Rabidosa rabida
E.R. Degginger / Color-Pic, Inc.
Rabidosa rabida
E.R. Degginger / Color-Pic, Inc.
The Rabid Wolf Spider is
easily confused with other wolf spiders. It can be
identified by its stripe pattern. The cephalothorax
(front body section) has two dark stripes. The
abdomen
(rear body section) has one dark stripe surrounded by two
pale lines. The female, which is
larger than the male, can have a body length (not counting
legs) of almost an inch. The male's body is usually about
half an inch. Wolf spiders do not build
webs to catch prey. They do weave silk to build a shelter,
or to build a sac to carry eggs in. Rabid Wolf Spiders hunt
their food at night, ambushing prey
or using their speed. This brownish-yellow spider
camouflages
well with dead leaves and bark. They eat mostly
insects. When Rabid Wolf Spiders
breed,
the male does a sort of "dance", by waving its pedipalps
(large leg-like mouthparts). He also makes a
noise. When the female lays
eggs, she builds a silk eggsac to carry them in. She
attaches the sac to her abdomen. When spiderlings (baby
spiders) hatch, they ride on her back until they are old
enough to be on their own. Rabid Wolf Spiders can be
seen in woods, meadows,
or anywhere there are leaves. If captured, they will
bite, but they are not considered dangerous. If you see them at night
with a flashlight, their eyes will reflect light.
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Relationships in Nature:
Relationship to Humans:
Rabid Wolf Spiders benefit humans greatly by controlling pesky insects. Like all spiders, they eat an enormous amount of insects every day, and Rabid Wolf Spiders are very large spiders.
They sometimes enter homes, but they should not be harmed. They most likely have followed "food" into your house.
