I was told there is a good bit of variance in the species that can make them difficult to identify further, but they are common to SoCal.
That’s all correct. Wolf spiders are the second biggest family of spiders after the jumping spiders. And they are pretty much common in every part of the world that has spiders.
And while they are incredibly diverse within their family, the family itself is quite easy to identify (with only a few other families being false postives, like the aptly named false wolf spiders).
That said, while the OP’s picture isn’t good enough for an ID, you can rule out a lot of what it isn’t and that includes wolf spiders. Their legs are usually more stumpy and don’t reach the proportions of the front legs shown in the picture.
That’s all correct. Wolf spiders are the second biggest family of spiders after the jumping spiders. And they are pretty much common in every part of the world that has spiders.
And while they are incredibly diverse within their family, the family itself is quite easy to identify (with only a few other families being false postives, like the aptly named false wolf spiders).
That said, while the OP’s picture isn’t good enough for an ID, you can rule out a lot of what it isn’t and that includes wolf spiders. Their legs are usually more stumpy and don’t reach the proportions of the front legs shown in the picture.
What do you think it might be then? Thanks
See the other top level comments.