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The life‐cycle of the Wolf spider Pardosa lugubris in Holland
Author(s) -
Edgar Walter D.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1972.tb01336.x
Subject(s) - spider , biology , wolf spider , instar , ecology , predation , zoology , larva
Pardosa lugubris in Scotland has a 2‐year life‐cycle. In Holland the situation is less clear‐cut: spiderlings emerging from the summer egg sac can reach sexual maturity by the following spring. These spiders, with a 1‐year life‐cycle, have one instar fewer than the Scottish spiders. The Dutch spiderlings from the autumn egg sac, like the Scottish spiders, have a 2‐year life‐cycle and have the same number of instars as the Scottish spiders. The shorter life‐cycle of some of the Dutch spiders is probably due to the fact that summer temperatures are higher in Holland than in Scotland. It is suggested that the length of the life‐cycle may be an important factor in spider distribution and that this may account for the relative scarcity of large spider species in high latitudes.