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| Arctosa cinerea | |
|---|---|
| Name | Arctosa cinerea |
| Regnum | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Classis | Arachnida |
| Ordo | Araneae |
| Familia | Lycosidae |
| Genus | Arctosa |
| Species | A. cinerea |
| Binomial | Arctosa cinerea |
| Authority | (Fabricius, 1777) |
Arctosa cinerea is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae known for its cryptic coloration and terrestrial, often riparian, habits. It has been recorded across parts of Europe, North Africa, and Asia, and features in faunal surveys, museum collections, and regional checklists. Taxonomists, naturalists, and conservationists have studied its morphology, distribution, and ecology in relation to coastal and inland sandy habitats.
Arctosa cinerea was described by Johann Christian Fabricius in the 18th century and placed in Lycosidae alongside genera such as Lycosidae relatives and historical taxa cataloged by naturalists like Carl Linnaeus and Pierre André Latreille. Subsequent revisions by arachnologists working in institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London, the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, and the Smithsonian Institution have refined its placement within Arctosa, with comparative studies referencing collections at the British Museum and regional faunistic works from the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology and the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University.
Adults of this species exhibit a mottled grey and brown carapace and abdomen that provide camouflage against sandy substrates, described in taxonomic keys published by specialists affiliated with the Royal Entomological Society and regional universities such as the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. Diagnostic characters used in identification include the arrangement of eyes, leg spination, and the male palpal organ and female epigyne as illustrated in monographs from the European Arachnological Society and museum plates housed at the Natural History Museum of Denmark. Field guides from publishers like the Collins Guide and the Oxford University Press include images comparing Arctosa species for accurate identification.
Arctosa cinerea occurs in coastal dunes, riverine sand banks, and dry inland sandy areas documented in faunal surveys across countries such as France, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Turkey, and parts of Russia and Kazakhstan. Records appear in biodiversity databases maintained by organizations including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and national conservation agencies like Natural England and the Agence française pour la biodiversité. Its preferred habitats are often conserved within protected areas managed by entities such as the European Union Natura 2000 network and national parks administered by agencies like the National Park Service in transnational comparisons.
As a ground-dwelling predator, Arctosa cinerea hunts without webs, employing stalking and rapid pursuit similar to observations published by researchers at the Royal Society and ecological studies from universities including the University of Helsinki and the University of Barcelona. It is active during daylight and crepuscular periods in some regions, with activity patterns recorded in field studies supported by institutions like the Max Planck Society and the French National Centre for Scientific Research. Its role as a mesopredator links it to food webs involving invertebrate prey documented in journals issued by the Ecological Society of America and interactions reported in reports from conservation NGOs such as BirdLife International where shoreline management affects arthropod assemblages.
Reproductive behavior includes courtship, spermatophore transfer, and maternal care of egg sacs carried by females, features described in arachnological literature from researchers associated with the Royal Entomological Society of London and comparative life-history work by laboratories at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology. Development from egg to spiderling and successive molts has been detailed in regional studies published through university presses like the University of California Press and documented in museum husbandry notes from institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History.
Predators of Arctosa cinerea include insectivorous birds recorded by ornithological surveys from organizations like the British Trust for Ornithology and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, predatory insects reported by entomologists at the Entomological Society of America, and small mammals surveyed by the Mammal Society. Its defense strategies—crypsis, rapid fleeing, and retreat into burrows or under debris—are discussed in behavioral ecology studies appearing in publications issued by the Journal of Animal Ecology and referenced in field manuals used by researchers at the Natural History Museum, London.
Conservation concerns for Arctosa cinerea stem from habitat loss due to coastal development, riverbank modification, and recreational pressure documented in environmental impact assessments by agencies like the European Environment Agency and national conservation bodies such as Natural Resources Wales. Monitoring programs coordinated by museums, universities, and NGOs including the International Union for Conservation of Nature inform regional status assessments and management within protected sites like those designated under the Natura 2000 framework. Public engagement through citizen science platforms run by groups such as the National Biodiversity Network and outreach by institutions like the Royal Society helps track populations and inform conservation actions.
Category:Lycosidae Category:Spiders of Europe