Spider mama found in my garden in central New York

[kmarie]

Hello -

I found this spider while weeding my garden yesterday afternoon and it appears she has an egg sack. Can you tell me what kind of spider this is? I'm very interested! Seems like a common type, at least in our yard. I've seen many around. I'd like to know more about them. We live in Central New York, just outside of Syracuse. Thanks!

[Ungoliant]

Nice pictures!

This is a female wolf spider (family Lycosidae). They can easily be recognized when they are carrying egg sacs attached to their spinnerets or when they are carrying their young on their backs. (Once the spiderlings are born, they cling to the mother's back for a few days until they molt and disperse.) No other spider family does this.

Wolf spiders that lack egg sacs or young can be identified by their eyes. (Contrary to popular belief, most wolf spiders are small and not particularly hairy.) Wolf spiders have eight eyes that are arranged in three rows. The middle row consists of two larger, more prominent eyes.

Unfortunately, many wolf spiders look similar, so I am not able to ID your spider to the genus or species level. Maybe one of our experts can narrow it down.

Wolf spiders are indeed very common. Wolf spiders are active, ground-dwelling hunters with good eyesight. (Except for one genus, most do not spin webs.) Like most spiders, they are venomous but not dangerous to humans.

[kmarie]

Thank you for the great info and links!!

[Eric]

You are most welcome! Thank you for sharing your images and observations.