Pardosa distincta (Lycosidae)

[jsloan]

Two color forms of an attractive species, both males. I collected these last June. BL = 5mm:

The female is quite different. BL = 5.5mm:

 

[mattrgraham]

Nice photos. Where did you collect them? And are the two color morphs collected from the same population?

 

[jsloan]

They were both collected on the same day, June 10, on a gas well lease; 3 acres of open ground: dirt with patches of low grass and low vegetation. The lease is surrounded by deciduous forest. NW Alberta, just out of Whitecourt. I didn't do any serious notetaking that day, but they were probably from the same population since I collected them from the same part of the lease (an area of about 20 x 20 yds).

 

[jsloan]

Here's a closeup photo of the ground in that area, taken a couple of weeks later (there's a small lycosid of some kind in the middle of the picture). I think the area in this photo is about 1 sq ft. It'll give you an idea of the habitat. The area was full of lycosids of various kinds (mostly Pardosa) throughout the summer.

 

[jsloan]

I found this adult male yesterday, which looks nothing like the two males shown above; but it turns out, nevertheless, to be the same species (the palp is identical). Resembles the female, though. It was running through tall grass.