''Hogna lenta'' is a species of wolf spider in the family

Lycosidae Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae (). They are robust and agile hunters with excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude, hunt alone, and do not spin webs. Some are opportunistic hunters, pouncing upon prey as they find it or ...

. It is found in the USA.Dean DA (2016). "Catalogue of Texas spiders". ''ZooKeys 570'': 1-703.

Diet

''Hogna lenta'' eats mostly small insects, such as crickets, waxworms, and mealworms. If individuals cannot find any of these, they will eat beetles and other smaller insects. When they are newly emerged from an egg sac, they eat small fruit flies, and each other. The species is a ground spider, making burrows in the dirt. They lay web tripwires on top of their burrow. When something walks over the web, the spider feels it. They slowly uncover themselves, stalking their prey, before finally pouncing on them. They have a

neurotoxin Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive to nerve tissue (causing neurotoxicity). Neurotoxins are an extensive class of exogenous chemical neurological insultsSpencer 2000 that can adversely affect function in both developing and mature ner ...

that they inject into the insect through their fangs. It paralyzes the insect immediately while the spider drinks the

hemolymph Hemolymph, or haemolymph, is a fluid, analogous to the blood in vertebrates, that circulates in the interior of the arthropod (invertebrate) body, remaining in direct contact with the animal's tissues. It is composed of a fluid plasma in which ...

from the insect.

Natural defenses

''Hogna lenta'' is naturally equipped with a venom powerful enough to paralyze a small insect. This venom should pose no threat to a healthy adult human, only feeling like a bee sting. They generally raise their front legs in the air when threatened, to look bigger. If this does not work, they will lunge right in front of their attacker to startle them. Their last defense is biting the attacker. Due to their sheer size, most animals would not try to attack them. Their diameter is about the same as a 50-cent coin.

Habitat

They primarily live in dense shrubbery and

forests A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

. They make small but intricate burrows, infusing the soil with webs. Despite some people's beliefs, they very rarely stray into people's houses. They will, however, wander into camping tents, seeing all the mosquitos there. They have been spotted in Florida and many other southern states.

Lifestyle

Shortly after mating (maybe 1–2 weeks), the female constructs a large white egg sac bigger than its abdomen containing many eggs. They carry the egg sac on the

spinneret A spinneret is a silk-spinning organ of a spider or the larva of an insect. Some adult insects also have spinnerets, such as those borne on the forelegs of Embioptera. Spinnerets are usually on the underside of a spider's opisthosoma, and are ...

s on their abdomen. Spiderlings grow slowly inside the eggs for 5–8 weeks, before finally hatching. When emerged from an egg sac, they are hardly visible, about the size of a small LED light. They stay on the mother's abdomen for about 1–4 weeks. When ready, they climb off and run off into the wild. When small, they are extremely agile, making them hard to catch. Many of the young spiders die off within a few days of leaving the mother's back. If they live a few weeks, they molt. This is a process of shedding their old skin. Spiders molt their old skin, as their new skin is malleable. They grow while the new skin is soft, than repeat the process. Young spiders can molt up to 3 times a month.

References

* Bradley, Richard A. (2012). ''Common Spiders of North America''. University of California Press. * Ubick, Darrell (2005). ''Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual''. American Arachnological Society. {{taxonbar, from=Q2164146 Lycosidae Spiders described in 1844