12 Types of Wolf Spiders in Rhode Island

12 types of wolf spiders have a verified observation record in Rhode Island. The most frequently recorded are Drumming Sword Wolf Spider, Stone Spider and Wetland Giant Wolf Spider. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.

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12 types of wolf spiders have a verified observation record in Rhode Island. The most frequently recorded are Drumming Sword Wolf Spider, Stone Spider and Wetland Giant Wolf Spider. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.

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Verified species, source iNaturalist

12 types of wolf spiders recorded in Rhode Island

12 wolf spider species have a verified observation record in Rhode Island, each with at least 10 confirmed sightings. The full list, ranked by how often each is recorded, is below.

1 of the 12 shown is recorded as introduced to Rhode Island rather than native.

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    1

    Drumming Sword Wolf Spider

    Gladicosa gulosa

    85 records
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    2

    Stone Spider

    Pardosa lapidicina

    79 records
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    3

    Wetland Giant Wolf Spider

    Tigrosa helluo

    69 records
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    4

    Rabid Wolf Spider

    Rabidosa rabida

    52 records
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    5

    Rustic Wolf Spider

    Trochosa ruricola

    32 recordsIntroduced
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    6

    Brush-legged Split Wolf Spider

    Schizocosa ocreata

    24 records
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    7

    Shoreline Wolf Spider

    Arctosa littoralis

    23 records
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    8

    Allocosa funerea

    Allocosa funerea

    15 records
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    9

    Forest Wolf Spider

    Hogna frondicola

    15 records
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    10

    Dotted Wolf Spider

    Rabidosa punctulata

    11 records
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    11

    Varacosa avara

    Varacosa avara

    11 records
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    12

    Shore Spider

    Pardosa milvina

    10 records

Plus 15 more recorded only rarely (fewer than 10 verified sightings). Counts from verified iNaturalist observations.

The Drumming Sword Wolf Spider (Gladicosa gulosa) is the most commonly recorded, with 85 verified observations, about 20% of all wolf spiders reported in Rhode Island. If you spot a wolf spider here, it is statistically most likely to be this one.

Rhode Island also hosts less common wolf spiders such as Drumming Sword Wolf Spider, Stone Spider and Wetland Giant Wolf Spider, each recorded fewer than 100 times. These are the species worth a second look when you are out, since a sighting is more notable.

Not every one of these is originally from here. Rustic Wolf Spider is recorded by iNaturalist as introduced in Rhode Island rather than native, so it arrived with human help rather than on its own.