Alopecosa


Alopecosa is a spider genus in the family Lycosidae, with about 150 species and several subspecies.
Most species grow up to 2 cm. Alopecosa females make a burrow in which they deposit their egg sac. The female then stays in the burrow guarding the sac until the eggs hatch.
In Germany, there are about 15 described species. There is at least one in the United States.
They favor dry climates.
The species in this genus have been traditionally grouped into sibling species complexes based on morphological characters, but, as morphology-based taxonomy can be unreliable, alternative methods have also been employed to identify species correctly. For example, differences in observed courtship and copulation behaviour have proved to be a useful tool for species identification and delimitation, particularly in cryptic species. Molecular techniques have also been applied to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships between some species.