Varacosa parthenus
(Chamberlin, 1925)
Varacosa parthenus is a of wolf spider in the Lycosidae. It is to the Southeastern United States. The species was described by Chamberlin in 1925. Like other wolf spiders, it is a ground-dwelling, active hunter that does not build webs to capture prey.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Varacosa parthenus: /væɹəˈkoʊsə ˈpɑrθənəs/
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Distribution
Southeastern United States.
Host Associations
- Ageniella conflicta - preyFemales of this spider wasp hunt wolf spiders as food for their larval offspring. Varacosa parthenus has been recorded as a , though records may be conflated with related Varacosa species due to historical taxonomic confusion.
Similar Taxa
- Varacosa gosiutaBoth are congeneric wolf spiders found in similar ; distinguished by subtle morphological differences in genitalia and body proportions.
- Varacosa avaraOverlapping geographic range and similar preferences; requires examination of or for reliable separation.
- Arctosa littoralisSimilar ground-dwelling habits and wolf spider ; Arctosa littoralis is more strongly associated with shoreline and has distinct patterning.
- Pardosa valensAnother small wolf spider with overlapping range; Pardosa typically have more prominent rows and different abdominal patterning.
More Details
Taxonomic Note
The Varacosa was established relatively recently, and some older literature may reference these under other genera. records for spider wasps in the genus Ageniella should be interpreted cautiously, as species-level identifications of both and spiders were historically problematic.