Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 23, 2026

Geolycosa

Geolycosa is a genus of wolf spiders first described in 1904.

Last revised
Jun 23, 2026
Read time
≈ 4 min
Length
818 w
Citations
10
Source
Geolycosa
G. vultuosa
G. gosoga
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Lycosidae
Genus: Geolycosa
Montgomery, 19041
Species

70, see text2

Synonyms
  • Scaptocosa3

Geolycosa is a genus of wolf spiders first described in 1904.2

Life style

Species of Geolycosa dig deep cylindrical holes in the ground, and some build low turrets with sticks around the opening.4

Description

Medium to large spiders characterized by an anteriorly truncated carapace that is highest in the region of the posterior lateral eyes. The lateral sides are steep, and the chelicerae are large, much longer than the clypeus width. The cheliceral furrow bears three teeth. The sternum is longer than wide, and the labium is longer than wide.4

The legs are strong, with the front leg being the thickest and strongest. The tarsi and metatarsi have thick scopulae on the last three leg segments.4

The epigyne is very small.4

Taxonomy

The African species have not been revised.4

Species

As of October 2025, this genus includes seventy species and one subspecies:2

References

References

  1. Montgomery, T. H. (1904). "Descriptions of North American Araneae of the families Lycosidae and Pisauridae". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 56: 261–325.
  2. "Genus Geolycosa". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  3. Dondale, C. D.; Redner, J. H. (1990). "The insects and arachnids of Canada, Part 17. The wolf spiders, nurseryweb spiders, and lynx spiders of Canada and Alaska, Araneae: Lycosidae, Pisauridae, and Oxyopidae". Research Branch Agriculture Canada Publication. 1856.
  4. Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Lycosidae of South Africa. Version 1: part 1 (A-H). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 47. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6324709. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
External links