Superfamily
Lycosoidea (Wolf spiders and allies)
Oxyopes scalaris. Photo: (c) molanic, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Lycosoidea is a clade or superfamily of araneomorph spiders. The traditional circumscription was based on a feature of the eyes. The tapetum is a reflective layer at the back of the eye, thought to increase sensitivity in low light levels. Lycosoids were then defined by having a “grate-shaped” tapetum. Research from the late 1990s onwards suggests that this feature has evolved more than once, possibly as many as five times, so that the original Lycosoidea is…
- Humboldt Life
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