A survey of specimens identified as Trochosa urbana O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876, kept in the Zoological Museum, University of Turku, reveals that they belong to four species: T. urbana, T. dentichelis Buchar, 1997, T. ruricola (De Geer, 1778), and T. ruricoloides Schenkel, 1963. Trochosa urbana is redescribed based on syntypes, and a lectotype male is designated. Our study found that the actual range of T. urbana is restricted to eastern Africa (from Egypt to the Seychelles) and Israel, and not stretching from Africa to India as was thought before. Four species and one subspecies are synonymized with Trochosa urbana O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876: Caporiaccosa arctosaeformis (Caporiacco, 1940) syn. n., Geolycosa gofensis (Strand, 1906) syn. n., Hogna sansibarensis (Strand, 1907) syn. n., Pirata molensis Strand, 1908 syn. n., and Trochosa urbana hova (Strand, 1907) syn. n. Two genera, Caporiaccosa Roewer, 1960 syn. n. and Trochosippa Roewer, 1960 syn. n. are synonymized with Trochosa C. L. Koch, 1847. For two species, we establish new combinations: Trochosa meruensis (Lessert, 1926) comb. n.ex Trochosippa, and Hogna taurirtensis (Schenkel, 1937) comb. n.ex Pirata. Trochosa dentichelis, previously known from Bhutan, is reported from India. Trochosa aquatica Tanaka, 1985 is likely a junior synonym of T. ruricoloides. The latter species, previously known from China, is reported for the first time from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand.