The Mournful Spider (Pardosa lugubris) is an arachnid (eight-legged invertebrate) in the Lycosidae family of wolf spiders.
The Mournful Spider is light-brown mottled with darker-brown markings. It has eight eyes arranged in three rows; two of the eyes are large and prominent. Unlike most spiders, it has excellent eyesight.
It grows to 1-4 centimetres (up to 1.5 inches) in length.
It is found across Europe in a wide range of habitats, such as woodlands, forests, meadows, and gardens.
It is a solitary spider. It does not spin a web. It lives underground in a burrow. It is an opportunistic hunter and waits for its prey to come near it, or near its burrow.
The female lays egg sacs which contain eggs. She carries the egg sacs by attaching them to her spinnerets. When the eggs hatch, the young, called spiderlings, climb onto their mother’s legs and abdomen. She carries the spiderlings for several weeks until they are large enough to look after themselves. No other spider, except the wolf spider, is known to carry its spiderlings on its back for a long period of time.
Location of photographs: Paris, France
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM