Hogna hawaiiensis
| Hogna hawaiiensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Lycosidae |
| Genus: | Hogna |
| Species: | H. hawaiiensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Hogna hawaiiensis (Simon, 1899) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Lycosa hawaiiensis | |
Hogna hawaiiensis is a species of spider in the family Lycosidae.[1]
Distribution and taxonomy
Hogna hawaiiensis is a species of wolf spider endemic to the Hawaiian islands. The species have been found on the islands of Maui, Oahu, and the island of Hawaii.[2] It was originally described as Lycosa hawaiiensis by E. Simon in 1899 and was transferred to the genus Hogna by C. F. Roewer in 1955.[1][2][3]
Habitat and ecology
Hogna hawaiiensis has been found to reside in areas of lava flow, coinciding with the local population of Lava flow crickets (Caconemobius fori).[4] The population of H. hawaiiensis in barren lava regions is additionally sustained by general windborne prey migrated from more vegetated areas adjacent to their empty habitat.[5]
Outside of lava flow areas, H. hawaiiensis, much like other species on the same family, is typically found in ground-dwelling environments, such as tree trunks, low vegetation, and grassland fields.[6]
Despite the infringement of territory by invasive species, H. hawaiiensis is the dominant predator at elevations of 2800 meters.[7] However, they do persist at elevations everywhere between sea level and 4000 meters.[4]
Behavior
A female specimen was observed engaging in vegetational perching.[5] The practice is done in order to act as ambush predators on local Flesh fly populations.[5] They perch on the buds and flowers of vegetation and attempt to blend in by remaining stagnant after perching.[5] It is unknown and requires further observation to suggest it is a species wide behavior, however by introducing a flower bud to the specimen, it showed that it was an intentional practice instead of a coincidental one.[5]
Relationship with invasive species
With the invasive introduction of yellowjackets (Vespula pensylvanica) to the islands, they came to predate upon H. hawaiiensis among many other endemic prey.[8]
With the similarly invasive introduction of Argentine ants (Linepithema humile into the upper Haleakala, one of the main observed habitats of H. hawaiiensis, the two species appear to not mesh.[7] Where there are colonies of Argentine ants, there is noticeably lesser population density of H. hawaiiensis. [7]
References
- 1 2 "World Spider Catalog". wsc.nmbe.ch. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
- 1 2 Suman, Theodore W. (December 30, 1964). Spiders of the Hawaiian Islands: Catalog and Bibliography (PDF). Honolulu, Hawaii: Bishop Museum. p. 7.
- ↑ Privet, Kaïna (2021-12-03). Multiscale factors structuring diversity in taxa, traits and evolutionary units of spiders in tropical environments (phdthesis thesis). Université de Rennes.
- 1 2 Howarth, Francis G. (2026-03-17). Biological Resources in Lava Flows From the Surface to Subterranean. IntechOpen. ISBN 978-1-80631-195-8.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Gon, Samuel M. (1985). "A Hawaiian Wolf Spider, Lycosa hawaiiensis Simon Foraging in the Top of a Metrosideros Polymorpha Tree". The Journal of Arachnology. 13 (3): 393–394. ISSN 0161-8202. JSTOR 3705325.
- ↑ Ying-Yuan, Lo (2023). "Tree-dwelling wolves: a new arboreal Hogna species (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Taiwan". Zootaxa: 56.
- 1 2 3 Cole, F. Russell; Medeiros, Arthur C.; Loope, Lloyd L.; Zuehlke, William W. (1992). "Effects of the Argentine Ant on Arthropod Fauna of Hawaiian High-Elevation Shrubland". Ecology. 73 (4): 1313–1322. Bibcode:1992Ecol...73.1313C. doi:10.2307/1940678. ISSN 0012-9658. JSTOR 1940678.
- ↑ Gambino, Parker; Medeiros, Arthur C.; Loope, Lloyd L. (1987). "Introduced Vespids Paravespula pensylvanica Prey on Maui's Endemic Arthropod Fauna". Journal of Tropical Ecology. 3 (2): 169–170. doi:10.1017/S0266467400001942. ISSN 0266-4674. JSTOR 2559792.