| Lycosoidea | |
|---|---|
| |
| Wolf spider carrying young | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Clade: | Entelegynae |
| Superfamily: | Lycosoidea |
| Families | |
|
See text. | |
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,[1] so that the original Lycosoidea is paraphyletic.[2] Studies published in 2014 and 2015 suggest that a smaller group of families does form a clade.
The reflective attributes of the tapeta vary significantly betwixt lycosoid spiders.[3]
- ^ Ramírez (2014), p. 282.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Codd05was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Benson, Kari; Suter, Robert B. (2013). "Reflections on the tapetum lucidum and eyeshine in lycosoid spiders". The Journal of Arachnology. 41 (1): 43–52. doi:10.1636/B12-35.1. JSTOR 23610234. S2CID 36757386.
These results demonstrate that the reflective qualities of the tapeta, and perhaps the absorptive qualities of other tissues and media that the light must traverse, vary widely among lycosoid spiders.