Tundra Wolf Spider vs Arctic Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tundra Wolf Spider Arctic Sawfly
Scientific Name Pardosa glacialis Amauronematus abnormis
Order Araneae Hymenoptera
Family Lycosidae Tenthredinidae
Size 5-8 mm body length 5-8 mm
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Tundra & Arctic
Diet Predators Herbivores
Regions Arctic Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Svalbard, Arctic Scandinavia, Siberia Arctic Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, Arctic Canada, Alaska
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Tundra Wolf Spider

A dark, medium-sized wolf spider with cryptic brown and gray patterning. Females carry their egg sacs attached to their spinnerets. It is one of the dominant predators on the Arctic tundra ground surface.

💡

Did You Know?

This spider basks on dark rocks to raise its body temperature, then hunts more actively because its prey are slower in the cold.

Arctic Sawfly

A small, dark sawfly associated with willows in Arctic and subarctic regions. Females use their saw-like ovipositor to cut slits in willow leaves and stems for egg-laying. Larvae resemble caterpillars and feed openly on leaves.

💡

Did You Know?

Arctic sawfly larvae can produce silk pads to anchor themselves to willow leaves during strong tundra winds.