Arachnid · GBIF taxon 2146319
Stone Spider
Pardosa lapidicinaAlso known as Stone Wolf Spider
Stone spiders excel at blending into gravel bars, stony shores, and quarry rubble across central and eastern North America. Unlike web-building arachnids, these agile diurnal hunters sprint across sun-warmed rocks to track down small insects with keen visual acuity. Females construct spherical egg sacs carried securely behind them on their spinnerets, later ferrying dense clusters of hatched spiderlings on their backs.
DiurnalCamouflageAgile
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Midges
- Springtails
- Shore Flies
Predators
- Spotted Sandpipers
- American Bullfrogs
- Spider Wasps
ThreatsRiparian habitat alteration, shoreline channelization, and water pollution
HabitatsRocky riverbanks, gravel bars, talus slopes, lake shores, and stone quarries
Life span1–2 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderAraneae
- FamilyLycosidae
- GenusPardosa
- SpeciesPardosa lapidicina
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance; completely harmless to humans and pets.
Responsible observation
- Spotting: Search flat, sunlit cobble and gravel bars along clean waterways during warm afternoons.
- Approach: Step lightly and avoid casting a shadow overhead, which triggers an immediate sprint into hiding.
Competitor (c) Meghan Cassidy, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Meghan Cassidy · cc-by-sa
Image unavailableClose Relative 
Close Relative (c) Nick Chirico, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Family Member (c) CK2AZ, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by CK2AZ · cc-by
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?
Checking your Fauna account…Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.