Lycosa tarantula

Lycosa tarantula is the species originally known as the tarantula, a name that nowadays commonly refers to spiders in another family entirely, Theraphosidae. It now may be better called the tarantula wolf spider, being in the wolf spider family, the Lycosidae. Lycosa tarantula is a large species found in southern Europe, especially in the Apulia region of Italy and near the city of Taranto, from which it gets its name.