The Schizocosa genus is known for striking light and dark bands seen on the spider’s carapace (upper section of the exoskeleton) and abdomen.
S. stridulans males lack the bristles on the first leg pair when matured, however there are regions of dark pigmentation on the tibia, patella, and distal area of the femur.
[2] Females have comparable coloration to the males of these species, the appearance of the sexes differing mainly in bands and excavations.
[2] Schizocosa stridulans and their sister species S. ocreata and S. rovneri are thought to be ethospecies that are distinctive in behavior but not easily distinguished morphologically.
Since these sympatric pairs differ in courtship behaviors, they were provided with the status of being separate species from the results of interbreeding studies.
During heavy rains, these spiders uses pebbles, turrets, and twigs to prevent flood water from entering their well built burrows.
The intraspecific densities vary to some extent between post oak woodlands and disturbed habitats, however S. stridulans is less affected by these discrepancies compared to its sister species S. rovneri and S.
S. stridulans have been found in southeast and midwest US, specifically in the states of Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama.
Most of the time, the male spiders tend to alternate between stridulation (make noise by rubbing body parts together) and audibly tapping the forelegs.
The attractive males have a strong advantage when courtship rates are low since they can quickly impress and mate with the female.
[2] The stridulation sounds of S. stridulans can be qualitatively distinguished from the bounces of S. rovneri and active jerky pulses of the S. ocreata.
During the short parental care time, female spiders carry around their spherical egg sacs on their spinnerets (organs that produce silk) so they protect them as much as possible.
They prevent the egg sac from touching the ground while they move around to hunt by maintaining a raised position of their abdomen.
[9] The main predators of wolf spiders are wasps, amphibians, small reptiles, shrews, coyotes, and some spider-eating birds.
If they are attacked aggressively by predators or other competitors, then wolf spiders typically use their strong large jaws to bite.
[4] In a life or death situation, a wolf spider might let its leg get bitten off for survival at the moment, though it reduces their quickness and makes them susceptible to attack later on.
Another special aspect of wolf spiders is their grate shaped tapetum lucidum, a reflective tissue present in their four secondary eyes, giving them a visible glow.
In the studies conducted by Potts, the spiders had less fluctuating protein levels, however their lipid and carbohydrate counts decreased throughout the winter.
[9] Wolf spiders eat a variety of small nuisance insects, and therefore they are essential to the naturally present population control of their prey and are beneficial to farmers and gardeners.