[2] It was not separated from Centaurus until Hipparchus of Bithynia named it Therion (Medieval Latin: Fera meaning "beast") in the 2nd century BC.

It is often found in association with the sun god and another mythical being called the Bison-man, which is supposedly related to the Greek constellation of Centaurus.

[3] In Arab folk astronomy, Lupus, together with Centaurus were collectively called الشماريخ al-Shamareekh, meaning the dense branches of the date palm's fruit.

[4] Later, in Islamic Medieval astronomy, it was named السبع al-Sab',[5] which is a term used for any predatory wild beast (same as the Greek therion), as a separate constellation, but drawn together with Centaurus.

The other five are Scorpius (the scorpion), Norma (the right angle), Circinus (the compass), Libra (the balance scale), and Centaurus (the centaur).

[12] However, the first name is in error; both stars were part of a large Chinese constellation known in modern transliteration as Qíguān, the Imperial Guards.

[13] Alpha Lupi is an ageing blue giant star of spectral type B1.5 III that is 460 ± 10 light-years distant from Earth.