Schizocosa mccooki explained

Schizocosa mccooki is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. They can be found from the west coast to western Lake Erie in western North America, including Canada, the United States, and Mexico.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Description

Schizocosa mccooki is a large wolf spider with the body length ranging between for males and for females. The carapace ranges in color from gray to light brown with a pale median band, black lateral bands, and pale submarginal bands that sometimes extend to the margins. The dorsum of the abdomen typically has a demarcated heart mark and dark transverse bars with a series of paired white spots, while the lateral areas are mottled yellow, brown, and black, with a few oblique black lines. The venter ranges in color from reddish-brown to dark orange, but may also have may extensive black areas, particularly under the abdomen. Males and females have similar appearances, with the exception of darker tipped forelegs in females.^[5]

Similar species

S. maxima and S. mccooki are virtually indistinguishable except by size. S. maxima have a body length ranging between for males and for females. Recent phylogenomic work suggests that S. maxima may be a junior synonym of S. mccooki, however formal nomenclatural changes are pending future studies.

Habitat

S. mccooki are widespread in open habitats such as grasslands, chaparral, the desert, and pinyon pine forests, among others. Some populations of this species have been observed digging burrows.^[6]

External links

• Photos of Schizocosa mccooki on iNaturalist
• Photos of Schizocosa mccooki on BugGuide

Notes and References

1. Dondale . Charles D. . Redner . James H. . Revision of the Nearctic wolf spider genus Schizocosa (Araneida: Lycosidae) . 1978-02-01 . registration . PDF . . en . 110 . 2 . 143–181 . 10.4039/Ent110143-2 . 85394608 . 0008-347X . World Spider Catalog .
2. Book: Adams, Richard John . Illustrated by Timothy D. Manolis . 2014 . Field guide to the spiders of California and the Pacific Coast states . California Natural History Guides . en . . . 225–226 . 978-0-520-27660-4 .
3. Book: Bradley, Richard Alan . Illustrated by Steve Buchanan . 2019 . Common spiders of North America . en . Berkeley, California . University of California Press . 161 . 978-0-520-31531-0 . 1088525865.
4. Starrett . James . Bui . Ashley . McGinley . Rowan H. . Hebets . Eileen A. . Bond . Jason E. . 2021-09-01 . Phylogenomic Variation at the Population-Species Interface and Assessment of Gigantism in a Model Wolf Spider Genus (Lycosidae, Schizocosa) . . en . 5 . 5 . 1–13 . 10.1093/isd/ixab016 . 2399-3421. free .
5. Starrett . James . McGinley . Rowan H. . Hebets . Eileen A. . Bond . Jason E. . 2022-01-11 . Phylogeny and secondary sexual trait evolution in Schizocosa wolf spiders (Araneae, Lycosidae) shows evidence for multiple gains and losses of ornamentation and species delimitation uncertainty . . en . 169 . 107397 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107397 . 1055-7903 . free .
6. Suttle . K. Blake . 2003-12-01 . Burrow use in a northern California population of the wolf spider Schizocosa mccooki (Araneae, Lycosidae) . . en . 31 . 3 . 433–436 . 10.1636/0161-8202(2003)031[0433:BUIANC]2.0.CO;2 . 21093169 . 0161-8202 . Biodiversity Heritage Library .