# Lycosa Tarantula



## markowolf (Sep 1, 2013)

Hello!
This is my female Lycosa Tarantula(not sure) with her eggsack. I can't wait for slings to hatch!

Is it normal for her to be hidden in her burrow all the time?

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## markowolf (Sep 1, 2013)

This is her old terrarium in which I had a male wolf spider but when she came I let him go...




This is the male...









Sharing an apple with his prey...

Reactions: Like 3


----------



## markowolf (Sep 1, 2013)

This is her new terrarium...




This is her burrow... She made it in that way that she can see everything from inside out but I can barely see some movement inside.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Arachtion (Sep 1, 2013)

Was it actually eating the apple?!


----------



## markowolf (Sep 1, 2013)

I think it was because there was piece of apple missing and he was "chewing" it while he was on it... At first I thought he is only drinking apple juice...
The apple was not for him...


----------



## Arachtion (Sep 1, 2013)

markowolf said:


> I think it was because there was piece of apple missing and he was "chewing" it while he was on it... At first I thought he is only drinking apple juice...
> The apple was not for him...


Yeah I get that it was for the locust, just find it fascinating the spider takes any interest in it at all, perhaps we as keepers dont know as much as we'd like to think, perhaps he was getting some of the moisture, makes you wonder doesn't it, whether it would actually drink apple juice and what effect it might have!

---------- Post added 09-01-2013 at 08:49 PM ----------

Nice spider by the way


----------



## markowolf (Sep 1, 2013)

Here are some more pictures of him eating an apple

Reactions: Like 4


----------



## markowolf (Sep 1, 2013)

He was the most interesting spider of all I had in three years of keeping wolf spiders... He was always exploring and hunting...

Now I hope I'll be able to make a smaller colony of wolves... After they part from their mother I'll let the mother go and give them a lot of space and food so they don't kill each other.... I'm hoping to keep 5-10 spiders in 60x35x35 tank... 
I can't find any data on lycosa colonies anywhere...

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Arachtion (Sep 1, 2013)

He really likes that apple! 
Did you catch them yourself then? Can't really advise you on the communal, I've never kept wolf spiders before, maybe you should keep some together and a few seperate just in case they do eat each other


----------



## MarkmD (Sep 1, 2013)

That's one cool apple eating wolf spider :-D


----------



## Shagg (Sep 1, 2013)

Nice setup, and a very pretty spider!  I'm sure she is quite comfortable in there.  I was unaware that they would feed on fruit, although I've heard of some nectar-feeding spiders (of course I'm no expert...yet haha)


----------



## markowolf (Sep 1, 2013)

Arachtion said:


> He really likes that apple!
> Did you catch them yourself then? Can't really advise you on the communal, I've never kept wolf spiders before, maybe you should keep some together and a few seperate just in case they do eat each other


Yes I caught them myself! We have a lot of them here around our houses!The male was roaming around but the female was hidden in her burrow and I had to dig her out!
If they start eating each other then I'll separate them but it would be very interesting to see them all together...


----------



## Arachtion (Sep 1, 2013)

Lucky for you guys, most spiders here are tiny, hope it goes well for you, the set up looks really good.


----------



## markowolf (Sep 1, 2013)

She is a beauty...

Reactions: Like 4


----------



## Plissken (Sep 2, 2013)

Beautiful indeed!  

I have a species of Hogna right now, and I'm thinking about putting a slice of apple in there and seeing what it does!


----------



## JayDangerVL (Sep 2, 2013)

That picture with the spider and the grasshopper together at the apple is hilarious!  XD  That'd make for a great short story...

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Tarantula_Hawk (Sep 2, 2013)

Just want to point out that this spiders is not _Lycosa tarantula_, but _Hogna radiata_ which is, in fact, commonly called "false tarantula".
As opposed to _L. tarantula_, which is a burrowing wolf spider, _H. radiata_ is a wanderer and doesnt really require that much substrate. A simple thin layer of debris is enough. They will occasionally build temporary retreats for molting and egg deposition (such as the case for your female) so a concave piece of bark or stone is ideal.
They also have a much smaller lifespan compared to _L. tarantula._  The male will die very soon, the female will live some more months but generally dies during winter (probably before in the wild). Best thing you can do to lengthen her life is not overfeed her.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Smokehound714 (Sep 5, 2013)

Dang that sac's like a big ole golf ball!

  awesome 

  Spiders have been observed obtaining moisture by biting leaves, and fruit.  Many species get a large portion of their moisture from nectar, which is also nutritious, and a great energy food.  Perhaps Lycosa tarantula obtains a large amount of moisture in the wild by drinking from fallen ripe fruit?

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## markowolf (Sep 11, 2013)

Tarantula_Hawk said:


> Just want to point out that this spiders is not _Lycosa tarantula_, but _Hogna radiata_ which is, in fact, commonly called "false tarantula".
> As opposed to _L. tarantula_, which is a burrowing wolf spider, _H. radiata_ is a wanderer and doesnt really require that much substrate. A simple thin layer of debris is enough. They will occasionally build temporary retreats for molting and egg deposition (such as the case for your female) so a concave piece of bark or stone is ideal.
> They also have a much smaller lifespan compared to _L. tarantula._  The male will die very soon, the female will live some more months but generally dies during winter (probably before in the wild). Best thing you can do to lengthen her life is not overfeed her.


Thank You for that information!! I wasn't sure because we have both of these spiders here in Croatia...


----------



## markowolf (Sep 13, 2013)

I just got back from my vacation and found a nice surprise!!!!

Proud mother with slings waving :biggrin:







PLEASE if anyone has some info about feeding the slings and how to grow/collect(??) food for them it would be very helpful!?

And how to determine when to separate slings from the mother?Should I wait for them to disperse themselves and then remove the mother?


----------



## markowolf (Sep 13, 2013)

Plissken said:


> Beautiful indeed!
> 
> I have a species of Hogna right now, and I'm thinking about putting a slice of apple in there and seeing what it does!


So? Do Your spiders like fruit?


----------



## markowolf (Sep 15, 2013)

Here are some more pictures of mom with her babies...

Is it normal for her that she doesn't eat!? I tried with small alive and dead grasshopper but she doesn't respond to him at all...


----------



## Malhavoc's (Sep 15, 2013)

yes, not eating is common, and normal
feeding the small ones, they will eventualy leave the mothers back, at this time they are ready to eat, pinhead crickets, fruit flies, or fresh dead insect parts will often work well.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## markowolf (Sep 17, 2013)

I just made my terrarium escape proof for slings using mosquito net and sticky velcro tape on the edge.


----------



## markowolf (Sep 19, 2013)

A walk with her babies




I finally got my hands on Rustyback fern for my terrarium...

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## markowolf (Sep 21, 2013)

One sling is wandering around the terrarium for 2 days now and the others are spending more time off mothers back 










I've also changed the landscape a little bit so there is more place to hide for the slings...


----------



## markowolf (Sep 21, 2013)




----------



## markowolf (Sep 24, 2013)

...a few more pictures of mom with slings...


----------



## markowolf (Sep 25, 2013)

good news today Girl ate a dead Dubia roach after more than a month!


----------



## Gel (Sep 25, 2013)

I really enjoyed your pictures. 

Thank you for posting and congratulations on the babies!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## markowolf (Sep 26, 2013)

Charlotte (my wife calls her Charlotte) is showing her slings how to eat pre killed Dubia roach


----------



## markowolf (Sep 29, 2013)

Does anyone have some advice on humidity for Hogna Radiata when molting?How much and how to keep it without some kind of fogger or some other device?

Slings are about to have their second(I think) molt but I have a big problem keeping the humidity above 50%! I am misting every day but it doesn't last more than few hours.


----------



## markowolf (Sep 29, 2013)

[video=youtube;WyT2iBwItiQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyT2iBwItiQ&feature=youtu.be[/video]


----------



## Loptylop (Sep 29, 2013)

wow they grow so fast


----------



## markowolf (Oct 1, 2013)

...this one is beautiful...


----------



## Smokehound714 (Oct 1, 2013)

I think it needs to be moved from hogna, and placed in Lycosa.  Hogna in the old world?  no way!


   Anyway, lol..  I'd imagine the care to be no different from any other wolves.  Dryish substrate, but not too dry, ya know mist it every now and then.


----------



## markowolf (Oct 1, 2013)

Yes,there is a lot of misinformation online so I really don't know the correct name for the species but whenever I type Hogna Radiata in google pictures of my(like my) spider come up... 

The substrate is really dry and I mist every day to keep the humidity above 50% because I am expecting for the slings to molt soon...


----------



## Tarantula_Hawk (Oct 2, 2013)

It's really not that simple at all, and actually no, from the true taxonomical point of view its the other way around: _Hogna _in the New World? No way.

As a matter of fact, the genus _Hogna _ is from the Old World, and the type species  is, in fact,_ Hogna radiata_ a Mediterranean species. All of the nearctic species of "Hogna" are most probably misplaced and are in need of a revision, and some changes have already been applied (see _Rabidosa_ and the most recent _Tigrosa_).
Here is just a small part of the abstract of the recent revision of this genus in the US: 
"Comparisons made between Hogna, as defined by the type species H. radiata, Latreille 1817, and Tigrosa, as defined in this paper, demonstrate distinct differences in dorsal color pattern, structure of the epigynum, dimensions of the eye rows, color pattern of the venter and habitat preferences." 
You should read this article, where the author also suggests that most probably no lycosids present in the US are to be assigned to the genus Hogna.

Same thing with _Lycosa_, which is again an Old World genus with the type species being _Lycosa tarantula_. Unfortunately, _Lycosa _ has been used as a "dump genus" for quite some time in the past and presently this genus contains a whole lot of species throughout the world which have nothing to do with the real _Lycosa_, including most of the Hogna species from the US (which, like Hogna, must be defined in the European sense). Some authors consider all american species assigned to _Lycosa _to be misplaced, once more. Another example comes from Australia, where most of the "_Lycosa_" have been moved to the australian-only _Hoggicosa_.

In other words, both _Lycosa _and _Hogna _ (Old World genera) are strongly polyphyletic when considering all the species worldwide.

So no, _Hogna radiata_ doesn't need to be moved to the "true" _Lycosa_. It was rightly moved _from _ this genus, where it was initally described  back in 1817 when it was used for all European lycosids, including today's _Arctosa, Pardosa, Pirata _ecc.

For markowolf: You shouldn't be surprised that pictures of your spider come up when you google "Hogna radiata", since it is _Hogna radiata_. It is a very well known, extremely common mediterranean lycosid.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## markowolf (Oct 2, 2013)

To be honest I really didn't know the species untill You pointed that out... Then I started collecting data online and pictures were matching Hogna Radiata name... 

Also,this is my first serious project with wolf spiders... I had them before but I really didn't care what they were called.


----------

