Rustic wolf spider
Trochosa ruricola
The rustic wolf spider is a robustly built spider from the wolf spider family (Lycosidae). It reaches a body length of up to 15 mm and exhibits a brownish base coloration with a characteristic light median stripe on the prosoma. The species is primarily nocturnal and spends the day in self-excavated burrows or under stones and deadwood.
Details
Identification
Light brown median stripe on the carapace with two dark longitudinal lines in the anterior third; powerful legs without the heavy spination seen in Pardosa species.
Social behavior
Solitary; exhibits distinct courtship behavior and intraspecific aggression outside the mating season.
Diet
Insects, woodlice, and other small arthropods.
Hunting strategy
Active ambush predator on the ground; does not use capture webs.
Spawning substrate
Eggs are protected in a silk cocoon carried attached to the spinnerets.
Overwintering
Overwintering as subadult or adult in soil burrows or deep within the litter layer.
Ecology
Ecological role
Important predator for regulating insect populations in the herb layer and on the ground.
Natural predators
Birds, shrews, spider wasps (Pompilidae), and larger spider species.
Competitor species
Other wolf spiders of the genera Trochosa and Pardosa as well as ground beetles.
Ecosystem service
Natural pest control in agricultural ecosystems by consuming aphids and other pest insects.
Threats
Intensive agriculture, high pesticide use, and the loss of fallow land.
Scientific profile
Profile
Distinguishing features
Genus-specific dark longitudinal lines within the light median band of the carapace. Distinguished from the very similar T. terricola by the absence of claws on the male pedipalps and a preference for moister habitats. Males also possess conspicuously thickened, dark palpal tarsi (cymbium).