Kingdom Animalia Class Arachnida Family Lycosidae Phylum Arthropoda Order Spider | Subphylum Chelicerata Infraorder Araneomorphae Scientific name Adelocosa anops Rank Species | |
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Genus Adelocosa
Gertsch, 1973 Similar Leptodirus, Sosippus, Stygichthys, Acantholycosa, Allocosa | ||
The Kauaʻi cave wolf spider, scientific name Adelocosa anops, also known to local residents as the "blind spider", is only known to occur in a few caves in a lava flow with an area of 10.5 square kilometres (4.1 sq mi) in the Kōloa–Poʻipū region of Kauaʻi, Hawaiian Islands, and only six populations are known to exist. While their nearest surface-dwelling relatives have large eyes, this species has completely lost its eyes. They reach a body length of about 20 millimetres (0.8 in), are reddish brown and completely harmless to people. Unlike most wolf spiders, it produces only 15 to 30 eggs per clutch. The female carries the egg sac in her mouthparts until the spiderlings hatch.
One of its primary prey species is the Kauaʻi cave amphipod, Spelaeorchestia koloana, which is only known from nine populations and reaches about 10 mm (0.4 in) in length. These feed on decomposing plant matter. Both species were discovered in 1971. Counts have never documented more than 30 spiders or 80 amphipods.
