# Wolf spider

*Lycosidae*

**Identification confidence:** Identifiable with care — Wolf spiders are the most common spider mistaken for a brown recluse, and the eye arrangement settles it immediately.

## How to recognise it

- Eight eyes in three rows, with two very large forward-facing eyes that reflect light brightly under a torch. A recluse has six eyes in three pairs and no eyeshine.
- Robust, hairy, and often boldly patterned with stripes or chevrons; a recluse is uniformly coloured and not hairy.
- Legs are spiny and often banded, whereas recluse legs are smooth and uniform.
- Large at 10 to 35 mm and fast-moving on the ground; they build no capture web.

## What it leaves behind

- Spiders running across floors, especially at night and in autumn as they move indoors.
- Females carrying a round egg sac attached to the spinnerets, or carrying spiderlings on the back — behaviour no other common spider shows.

## Why an infestation persists

Active hunters that pursue prey rather than building webs, so their presence indoors reflects available insect prey and easy entry at floor level rather than an established colony. They bite only defensively and are not medically significant.


## Where it occurs

Throughout the United States.

## What prevents it

- Fit door sweeps and seal gaps at grade, which is the entry route.
- Reduce exterior lighting near doors, which concentrates the insect prey.
- Clear heavy ground cover and debris against the foundation.

## Commonly confused with

- **Brown recluse** (*Loxosceles reclusa*) — Six eyes arranged in three pairs forming a semicircle, rather than the eight eyes of nearly all other spiders. This requires magnification and is the only reliable diagnostic feature.
- **Hobo spider** (*Eratigena agrestis*) — Brown with a faint herringbone or chevron pattern along the abdomen, and uniformly coloured legs without distinct bands.

**Verdict:** prevention-first. Harmless and entering at floor level; sealing and reducing prey attraction addresses it.

Source: https://againstpest.shop/identify/spiders/wolf-spider/