Hi Michael, Here in Eastern Utah we share some similar spider species with you. Among which, I believe, are Agelenopsis sp. whom I often confuse with wolf spiders if they are slightly squished or curled in on themselves. There are also some other Hogna species in AZ including H. frondicola, H. baltimoriana, H. carolinensis, and H. coloradensis. I have seen photos of Hogna with smaller abdomens purporting to be male. I don’t know much more than that. As for what they would be eating, wolf spiders mainly eat other insects. I quite like to see them in my house for that reason. Do you find other dead insects in your museum? Good housekeeping to clean up dead insects will keep the spiders at bay to some extent but I tend not to worry about the occasional predatory spider. I just mark them as predators in my IPM database to remind me that there are likely other insects around.
As for a common name… I don’t believe there is one beyond “wolf spider.” Best of luck, Katharine Corneli Curator of Collections | Prehistoric Museum 155 E Main, Price, Utah 84501 Office: 435-613-5765 Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> [cid:14962061-2FAF-4E35-AB43-45898538268B] From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2019 10:24 AM To: Museumpests <[email protected]> Subject: [pestlist] Wolf Spider Questions Greetings, I have seen a particular type of wolf spider in my historic house museum twice, or perhaps three times, in the past month. I know the first two were definitely Hogna; one was found in an unused but poorly sealed exhibit case built into a wall on the first floor, and another was found in a deactivated sink in the kitchen on the first floor. Unfortunately, I think the maintenance tech killed the one in the sink. A possible third one was on the ceiling in a modern annex building next to the historic house. The photographs from my phone only show a blurry mass of long legs, but I recall it having the same coloration as the other two. What are the chances that it was three completely different spiders? Also, all three seemed to match the color, size, and shape for Hogna antelucana, but they had very small abdomens. Would that mean that they are male? How common is it to find females of that species inside of buildings? This institution did not have an IPM policy prior to my arrival, and I have no frame of reference for past pests in the museum, so what do you think they would be eating inside of this building? Thank you, Michael R. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Museumpests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/pestlist. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/198044aa-608c-4444-a13e-07b560a54831%40googlegroups.com<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/198044aa-608c-4444-a13e-07b560a54831%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Museumpests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/pestlist. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/BN6PR07MB3185BAFA3B929CBCB43A9FF9EAC80%40BN6PR07MB3185.namprd07.prod.outlook.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
