Lycosa tarantula (Linnaeus, 1758)
Description
Male
Basic colouration whitish-grey, prosoma dorsally with 2 brown longitudinal stripes and a median whitish band and 2 lateral bright bands, sometimes indistinct. Head frontally and pedipalpus reddish, legs dorsally grey-brown, opisthosoma dorsally with a brown longitudinal spot, extending into 2 triangles, followed by dark chevrons, separated by white lines. Sternum black, legs ventrally striped black and white, opisthosoma ventrally with a wide black band, before it and behind limited by bright yellow or orange spots (aposematic colouration).
Body length male: 20-25 mmFemale
Females similar to males, but basic colouration yellowish-brown.
Body length female: 25-30 mmAdditional information
At dry and stony places with sparse vegetation cover, in silken tubes with 2 cm diameter, reaching up to 30 cm deep into the ground, small leaves and other vegetation remnants are woven into the opening part of the tube, forming a collar. Mostly active at night.
Shy spider. Reports on its aggressive behaviour and toxic venoms are today clearly seen as medieval myths.
Distribution
Phenology
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Figures
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Simon 1937)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Pepe 2005)
Pedipalp, prolateral view
(Pepe 2005)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Pedipalp, prolateral view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Pedipalp, expanded, retrolateral view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Pedipalp, expanded, prolateral view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Pedipalp, dorsal view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Pedipalp, ventro-prolateral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Pedipalp, ventro-retrolateral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Bulbus, anterior view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Bulbus, ventral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Bulbus, ventro-prolateral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Bulbus, ventro-retrolateral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Embolic division, anterior view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Embolic division, ventral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Embolic division, ventral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Procursus, frontal view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Prosoma, dorsal view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Opisthosoma, dorsal view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Opisthosoma, ventral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Epigyne
(Simon 1937)
Epigyne
(Pepe 2005)
Epigyne
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Epigyne
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Epigyne
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Epigyne
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Vulva, ventral view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Vulva, ventral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Prosoma, dorsal view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Prosoma, frontal view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Opisthosoma, dorsal view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Opisthosoma, ventral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Opisthosoma, ventral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Opisthosoma, ventral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Opisthosoma, ventral view
(Ballarin et al. 2026)
Distribution List
References
Ballarin F, Marusik Y M, Pantini P, Nadolny A A (2026) From folkloric origins to scientific systematics: the first detailed redescription of the type species of Lycosa Latreille, 1804 with insight into the genus (Araneae: Lycosidae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1043: 244-286 
Beladjal L, Bouseksou S, Kherbouche-Abrous O, Alioua Y, Bosmans R (2025) First exhaustive catalog of spiders of Algeria (Arachnida: Araneae). Zootaxa 5598: 1-185
Benhacene R, Adjami A, Hadjeb A, Kermiche K, Ouakid M L (2023) Bibliographic checklist of the Algerian spider fauna (Araneae). Zootaxa 5352: 301-357
Benhalima S, Bosmans R (2024) First historical checklist of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Morocco, between 1840–2024. Zootaxa 5555: 407-535
Danışman T, Kunt K B, Özkütük R S, Coşar İ (2025a) The checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Version 2025 [last updated 01 December 2025], online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info
Deltshev C, Komnenov M, Blagoev G, Georgiev T, Lazarov S, Stojkoska E, Naumova M (2013) Faunistic diversity of spiders (Araneae) in Galichitsa Mountain (FYR Macedonia). Biodiversity Data Journal 1(e977): 1-70
El-Hennawy H K (2017a) A list of Egyptian spiders (revised in 2017). Serket 15: 167-183
Elkrew H, Hamza A, Ghana S, Shaibi T, Swehli A I, Elmareme H, Ahmad A (2024) Checklist of the spiders (Araneae) of Libya. Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences 22: 19346-19369
Isaia M, Tolve M, Pantini P (2025) Araneae.it: 2.0: the new updated version of the digital catalog of the Italian spiders and other arachnids (Arachnida: Araneae, Opiliones, Scorpiones, Pseudoscorpiones, Palpigradi, Solifugae). Fragmenta Entomologica 57: 197-204
Komnenov M (2010) Checklist of spiders (Araneae) of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Uzizaž i Biospeld 5(2009): 52-69
Milosevic B (2002) Aranea – Popis vrsta – Checklist. Hrvatsko entomološko društvo – Inventar entomofaune Hrvatske [Aranea – List of species – Checklist. Croatian Entomological Society – Inventory of Croatian entomofauna].
Pepe R (2005) Basi zoologiche-naturalistiche del tarantismo nel Salento. Thalassia Salentina 27(2004): 47-62
Pfliegler W A, Schönhofer A, Niedbała W, Vella P, Sciberras A, Vella A (2017) New records of mites (Acari) and harvestmen (Opiliones) from Malta with a preliminary checklist of Maltese Arachnida. Soil Organisms 89: 85-110
Planas E, Fernàndes-Montraveta C, Ribera C (2013) Molecular systematics of the wolf spider genus Lycosa (Araneae: Lycosidae) in the Western Mediterranean Basin. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 67: 414-428
Simon E (1937) Les arachnides de France 6 (5). Paris (Roret): 979-1298
Taberlet J-P (unpubl.)
WSC (2026) World Spider Catalog. Version 27. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (13.2.2026) doi: 10.24436/2
Updates
| 21-03-2026 | Image insert | |
| 18-03-2026 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 18-03-2026 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 05-03-2025 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 08-05-2024 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 02-06-2021 | Gallery image insert | |
| 01-06-2021 | Gallery image insert | |
| 01-06-2021 | Image insert | |
| 21-06-2020 | Image insert | |
| 18-06-2020 | Image insert | |
| 18-06-2020 | Datasheet update | Detail |
| 08-06-2020 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 05-12-2019 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 15-07-2019 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 05-09-2017 | Distribution update | Detail |