ARACHNIDA > ARANEAE > Lycosidae > Pardosa

This family includes 38 species collectively known as 'wolf spiders' because of their habit of hunting prey rather than spinning a web to entrap them. They can often be seen running around the ground in warm weather. With no web, the females have to carry their eggs around with them in an egg-sac that's attached to the spinnerets at the rear of the abdomen. When the young emerge, they climb onto the adults back where they stay for a few days before dispersing.

They have eight eyes that when viewed head-on can appear as three rows; four small eyes that are in line with a pair of larger eyes above, and then another pair further back that are more widely spaced which, when seen from above, form a distinctive trapezium shape with the front pair.

This page looks at the largest and most common genus Pardosa with fifteen species that are all very similar to each other. With variable colour and appearance, and the fact that nine or ten of these species could be found locally, it would be very easy to simply caption them all as unidentified Pardosa sp. and, when I look at my records, the vast majority are. But it's an interesting group of species to photograph and, now and again, images can show details that in conjunction with habitat may well suggest a 'likely' candidate.

Pardosa amentata is one of the most abundant species in this genus and usually the most common Pardosa found in gardens. They have a dark-brown carapace with a well-defined paler yellow-brown median band of variable width, and broken lateral bands of the same colour. The abdomen tapers towards the rear and has some black marks, but with no details that would really help with identification. But, the females have clear leg annulations that set them apart from a number of the other species, so that when you take all this information, together with the general appearance and comparison with a photo on the Spider Recording Scheme, Pardosa amentata looks extremely likely for the individual I photographed on the garage wall.

Pardosa monticola has distinctive markings with a narrow yellowish-brown median band and similarly coloured lateral stripes on the carapace with the central band effectively extending onto the front of the abdomen as a cardiac mark. There's a close resemblance to a couple of other species, with Pardosa palustris being the main contender locally, but the well-established rough grassland at Martin Down makes Pardosa monticola the most likely.

Pardosa nigriceps is the only Pardosa species likely to be found on low vegetation and bushes rather than on or very near the ground and, as such, is often the only member of the genus that arachnologists will confirm from a photo. The carapace is dark brown with a paler median band and light brown bands along the sides. The abdomen is more of a yellowish-brown colour with a clear light-brown cardiac mark and a double row of often feint pale spots behind and similarly coloured light brown bands on the side. The legs are brown with dark spots on the femora, and have long spines.

Pardosa prativaga and Pardosa pullata have very similar appearance, and both are common locally in a variety of habitats including woodland rides where two of the individuals featured below were photographed, but the determining factor that enabled identified by one of the admin experts from the FB 'British Spiders Identification Group' was the clearly annulated legs that are not present in Pardosa pullata. The second photo shows a female carrying her spiderlings.

Pardosa saltans is very much associated with mature and/or ancient woodland habitats where it may be found in open clearings. The carapace is dark brown to black with a fairly broad whitish median band, which tapers slightly towards the rear. In the male it's more parallel sided. The abdomen in both sexes is brown with typical Pardosa markings. The legs have distinctive light and dark annulations.

NB. three of the photos below show females carrying their egg-sacs and one where she has her young spiderlings clinging onto her abdomen.

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Updated, Jan.25 (v.3)