Wolf Spider (Lycosidae) in Teller

Observation by Kendra Lee:

First time seeing a spider like this in Teller. Unsure what kind it is, wanted more information if possible. The spider was about an inch long (including legs).

Derek Sikes, Curator of Insects at the UAF University of Alaska Museum, writes:

"Yes, a wolf spider, and an adult male (the large club-like appendages near the mouth, called pedipalps, are only on males).When adult insects and spiders are seen so early in the year, they likely overwintered as adults. I don't know anything about the normal annual activity patterns of wolf spiders, which likely vary from place to place and species to species. In general, it's expected that as temperatures in a region increase relative to prior years, invertebrate activity will occur earlier in the season relative to prior years."

Moses Tcheripanoff writes:

Spiders similar to this observation was recently posted out of Wales, Alaska, about 55 miles NW of Teller. There were about 75 - 100 spiders seen crawling around the snow. According to Elder Joshua Coy Ongtowasruk in Wales, this is not something that has been seen before. Derek Sikes, Curator of Insects at the University of Alaska Museum - Entomology, says the spider in that post is likely a wolf spider of the family Lycosidae. These spiders are found around the world even in the Arctic and are harmless to people. Interesting that they are so appearing now in Teller and in other communities where they have not been seen before.

Resource:

UAF Cooperative Extension Service – Ground or wolf spiders (Lycosidae) have highly variable grey and brown color patterns to match their surroundings. The egg sac is round and carried by the female under her spinnerets. After hatching, the tiny spiderlings climb onto the abdomen of the mother and will remain there for a considerable amount of time. For information about the wolf spider among others, check out Beneficial Insects and Spiders of Alaska. University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)