Koch's Wolf Spider
Alopecosa kochi
This record describes Alopecosa kochi (species). Recorded family: Lycosidae. Recorded order: Araneae.
Identification and Appearance
The female of this species has short banded legs, a broad tan stripe down the center of the carapace and faint paired white/tan spots along opposite sides of the abdomen. The male
Wikipedia reference for Alopecosa kochi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alopecosa kochi.
Classification
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Southern British Columbia to southern Ontario and Massachusetts, south to Baja California and Texas . One of the most common spiders taken in pit traps in southern CA. In CA, this is the only species of Alopecosa listed on Steve Lew's site.
About Spiders: the wider group
Order-level background for Araneae, the group containing Alopecosa kochi. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
As of 2023, 51,673 spider species in 136 families have been recorded, though an estimated 150,000 species exist. Spiders rank 7th in total species diversity among all organism orders. Only 0.5% of spider species pose any risk to human health.
Ecological role of the group
Spider venom contains complex peptides with diverse pharmacological activities, making them valuable for drug development research. Spiders produce up to 7 types of silk from specialized glands. Spider silk genes have been inserted into mammals and plants for biotech applications.
Economic and practical significance of the group
The global spider community kills an estimated 400-800 million tons of prey annually (2017 study). Spiders provide billions of dollars in natural pest control for agriculture. Spider silk is 5× stronger than steel of the same diameter, driving a biomaterials research industry.
Recorded sources for this group: World Spider Catalog, PNAS, Nature, ScienceDirect. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Koch's Wolf Spider (9)
Photo credits: (c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Iwane | (c) sentraevant, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by sentraevant | (c) juliamarkey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by juliamarkey | (c) Jiovanny Celis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jiovanny Celis | (c) zspyk007, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) | (c) Stephanie Calloway, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Stephanie Calloway | Contributed by Ken Schneider; Additional contributions by Lynette Elliott , cheins , pfeiffer , jsloan , Mandy Howe
Frequently Asked Questions About Koch's Wolf Spider
What is Koch's Wolf Spider?
Koch's Wolf Spider (Alopecosa kochi) is a species in the family Lycosidae, within the order Araneae.
How big is Koch's Wolf Spider?
Females 9-16 mm, Males 6.6-11.0 mm
How do you identify Koch's Wolf Spider?
The female of this species has short banded legs, a broad tan stripe down the center of the carapace and faint paired white/tan spots along opposite sides of the abdomen. The male
Where is Koch's Wolf Spider found?
Range: Southern British Columbia to southern Ontario and Massachusetts, south to Baja California and Texas . One of the most common spiders taken in pit traps in southern CA. In CA, this is the only species of Alopecosa listed on Steve Lew's site.