Union Jack Wolf Spider
S7, Male, profile
Union Jack Wolf Spider
S7, Male, Face
| Union Jack Wolf Spider S7, Male, profile | | Union Jack Wolf Spider S7, Male, Face | | ||
 | Class: | Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Spiders, Scorpions, Mites & Ticks (Arachnida) | |||
| Order: | Spiders (Araneae) | ||||
| Family: | Wolf Spider (Lycosoidea: Lycosidae) iNaturalist Observation | ||||
| Species: | Union Jack Wolf Spider (Tasmanicosa harmsi) | ||||
| This Photo: | 🔍S1, Female, Face🔎 | ||||
Thank you Ben Kurek & Dr Paul Whitington for confirming the id of this species for us General Species Information: Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere Female ~13mm to ~22mm long. Found a male which was ~18mm body length. This is a large size variation for a species. Wolf spiders have very variable body patterns, so are difficult to separate. Here Ben said "T. harmsi should have diagnostic dense white setae between the pedicel and the epigastric furrow which I am having trouble seeing but it also has the black on the spinnerets which is also diagnostic." He later confirmed the id by saying "Comparing the venter of yours with the preserved specimens in Framenau, V. W. & Baehr, B. C. (2016). Revision of the Australian Union-Jack wolf spiders, genus Tasmanicosa, it's a good match." and that "T. harmsi has a band of white setae between the pedicel and the epigastric furrow, an area of the venter that is black in T. phyllis" (a very similar species). It possible the off white setae is just camera/lighting artefacts. Ben agreed to our S1 specimen id. We've extrapolated to the other specimens that Ben hasn't seen. Paul agreed and said "Your photo of the venter is the same as Fig.12C in Framenau and Baehr, showing that diagnostic "dense white setae ventrally between the epigastric furrow and the pedicel in both males and females". - very handy! T. hughjackmani, the other Tasmanicosa species in your location is all black on the venter." We think we have recognised 7 specimens (6 females, 1 male) in Jan (male), Mar, Sep, Oct & Nov (juvi). | |||||
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