KMP-05728 (m/f lot)

Pedipalp:

Female:

Moved from Wolf Spiders.

Gladicosa gulosa, whose distribution covers most of the eastern half of the US and southern Canada, is rather similar in appearance to the slightly larger Gladicosa pulchra, a species that because of its preferred habitat was once considered uncommon. Even looking at the epigyne and pedipalp, I found it difficult initially to tell them apart with certainty.

The Gladicosa genus was established by Allen Brady in 1987 as part of a series of revisions of the sprawling Lycosa genus. Gladicosa is distinguished from other lycosid species on the basis of the genitalia as well as habitus (at least initially) and presently contains 5 species. Gladicosa euepigynata is similar in size to G. gulosa and G. pulchra, but is found only in Texas. The other two species, G. huberti and G. bellamyi, are smaller; both are apparently limited to the southeastern United States (Brady, 1987).

G. gulosa, the type species, is commonly found in leaf litter; it matures in the fall and overwinters as an adult. G. pulchra was also found in wooded areas, but much less often. The reason for this, it turns out (as John has already hinted at) is that it lives on the bark of tree trunks, some distance from the ground. As Dr. Brady writes (pers. corr.): "Sometimes a 'rare' species is simply a manifestation of our search image... once the correct search image is formed what is 'rare' becomes more common. This seems to be the case for Gladicosa pulchra."

G. pulchra's distribution can be described as the southeastern United States, extending up the Atlantic seaboard as far as Long Island, west into Texas, and north to the southerly regions of Kansas and Missouri; it is most common in the southeast, including northern Florida, where G. gulosa is relatively rare (Brady, 1987; Brady found no records for Florida at all in 1987).

Here are images of the the pedipalp and epigynum. I measured the body length of the male at just over 12 mm:
http://forum.canadianarachnology.org/viewtopic.php?t=762

Brady (1987) gives the following ranges for body length (BL)*...

G. gulosa (F): 12.69 - 13.67
G. gulosa (M): 11.16 - 11.76

G. pulchra (F): 15.43 - 16.45
G. pulchra (M): 12.02 - 12.68

* Keep in mind that BL measurements can vary quite a bit and exceed given ranges.