Spotted Wolf Spider

Pardosa amentata

I have a lot of these wolf spiders in my garden, which appear to be centred around my garden pond and raised flowerbed. These are all most likely females featured here.

The males appear darker than the females, and they have large black palps. Their bodies are also covered in dark hairs and dark blotches or spots. Body length females 5.5-8mm, males 5-6.5mm.

Nimble and fast, these wolf spiders hunt their prey on the ground. They feed on small invertebrates.

They mature between spring and autumn. They are often seen quite active in early spring, resting on rocks, logs and vegetation, warming in the sun. The females are seen carrying the white egg sacs under their abdomen, or the spiderlings on their backs. Found in a wide variety of habitats, including grasslands, hedgerows, woodland margins, and gardens. A common and widespread species.

Photographs of Spotted Wolf Spider (Pardosa amentata)taken March 2014, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2014. Camera used Nikon D3200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.