Numbers
No Taxon atrata group - 1 species in bugguide's range
No Taxon coloradensis group
Pardosa coloradensis
No Taxon distincta group
P. montgomeryi
P. orophila
P. utahensis
P. xerophila
P. yavapa
No Taxon lapidicina group
P. mercurialis
P. sierra
P. steva
P. vadosa
P. valens
No Taxon milvina group
P. bellona
P. delicatula
P. littoralis
P. parvula
P. saltonia
No Taxon modica group
Pardosa albomaculata
Pardosa anomala
Pardosa bucklei
Pardosa confusa
Pardosa crassistyla
Pardosa dromaea
Pardosa labradorensis
Pardosa lowriei
Pardosa ourayensis
Pardosa sinistra
Pardosa tetonensis
Pardosa tristis
Pardosa vogelae
Pardosa wasatchensis
Pardosa wyuta
No Taxon moesta group
No Taxon nigra group - According to Beatrice Vogel's article (see Internet References, below) there are 8 species in the contiguous US, with 5 also in Canada. 6 species are found in Europe and/or Asia
P. dorsalis
P. gothicana
P. hetchi
P. rainieriana
P. uintana
P. uncata
No Taxon saltuaria group
No Taxon sternalis group 5-8 mm
The sternalis group consists of six species west of the Mississippi River:
P. altamontis
P. orthodox
P. sternalis
P. tuoba
No Taxon tesquorum group
P. mulaiki
No Taxon xerampelina group
P. diuturna
P. nordicolens
Identification
Spiders in the Pardosa genus have a subvertical/converging face as shown below.
Lycosa-like genera including Hogna, Schizocosa, Trochosa etc. have a convex face as shown below.
Info. provided by Rod Crawford.
According to Bradley, "Common Spiders of North America",
Pardosa can be identified by the nearly perpendicular spines on the hind legs"
(2) (pg. 147) Editor's note: Per communication with Richard A. Bradly this may not apply to all species in the genus (can't find it in the literature) but seems at the very least to be a quick way to separate
Pardosa from similarly sized genera in North America. Will update if I find out more info regarding this. -Laura P.
Keep in mind that
Pardosa closely resemble
Acantholycosa in appearance, especially the shape of the cephalothorax and slenderness of the legs. The distinguishing feature is the number of tibial spines:
Acantholycosa has 5–7 pairs on the ventral side of tibia I, and
Pardosa have 3 pairs, of which the distal pair may be short.
(1) However, North America currently only has one described species that could cause this potential confusion:
Acantholycosa solituda.
Range
distincta group
The following 5 species are found in the Rocky Mountain states from New Mexico north through Wyoming.
P. montgomeryi
P. orophila
P. utahensis
P. xerophila
P. yavapa
P. distincta is found throughout the Rocky Mountains, including Canada, and eastward to New England. While P. distincta is one of the most frequently encountered Pardosa species in the Rocky Mountains, the other five species of the group are rarely seen because of their size and restricted choice of habitat. (1)
Remarks
The Lapponica Group (2 species in bugguide's range) consists of one species in North America and one Holarctic species - Pardosa concinna & Pardosa lapponica.
The Modica Group (23 species in bugguide's range) The 17 U.S. species are Pardosa albomaculata, Pardosa anomala, Pardosa bucklei, Pardosa confusa, Pardosa crassistyla, Pardosa dromaea, Pardosa groenlandica, Pardosa labradorensis, Pardosa lowriei, Pardosa modica, Pardosa ourayensis, Pardosa sinistra, Pardosa tetonensis, Pardosa tristis, Pardosa vogelae, Pardosa wasatchensis, Pardosa wyuta.
