbi (male sexual organs) alternately into the epigyne (sexual organ) of the female. Some time after mating, the female makes an egg cocoon and attaches it to her spinnerets, which is typical for wolf spiders. After hatching, the spiderlings climb onto their mother's back and let them carry them before they become independent.

Mismatches

Attempted mismatches of females of the deadwood spiny wolf with males of the peat moss wolf spider ( Pardosa sphagnicola ) have been handed down in captivity. These fail, however, because of the differently structured sexual organs of both species and the excessively large size of the female of the deadwood spiny wolf, which prevents the introduction of the bulb of the male peat moss wolf spider into the epigyne of the female of the peat moss wolf spider. The occurrence of these mismatches has not yet been fully clarified. It is believed that this is caused by the similarly acting pheromones of the two species.

Systematics

First descriptor Carl Alexander Clerck classified the deadwood spiny wolf in the first description in 1757, as was common with all new descriptions of spiders at the time, in the genus Araneus (today cross spiders ) and gave it the name Araneus lignarius . Like many spiders, it was renamed and changed into different families and genera. Under Karl Friedrich Theodor Dahl , the species received its current name Acantholycosa lignaria in 1908 , which has been used almost continuously since then.