Wolf  Spiders  and  Allies  -  Superfamily:   Lycosoidea
      The Lycosoidea as a superfamily typically consisting of families of spiders that share a particular feature of their eyes, namely the shape of the tapetum (= a reflective layer at the back of some or all of the eyes, believed to enhance light sensitivity).  In Lycosoids this tapetum is supposedly 'grate-shaped'.  As a defining feature this has not always been satisfactory however.  and a number of revisions have taken place that have seen families added, and a number of species and genera re-arranged.  The current taxonomic configuration is still debated and, new discoveries are still being made, further complicating the matter.
      The Lycosoid spiders are mostly vagrants, meaning they do not build webs to catch their prey but, rather, they either actively hunt for it or they ambush it using camouflage and stealth.  As hunting spiders many do not shy away from tackling prey larger than themselves, some are quite adept at catching small fish and others are aggressive enough to attack and kill other spiders for a meal.  They can be found on every continent except Antarctica although some species have been sighted well above the Arctic circle.   Many species are rather drab looking but there are plenty of exceptions in most Lycosoid families.
      This superfamily is composed of 10 families, altogether accounting for 311 genera and 4,420 species as of November 2023.   The largest family is the Lycosidae with about 55 % of the total species count.  Six of the ten families are represented in the Northern Rivers.
Lycosoid spiders may have appeared during the Cretaceous Period as suggested by a recent find in Botswana of what is regarded to be a fossil Lycosoid spider dated some 113-101 My old.  The fossil spider is said to be 'almost-complete' and is the first such specimen to be described from Africa.
References  and  links:
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>      Benson, K.,  and  Suter, R.B.,   (2013).    'Reflections on the tapetum lucidum and eyeshine in lycosoid spiders.'    The Journal of Arachnology. 41 (1): 43–52. doi:10.1636/B12-35.1.
>      Carico, J.E.,  (2005).   'Descriptions of two new spider genera of Trechaleidae (Araneae, Lycosoidea) from South America.'   Journal of Arachnology 33(3): 797-812. 
​doi:10.1636/H03-71.1
​>      Gray, M.R.  and  Thompson, J.A.,  (2001).    'New lycosoid spiders from cave and surface habitats in southern Australia and Cape Range peninsula (Araneae: Lycosoidea).'   Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 64: 159-170.   doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.64.2001.159-170 
>      Griswold, C E.,  (1993).   'Investigations into the phylogeny of Lycosoid spiders and their kin (Arachnida: Araneae: Lycosoidea).'    Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 539 (539):
​ 1–39.   doi:10.5479/si.00810282.539
>      Polotow, D.,  Carmichael, A.  and  Griswold, C.E.,   (2015).    'Total evidence analysis of the phylogenetic relationships of Lycosoidea spiders (Araneae, Entelegynae).'   Invertebrate Systematics 29(2): 124-163. doi:10.1071/IS14041
>      Rayner, R.J. and Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.,   (1995).    'A fossil spider (superfamily Lycosoidea) from the Cretaceous of Botswana.'    South African Journal of Science 91, 98–100.
>      Selden, P.,  Nam, K.-S.,   Kim, S.-H.  and  Kim, Hyun,  (2012).    'A Fossil Spider from the Cretaceous of Korea.'   Journal of Paleontology. 86. 1-6.   doi:10.2307/41409126. 

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycosoidea
      https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/367161-Lycosoidea
      https://www.mindat.org/taxon-P57517.html

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