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Sunday, 2 August 2015

Wolf spider - Lycosa praegrandis (C. L. Koch, 1836 ) - Cyprus

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Female to 28 mm.
Abdomen light grey with a not very clear cardiac mark and black and white chevrons. Ventrally black with an orange hem.
Carapace dark grey with a light grey median band which is slightly wider at the front and white bands along the side. Sternum black.
Legs on top light grey, very clear black and white annulated on the bottom.
Palps light grey with dark spots.

Male to 18 mm.
Markings and colours almost identical to the female.

HABITAT
Dry, warm and rocky areas and steppes.

DISTRIBUTION
Occurs in the Eastern Mediterranean area and Eastern Europe. From https://www.arachnophoto.com/en/lycosidae-2/lycosa-praegrandis/#Beschrijving
Lycosa is a genus of wolf spiders. More than 200 species are found, represented throughout most of the world. Often (incorrectly) called the "true tarantula", Lycosa can be distinguished from common wolf spiders by their relatively large size. This genus includes the European Lycosa tarantula which was once associated with tarantism, a dubious affliction whose symptoms included shaking, cold sweats, and a high fever, asserted to be curable only by the traditional tarantella dance. There is no scientific substantiation of that myth. In fact, the venom of wolf spiders is much less harmful to humans than, e.g., that of the European widow spider of the Theridiidae family.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photos Athienou 18/3/2014 by George Konstantinou

















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