Subject: shy spider strikes a pose!
Location: West central Texas
May 18, 2013 7:09 am
This little lady was playing peek-a-boo with me as the sun came up this morning. From what I’ve found online, she has to be a scrub burrowing wolf spider, but I couldn’t find any pics online that looked quite like her. As far as I could tell, her body was smooth, legs hairy, dark brown except for some of the top of her abdomen which was cream colored.
I managed to fend off my cat and get a series of pics as she came out of hiding. Made my day!
Signature: DeeJay, the bug nerd

Burrowing Wolf Spider

Dear DeeJay,
Thanks for sending us your photos of a Burrowing Wolf Spider, most likely a member of the genus Geolycosa.  Your photos really illustrate the burrowing habits.

Burrowing Wolf Spider

Burrowing Wolf Spider

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Subject: Huge spider that made it through lawnmower
Location: Florida panhandle
March 7, 2013 6:59 am
Dear bug man,
I was mowing the lawn one day and saw the clippings moving from one o the passes that I just made in the yard. After closer inspection, I see this gal crawling out from the area that I just mowed. All legs intact and unscathed. I was just wondering what kind of spider this was. There seems to be quite a few around my house and sometimes in mya garage. This was in the middle of the summer last year when I took this picture.
Signature: Thanks, Casey

Wolf Spider

Dear Casey,
We hope our readership will be amused with your anecdote of a Wolf Spider that escaped a potentially gruesome death due to being run over by the lawnmower.

Thanks for the identification. Now what is the best course of action to keep these gals out of my house? They can stay outside and eat all the bugs and I’m fine with that. But I have a 2 yr. old daughter that does not need to have one bite her when she naps.
Thanks

Hi Casey,
Wolf Spiders are not dangerous nor are they aggressive, and we seriously doubt your daughter will get bitten.  Wolf Spiders would not seek out shelter indoors, so they only way a Wolf Spider will enter your home is accidentally.  We don’t think you have anything to worry about.

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Subject: Three years after the fact
Location: near Enid, OK
February 25, 2013 5:55 am
This lovely spider sat in our driveway and patiently allowed me to take as many pictures as I wished without so much as twitching. I am guessing it must be a type of wolf spider- it was quite large- but would love to know more.
Thank you!
Signature: Ceci

Wolf Spider

Hi Ceci,
We agree that this impressive spider is a Wolf Spider, and we believe it might be one of the Burrowing Wolf Spiders in the genus Geolycosa based on photos posted to BugGuide.  Perhaps one of our readers will write in with a comment confirming or refuting our identification.

Wolf Spider

Your photos are quite beautiful.

Thank you- of all the days to get a lucky shot I am glad it was this one.  I will now be watching all the little holes near our house with more interest this year; maybe I will get to see one in residence.  Thanks for the help!
Ceci

Wolf Spider

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Subject: Sexton beetle and phoretic mites; Geolycosa; Western Spotted Orbweaver
Location: Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico
August 11, 2012 7:55 pm
I love going around this area after dark and finding all sorts of local arthropods; I’m from Ohio, so even though I’ve lived in this state for almost ten years now, I still find the native bug populations to be exceptionally interesting. Most everything I’ve found I’ve been able to identify thanks to this site, but a few of these images I felt like sharing. The first, I encountered the beetle outside my home and wasn’t sure what the little brown nodules were until I saw one of them move. They were all over its body beneath its wing covers, and plentiful enough that it couldn’t get off the ground. The second image is a Geolycosa female, also located immediately outside my house. I’ve been keeping tabs on her for over a month because of her size; that hole is slightly larger than a US quarter, and you can just make out her abdomen behind her head. The final image is of what I believe is a Western Spotted Orbweaver; she’s been m aking her web every night in roughly the same spot, and I rarely catch her without food.
Signature: Grady

Burrowing Wolf Spider

Dear Grady,
We find your enthusiasm very refreshing.  Enthusiasts who do nighttime exploration often encounter many species that are absent during diurnal explorations.  We are especially interested in your photo of the Burrowing Wolf Spider in the genus Geolycosa and readers who want to learn more about Burrowing Wolf Spiders can find information on Bugguide.

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Subject: Huge…wolf spider?
Location: Central California foothills
July 30, 2012 8:33 pm
We came across this ”little thing” while camping this weekend at a lake in central CA. It almost crawled on my brothers foot sitting around the camp. We managed to catch it to show the kids but it had escaped by morning. I think it’s some type of wolf spider but I can’t seem to match it. Any insight? Thanks for your help.
Signature: George

Wolf Spider

Hi George,
This is a beautiful Wolf Spider, and most likely a female, but we are not certain of the species.

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Subject: Spider Identifcation
Location: North East Pennsylvania
July 30, 2012 8:51 am
Hello –
This spider was found in my home on my pillow. The picture is zoomed in but the spider was as big as a half dollar. I thought it might be a Nursery Web Spider but I’m not sure. Please let me know if you are able to help me identify this spider. Thanks!
Signature: -Kristin

Rabid Wolf Spider

Hi Kristin,
Your spider is a Rabid Wolf Spider, Rabidosa rabida, or another member of the genus, and you may verify that identification on BugGuide.  This large Wolf Spider is not a dangerous species. 

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