EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

The Wolf That Crawls

Wolf Spider (Arctosa sp.), Family Lycosidae
Meghalaya, India

Explanation:  This wolf crawls!  More fully, this wolf spider crawls ...

Wolf spiders are quick, agile, predators of insects and other invertebrates.  They may appear formidable and induce arachnophobia ... but they can be quite beneficial by controlling garden pest insects.  

Wolf spiders have excellent vision with two large, forward-facing eyes sandwiched between rows of four smaller eyes below and two above.  

I'm not sure of the species, but it might be Arctosa himalayensis.  

I discovered this specimen late at night while exploring the cobble shore of the Ronsap River, located in the East Garo Hills of western Meghalaya, northeast India.  I found this specimen by its brilliant eyeshine reflecting my headlamp beam.  After a few photos -- and its intense stare -- we both went on our way peacefully.