ARACHNIDA > ARANEAE > Lycosidae > Pardosa

The previous page featured six Pardosa species, but there are four others that could possibly be encountered locally even though they probably aren't going to be identifiable.

Pardosa palustris is a common 'wolf spider' that I've almost certainly encountered. However, it's extremely similar to some of the other Pardosa species, particularly Pardosa monticola as noted on the previous page. The two are said to be indistinguishable making field identification virtually impossible, so trying to pin a name to a photographed individual based on general appearance and habitat alone is always going to be questionable. Yet, from what I've read about these species, they do favour different habitats with Pardosa palustris having a distinct preference for open, sparsely vegetated bare ground, whereas Pardosa monticola is typically found in short vegetation in grasslands. In many situations, the habitat will be inconclusive, but locally I'd be pretty sure that if I found one of these on heathland it would likely be Pardosa palustris and likewise, if I find another on chalk downland then it's probably Pardosa monticola.        

Pardosa pullata is another very common species, probably one of the most frequently encountered, but one that is not going to be identifiable at any level as it doesn't have any specific features. To all intents and purposes, it's indistinguishable from a number of other species, particularly Pardosa prativaga and Pardosa amentata, as well as a couple of others that are far less common. It's also one of the species that doesn't have any particular habitat association.

Pardosa hortensis is an uncommon regional species that has been recorded from East Dorset in the past, so there's no reason why it couldn't be encountered. It's the smallest member of the genus with no defining features so could easily be confused with some of the other species such as Pardosa pullata or Pardosa prativaga. It occurs in very varied locations ranging from woodland clearings and heathland to seashores, so again, there's no clear habitat association.

Pardosa purbeckensis is an uncommon, local coastal species that can be found on saltmarsh and other tidal habitats. It's very similar to Pardosa agrestris and until recently was considered a form of that species. It also has the same typical Pardosa appearance as a couple of the other species described here, so any attempt to identify it is going to be very much based on habitat.

The ten species I referred to at the start of this account on the previous page have now been covered to some degree. The remaining six species are all nationally scarce or rare and can effectively be disregarded.

The following photos show a few of the individuals that I haven't tried to name for one reason or another, even though I'm pretty sure that a couple could be taken to a 'likely' species. I've deliberately looked for photos from different locations, because at some point I want to see if a pattern starts to emerge from my records in terms of general habitat as it could produce useful comparative data. For now, though, I'm happy to leave them all as unidentified Pardosa sp.

Continues on the next page ....

Updated, Nov.23 (v.2)