Key to the Lycosoids of Cape Town

Lycosoidea is the superfamily comprising wolf spiders and their allies.

Families in Lycosoidea:
Lycosidae (wolf spiders)
Pisauridae (nursery-web and fishing spiders)
Ctenidae (wandering spiders, tropical wolf spiders)
Oxyopidae (lynx spiders)

Lycosidae:
(https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?locale=en&page=2&place_id=52355&taxon_id=47416)

Lycosids can be distinguished from oxyopids by their eyes. Oxyopids have a hexagonal eye arrangement. Lycosids can be distinguished from ctenids by their 4-2-2 eye arrangement. Ctenids have a 2-4-2 eye arrangement. Lycosids can be distinguished from pisaurids if one were to draw lines through the posterior lateral and median eyes. If they cross at the front of the chelicerae, it is a lycosid. Pisaurid eyes cross at the anterior row of eyes.

Pisauridae:
(https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?locale=en&place_id=52355&taxon_id=55788)

Pisaurids can be distinguished from oxyopids by their eyes. Oxyopids have a hexagonal eye arrangement. Pisaurids can be distinguished from ctenids by their 4-2-2 eye arrangement. Ctenids have a 2-4-2 eye arrangement. Pisaurids can be distinguished from lycosids if one were to draw lines through the posterior lateral and median eyes. If they cross at the anterior row of eyes, it is a pisaurid. Lycosid eyes cross at the front of the chelicerae.

Ctenidae:
(https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?locale=en&place_id=52355&taxon_id=53389 or for more: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?locale=en&place_id=6986&taxon_id=53389)

Ctenids can be distinguished from oxyopids by their eyes. Oxyopids have a hexagonal eye arrangement. Ctenids can be distinguished from both lycosids and pisaurids by their 2-4-2 eye arrangement. Lycosids and pisaurids have a 4-2-2 eye arrangement.

Oxyopidae
(https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?locale=en&place_id=52355&taxon_id=83843)

Oxyopids can be distinguished from all other families in Cape Town by their hexagonal eye arrangement. Six eyes form a wide, not tall, hexagon as a hexagon has six sides. Two small eyes in front of the hexagon are not visible from a true dorsal view. Oxyopids also have a vast abundance of macrosetae (spines) on their legs.

Posted on January 5, 2023 03:59 PM by huttonia