Pond Wolf Spider

While in the midst of spot lightning for the Barn Owl, I can’t helped but noticed the many Wolf Spiders’ eye shine on the grassy field. They seemed to be calling out for my attention.

Zeroing on an individual, I was pleasantly surprised to see a female spider carrying her spiderlings on her back. There are so many spiderlings that I could hardly see the mother at all. A study has concluded that mothers with spiderlings are more mobile with greater directional movement compared to other females. This higher mobility together with the gradual dismounting of spiderlings will aid in spreading the young throughout their habitat and thus avoid kin competition.

We noticed a male nearby following the mother. Yixiong tried to catch it and was promptly bitten. Ha-ha…. the spider lived up to his name.

Pond Wolf Spiders (Pardosa pseudoannulata) are fast running predators and can be found on the ground near water bodies. These spiders from the family Lycosidae has their eight eyes arranged in three rows of 4, 2, 2.



Pictures taken at: Pierce Road, May 2007.


References:

Bonte, D., S. Van Belle & J-P. Maelfait, 2006. ‘Maternal care and reproductive state-dependent mobility determine natal dispersal in a wolf spider’, Animal Behaviour, doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.06.021

Koh, K. H. J., 1989. A Guide to Common Singapore Spiders. Singapore Science Centre.

Murphy, F. & J. Murphy, 2000. An Introduction to the Spiders of South East Asia, Malaysian Nature Society. United Selangor Press Sdn. Bhd, Kuala Lumpur.