Species Rabidosa rabida - Rabid Wolf Spider

Rabidosa rabida (Walckenaer)

Orig. Comb: Lycosa rabida Walckenaer, 1837

rabida (L.) unfavorable behavior, furious. Presumably a reference to its fast movement.

Length of female 16 to 21 mm; of male 11 to 12 mm (1).

The ground color is yellow, with brownish to black longitudinal stripes. In this species, the median dark band of the abdomen is broken and encloses lighter areas. The male has leg I dark brown or black. The venter does not have the significant black coloration or large black spots seen on similar species, such as R. punctulata or R. carrana. (1)

Juvenile:

Female: Ventral:

Male:

e. US (TX-FL-ME-NE) / Mex. - Map (1)(GBIF)

mostly: Mar-Nov (GBIF)

This species overwinters as juveniles, which mature in early summer to midsummer. Mating and egg sac construction occurs in midsummer to early fall, and mature females with babies are observed in the fall.(2)(3) These date ranges may vary depending on the local climate.

Brady & McKinley. 1994. Nearctic Species of the Wolf Spider genus Rabidosa (Araneae: Lycosidae). The Journal of Arachnology. 22(2): 138-160. (JSTOR) (2)