Arthrolycosa

Name: Arthrolycosa ‭(‬Jointed Lycosa‭ ‬-‭ ‬a reference to a genus of wolf spider‭).
Phonetic: Ar-froe-lie-ko-sah.
Named By: Hargar‭ ‬-‭ ‬1874.‭
Classification: Arthropoda,‭ ‬Arachnida,‭ ‬Araneae,‭ ‬Mesothelae,‭ ‬Arthrolycosidae.
Species: A.‭ ‬antiqua‭ (‬type‭)‬,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬danielsi,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬carcinoides.
Diet: Insectivore.
Size: Body length about‭ ‬5‭ ‬centimetres.
Known locations: Russia.‭ ‬USA.
Time period: Late Carboniferous to Permian.
Fossil representation: Few specimens.

       Arthrolycosa is an example of one of the earliest spiders,‭ ‬and like its name sake the Lycosa genus,‭ ‬Arthrolycosa would have hunted on the ground.‭ ‬Web spinning would not be a development until much later which means that Arthrolycosa would have probably lurked near cover while waiting for prey to pass by.‭ ‬When close enough it would have been able to run after its prey before pinning it down with its fangs and injecting venom into its victim.

Further reading
- Notice of a new fossil spider from the Coal Measures of Illinois. - American Journal of Science and Arts, Third Series 7:219-223. - O. Harger - 1874.
- A monograph of the terrestrial Palaeozoic Arachnida of North America. Transactions of the Connecticut Acadamy of Arts and Sciences 18:1-137. - A. I. Petrunkevitch - 1913.



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