The drum wolf spider has been elected European spider of the year 2022. That has been decided by 84 spider experts from 27 European countries. The species owes its name to the sound that males make, drumming on dry leaves, to seduce females, reports the Belgian Arachnological Society ARABEL.
The drum wolf spider (Hygrolycosa rubrofasciata) belongs to the wolf spider family. With 47 different species, it is one of the largest spider families in our country. Like most wolf spiders, the drum wolf spider does not build a web, but rather captures its prey during the day by ambushing or even short chasing passing insects.
The drumwolf spider is 5 to 6 mm in size. The difference between males and females can be deduced not so much from a difference in size – in many spiders the female is larger – but rather from a difference in color and pattern. Adult tungsten wolf spiders can be found from March to November. Males usually die after mating, but females often survive the winter.
The species has a pronounced preference for moist habitats such as peat, swamp, wet meadows or moist (valley) forests. Due to the increasing threat and destruction of several of these habitats, the drum wolf spider has the status of ‘endangered species’ in our country.
In Belgium, the drum wolf spider mainly occurs in the northeast of the country. There are especially moist heathlands with sufficient dry leaf litter. One verified site is known in West Flanders (Houthulst) and in East Flanders there are two unverified reports.
Watch the ‘drums’ of the drum wolf spider in the video below:
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