Wetland giant wolf spider (Tigrosa helluo)

The wetland giant wolf spider is a spider in the family Lycosidae that is not dangerous to people. GBIF holds 1,182 licensed U.S. records of it; it reaches our listing threshold in 37 states, most of all New York (164), Illinois (141) and Pennsylvania (130). Its observation records peak in September.

37states on record

1,182licensed U.S. records

Seppeak month, observations

Novenomous to people

Tigrosa helluo, commonly known as the Wetland Giant Wolf Spider, is a species of spider belonging to the family Lycosidae, also known as wolf spiders. T. helluo was formerly known as Hogna helluo before differences between dorsal color patterns, habitat preferences, body structures, etc. were discovered.

From Wikipedia: Tigrosa helluo, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Bitten? Call 911 for a venomous snakebite or any bite with trouble breathing. For advice on any bite or sting, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (free, 24/7, U.S.-wide). Do not cut the wound, suck out venom or use a tourniquet. General information, not medical advice. Do not handle or try to identify a snake or spider by this page; if unsure, treat it as venomous.

Is the wetland giant wolf spider poisonous or venomous?

Not in any medically significant way. Like almost all spiders the wetland giant wolf spider (family Lycosidae) has venom for its prey, but it is not a widow or recluse, the two U.S. groups whose bites need medical attention.

Which states have the wetland giant wolf spider?

Records are spread over 37 states; the top three, New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania, hold 37% of them.

Source: GBIF, read 2026-09-29. A state is listed once GBIF holds at least 10 records of the species there under any license; Records counts only CC0 and CC BY records, so a listed state can show fewer.
#	State	Records	Share of state spiders	Rank in state
1	New York	164	2.7%	8th of 149
2	Illinois	141	0.7%	13th of 243
3	Pennsylvania	130	1.8%	10th of 164
4	Ohio	127	1.8%	12th of 332
5	Texas	94	0.3%	63rd of 386
6	Virginia	64	0.6%	42nd of 176
7	Maryland	59	1.0%	25th of 153
8	Indiana	52	1.2%	15th of 133
9	New Jersey	37	1.6%	14th of 127
10	Arkansas	34	2.1%	11th of 114
11	Oklahoma	31	0.6%	37th of 149
12	Iowa	26	3.8%	4th of 57
13	Massachusetts	26	0.6%	39th of 189
14	Delaware	25	1.2%	21st of 71
15	Florida	25	0.2%	73rd of 237
16	Missouri	20	0.9%	26th of 117
17	Vermont	15	1.0%	24th of 74
18	Connecticut	14	1.4%	18th of 86
19	Kentucky	13	0.7%	39th of 103
20	Nebraska	11	0.9%	26th of 71
21	Tennessee	9	0.2%	67th of 138
22	New Hampshire	8	0.6%	37th of 72
23	Wisconsin	8	0.3%	82nd of 149
24	Kansas	7	0.4%	45th of 94
25	West Virginia	7	0.9%	23rd of 90
26	Colorado	6	0.1%	61st of 378
27	Michigan	6	0.3%	55th of 122
28	North Carolina	6	0.1%	112th of 184
29	Rhode Island	4	2.3%	11th of 53
30	Georgia	3	0.0%	136th of 186
31	Louisiana	2	0.0%	96th of 107
32	Maine	2	0.2%	46th of 297
33	Mississippi	2	0.1%	82nd of 117
34	Alabama	1	0.0%	121st of 143
35	Minnesota	0	—	—
36	North Dakota	0	—	—
37	South Dakota	0	—	—

When is the wetland giant wolf spider seen?

Across the U.S., observation records of the wetland giant wolf spider run mostly March through October, peaking in September with 17% of them. Winter (December to February) holds 4% of them.

Season by state

Observation records run through most of the year in Texas. Among states whose main season falls within one calendar year, it starts earliest in March (Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and Virginia) and latest in April (Illinois, Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania). The most common peak month is May, shared by Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and New York.

Source: GBIF observation records (CC0, CC BY) by state and month, read 2026-09-29. States with fewer than 30 observation records with a month are left out.
State	Main season	Peak month	Observation records
Pennsylvania	April through October	September	129
Ohio	March through October	September	127
New York	April through October	May	114
Virginia	March through October	September	64
Illinois	April through October	May	63
Maryland	March through October	May	59
Texas	most of the year	April	50
Indiana	April through October	April	47
New Jersey	March through October	May	37

Where the wetland giant wolf spider is recorded in each state

New York

New York holds 164 licensed records, the 8th most recorded of 149 spiders listed there. Its observation records in New York run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Westchester County, Onondaga County and Erie County. Next come Tompkins County (13) and Greene County (10).

Illinois

Illinois holds 141 licensed records, the 13th most recorded of 243 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Illinois run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Will County, Jo Daviess County and Cook County. Next come Champaign County (10) and Madison County (5).

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania holds 130 licensed records, the 10th most recorded of 164 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Pennsylvania run mostly April through October, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Bucks County, Allegheny County and Montgomery County. Next come Berks County (13) and Philadelphia County (9).

Ohio

Ohio holds 127 licensed records, the 12th most recorded of 332 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Ohio run mostly March through October, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Summit County, Franklin County and Lake County. Next come Richland County (10) and Butler County (8).

Texas

Texas holds 94 licensed records, the 63rd most recorded of 386 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Texas run through most of the year, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Brazos County, Hidalgo County and Crockett County. Next come Fort Bend County (9) and Parker County (5).

Virginia

Virginia holds 64 licensed records, the joint 42nd most recorded of 176 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Virginia run mostly March through October, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Fairfax County, Arlington County and Powhatan County. Next come Accomack County (4) and Albemarle County (3).

Maryland

Maryland holds 59 licensed records, the 25th most recorded of 153 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Maryland run mostly March through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Baltimore County, Montgomery County and Howard County. Next come Frederick County (4) and Prince George's County (4).

Indiana

Indiana holds 52 licensed records, the 15th most recorded of 133 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Indiana run mostly April through October, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Monroe County, Lake County and Henry County. Next come Tippecanoe County (5) and Hamilton County (3).

New Jersey

New Jersey holds 37 licensed records, the joint 14th most recorded of 127 spiders listed there. Its observation records in New Jersey run mostly March through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Mercer County, Salem County and Gloucester County. Next come Middlesex County (4) and Morris County (3).

Arkansas

Arkansas holds 34 licensed records, the 11th most recorded of 114 spiders listed there. Most of its licensed records in Arkansas come from Clay County, Perry County and Craighead County. Next come Poinsett County (3) and Greene County (2).

Oklahoma

Oklahoma holds 31 licensed records, the 37th most recorded of 149 spiders listed there. Most of its licensed records in Oklahoma come from McIntosh County, Cleveland County and Woodward County. Next come Mayes County (2) and Cherokee County (1).

Top counties in the U.S.

Source: GBIF licensed records by county (GADM level 2), read 2026-09-29.
#	County	State	Records	Share of U.S.
1	Westchester County	New York	57	4.8%
2	Will County	Illinois	40	3.4%
3	Jo Daviess County	Illinois	38	3.2%
4	Clay County	Arkansas	20	1.7%
5	Onondaga County	New York	19	1.6%
6	Brazos County	Texas	17	1.4%
7	Fairfax County	Virginia	17	1.4%
8	Baltimore County	Maryland	16	1.4%
9	Bucks County	Pennsylvania	16	1.4%
10	Montgomery County	Maryland	15	1.3%
11	Allegheny County	Pennsylvania	14	1.2%
12	Erie County	New York	13	1.1%
13	Tompkins County	New York	13	1.1%
14	Summit County	Ohio	13	1.1%
15	Montgomery County	Pennsylvania	13	1.1%

How recent are the wetland giant wolf spider records?

Most of what is known about the wetland giant wolf spider is recent: 82% of dated U.S. records were made in 2017–2026, and half date from 2021 or later. The oldest dated record is from 1927; the busiest year was 2021, with 179 records.

Source: GBIF licensed U.S. records with a year, read 2026-09-29.
Decade	Records	Share
1920s	5	0.4%
1930s	3	0.2%
1940s	3	0.2%
1950s	1	0.1%
1960s	1	0.1%
1970s	1	0.1%
1980s	3	0.2%
1990s	8	0.7%
2000s	8	0.7%
2010s	334	27.5%
2020s	849	69.8%

Species recorded in the same counties

Of the 147 counties where the wetland giant wolf spider is most recorded, 99 are also top counties for the familiar jumping spider, more than for any other spider. None of its closest neighbors is venomous.

Source: GBIF licensed records, top counties per species and state, read 2026-09-29.
Species	Shared counties
Familiar jumping spider	99
Nursery web spider	98
Bold jumper	97
Spotted orbweaver	96
Black-and-yellow argiope	91
Spined micrathena	90
Dark fishing spider	87
Orchard orbweaver	85

Other species of the genus Tigrosa with profiles here: Georgia wolf spider.

Rabid wolf spiderRabidosa rabida

Koch's wolf spiderAlopecosa kochi

Georgia wolf spiderTigrosa georgicola

Shoreline wolf spiderArctosa littoralis

McCook's split wolf spiderSchizocosa mccooki

Brush-legged split wolf spiderSchizocosa ocreata

Shiny wolf spiderPardosa moesta

Drumming sword wolf spiderGladicosa gulosa

GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.

About these numbers

A species is listed for a state once GBIF holds at least 10 records of it located inside the state by coordinates, under any license. Every count, share, month and county shown is computed only from records published under CC0 or CC BY, so a listed species can show few or no counted records. Monthly patterns show when people record spiders, which also reflects when people are outdoors. Venomous status follows taxonomy: pit vipers and coral snakes; widow and recluse spiders; the Arizona bark scorpion. Records filed under older names count for the species they belong to today. Full methodology.