Rabidosa punctulata

Light brown large wolf spider with stripes on the cephalothorax and abdomen bearing light spots with a dark middle stripe. Underside of abdomen has diagnostic pattern of black spots or blotches. Mature females lack the pale spots inside the margin of the dark chocolate stripe down the abdomen that characterize Rabidosa rabida. Males mature earlier than females, with males appearing in early September and females between June and October.

Areas of weeds and tall grasses. Found in open agricultural fields, wooded edges, and grassland habitats. In eastern coastal areas, observed at edges of open fields in otherwise wooded regions.

Eastern and central United States: Massachusetts west to Kansas, south to Texas and northern Florida. Range includes southern Michigan, eastern Oklahoma, and extends to southeast Kansas.

Adults active primarily June through October. Mature females occur between June and October; mature males appear in early September with evidence of earlier maturation. Spiderlings overwinter in protected places after emerging in late autumn.

Preys on variety of insects including small grasshoppers. Has been observed to scavenge dead insects. Nocturnal hunter that employs ambush and pursuit strategies.

Females mature 13-15 days post-maturation. Mated females require three or more hours to create egg sac attached to spinnerets, permitting continued nomadic movement. Females carry egg sacs for approximately one month. Spiderlings emerge and pile atop female's abdomen, latching onto knob-tipped hairs where they ride until next molt roughly three weeks later. Spiderlings then disperse and overwinter in protected places.

Nocturnal hunter that waits in ambush or runs down prey. Prey seized with legs aided by sticky brushes of hairs; may loosely wrap prey in silk to secure from falling when resting on vegetation. Males follow pheromone-impregnated draglines of females. Males express two alternative mating strategies: (1) complex multimodal courtship with leg-waving and pedipalp stridulation producing rhythmic vibrations, mounting only after female receptivity; (2) direct mount tactic involving grappling and flipping unreceptive female onto back to limit resistance. Tactic expression depends on female mating status and male condition, with larger males in better condition more likely to adopt direct mount tactics. Females assess male condition and may cannibalize poor condition males. Once mated, females reduce receptivity and increase aggression toward courting males. Has been observed climbing vegetation to heights of three feet, possibly as predator avoidance behavior in response to searching spider wasps.

Generalist predator in grassland and edge habitats. Serves as host for parasitic mantidfly Climaciella brunnea, whose larvae board female spiders and enter egg sacs to feed on spider eggs. Prey for spider wasps in family Pompilidae, including Anoplius aethiops and A. cleora.

• Rabidosa rabidaLarger size; has pale spots inside margin of dark chocolate stripe down abdomen, which R. punctulata lacks; more common and widespread
• Rabidosa santritaOverlapping range; host of Anoplius aethiops; requires close examination for separation
• Hogna speciesSimilar large wolf spider habitus; some species overlap in range and serve as hosts for same spider wasp predators

• wolf spider
• Lycosidae
• alternative mating tactics
• maternal care
• multimodal communication
• predator avoidance
• parasitoid host
• North America
• grassland
• nocturnal hunter

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Bug Eric: Spider Sunday: Dotted Wolf Spider
• The ubiquitous tiger beetle | Beetles In The Bush
• Bug Eric: Wasp Wednesday: Anoplius aethiops
• Bug Eric: Wasp Mantisfly
• Mating in the Cold: Seasonal Temperature Variability Affects Mating Behaviors of the Wolf Spider (Rabidosa punctulata)
• Female mating status affects male mating tactic expression in the wolf spider Rabidosa punctulata.