Spider ID Portugal

[filipabacelar]

Hi!
My name is Filipa Bacelar and I suffer from arachnophobia. Since I moved to the countryside (Vila Nova de Santo Estêvão, Benavente, Portugal) had to learn to deal with my phobia, but sometimes it becomes quite difficult. Something I realized over this past years is that to learn more about spiders makes me easier not to panic. Therefore, I would appreciate help by sending any kind of possible information about this spider.
From what I understand, this spider exists throughout the year, although it appears more times between spring and autumn. It is quite large (I've already found some with 6 to 7 cm or more); hairy; during the daytime appears more at home in the evening is easily spotted in the street, at certain times the abdomen appears much larger because of the offspring of the spider (hundreds or thousands) that are perched on the mother, almost as if they formed a hard shell around it.
Please let me have all possible information about this spider, what kind of food does it eats, such as hunting, whether it is poisonous if it bites, what its habitat,....
Thanks,

Filipa

[Pepsis]

Its a Lycosidae, Hogna radiata. It's a fairly common Mediterranean wolf spider. It's preferred habitat are open grasslands, more often in dry situations. It has a biannual life cycle: males and females mature and mate during summer. Males die shortly after while females carry the eggsac which usually hatches in autumn/late autumn (depending on when she mated). As with all Lycosidae the spiderlings (hundred, definitely not in the thousands) hang on the abdomen's mother for a week or so before dispersing. Females eventually die during the winter. The young spiderlings instead overwinter and return in spring and mature in summer.

As with the great majority of spiders it is venomous, as in possessing venom glands, however its bite is not dangerous to man and it's considered harmless (they prefer very much running away).
It's a wolf spider, therefore a wandering hunter. As you have noticed, it's a fairly large spider, one of the larger Lycosidae in Europe (ranging from 15 to 25mm in bodylength). It is a very competitive and aggressive hunter, preying on a wide range of invertebrates.

One of the most important factors in overcoming arachnophobia is learning about spiders and their incredible behavior, so if you have any other questions feel free to ask.