''Geolycosa pikei'' is a species of

wolf spider Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae (), named for their robust and agile hunting skills and excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude, hunt alone, and usually do not spin webs. Some are opportunistic hunters, pouncing upon ...

in the family

Lycosidae Wolf spiders are members of the Family (biology), family Lycosidae (), named for their robust and agile hunting skills and excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude, hunt alone, and usually do not spin spider web, webs. Some are opportunis ...

from the United States. It can blend into sand, which it also burrows in. The spider can heal its wounds quickly.

Description

The spider is sandy gray to brown with black markings. Females are in length and males are about long. As a result of its color, it is hard to see the spider on sand until it starts moving. The spider hunts at dusk by running quickly over the sand to prey on insects. During the day, the spider stays in its hole unless prey comes too close. Its hole can be up to the diameter of a knitting needle and goes through the sand from a few inches to . In order to stop the hole from caving in, the spider spins a silken lining around the upper of the hole. The hole is typically built at night with the spider throwing little bits of sand. Its hole is usually built in sand near the seashore, but the holes have also been found inland. The hole is similar to that of a

tiger beetle Tiger beetles are a family of beetles, Cicindelidae, known for their aggressive predatory habits and running speed. The fastest known species of tiger beetle, '' Rivacindela hudsoni'', can run at a speed of , or about 125 body lengths per second. ...

's, but it is larger. The young spiders build holes just as well as the adults. They are found in the United States.

Studies

A 1981 study by the ''

Canadian Journal of Zoology The ''Canadian Journal of Zoology'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classificatio ...

'' showed that when a wound is made in the spider's abdomen, it is immediately secured with a

hemolymph Hemolymph, or haemolymph, is a fluid, similar to the blood in invertebrates, that circulates in the inside of the arthropod's body, remaining in direct contact with the animal's tissues. It is composed of a fluid plasma in which hemolymph c ...

coagulum. As time went by, the external coagulum sealed the hole in the

exoskeleton An exoskeleton () . is a skeleton that is on the exterior of an animal in the form of hardened integument, which both supports the body's shape and protects the internal organs, in contrast to an internal endoskeleton (e.g. human skeleton, that ...

and the internal part turned into a fibrous mass. After multiple changes, the spider's tissue was restored.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2112876 Lycosidae Spiders of the United States Spiders described in 1881 Articles created by Qbugbot