Lycosa is a genus of wolf spiders distributed throughout most of the world. Sometimes called the "true tarantula", though not closely related to the spiders most commonly called tarantulas today, Lycosa spp. can be distinguished from common wolf spiders by their relatively large size. This genus includes the European Lycosa tarantula, which was once associated with tarantism, a dubious affliction whose symptoms included shaking, cold sweats, and a high fever, asserted to be curable only by the traditional tarantella dance. No scientific substantiation of that myth is known; the venom of Lycosa spiders is generally not harmful.

Lycosa
Temporal range: Palaeogene–present
Lycosa aragogi (female)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Lycosidae
Genus: Lycosa
Latreille, 1804[1]
Species

See text.

As of November 2020, more than 200 species in this genus had been described.[1][2]

Lycosa hawaiiensis carrying young
Lycosa leuckarti
Lycosa narbonensis
Lycosa singoriensis
Lycosa tarantula, illustration
Lycosa godeffroyi carrying young

Species list

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As of November 2020, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species:[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Gen. Lycosa Latreille, 1804", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2020-11-03
  2. ^ Planas, E., Fernández-Montraveta, C., & Ribera, C. (2013). Molecular systematics of the wolf spider genus Lycosa (Araneae: Lycosidae) in the Western Mediterranean Basin. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 67(2), 414-428.
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  NODES
Note 1