The Common Spiders of the United StatesEmerton, J. H. (James Henry)
Science
The Common Spiders of the United States
Emerton, J. H. (James Henry)
Spiders -- United States
$Agrœca pratensis.$--A little light-colored spider, resembling the
next species, _Anyphæna incerta_. It is about a fifth of an inch long.
The cephalothorax is wide behind and low in front and highest near the
dorsal groove. The head is contracted in front of the legs more than it
is in _incerta_. The front row of eyes is nearly straight, the middle
pair only a little the higher (fig. 33). The upper row is longer and
more curved, with all the eyes about the same distance apart, the middle
pair not so much separated as in _incerta_. The abdomen is widest
behind, but not as wide as in _incerta_. The spinnerets are two-jointed,
as in Anyphæna. The legs are long, the fourth pair longest, and are a
little thicker than those of _incerta_. The coxæ of the hind legs almost
touch, and the sternum is short and nearly round (fig. 36). The labium
is short and the maxillæ straight, as in Anyphæna. The cephalothorax,
legs, and mouth parts are light brownish yellow. The cephalothorax has a
fine dark line on each side and two broken longitudinal stripes made up
of gray marks radiating from the dorsal groove. The abdomen has two rows
of gray oblique markings on a light ground. The general appearance is
like a small Lycosa. It lives among leaves and short grass. There is
little difference between male and female.
[Illustration: FIGS. 37, 38, 39, 40, 41. Anyphæna incerta.--37, palpus
of male. 38, under side of female as far forward as end of sternum. 39,
eyes from in front. 40, female enlarged four times. 41, maxillæ, labium,
and ends of mandibles.]
$Anyphæna incerta.$--About a fifth of an inch long, light yellow, with
gray markings. The cephalothorax is three-quarters as wide as long,
rounded at the sides and highest in the middle. The front of the head is
very low, so that the eyes nearly touch the mandibles. The front row of
eyes is nearly straight. The upper row is longer and more curved, with
the middle eyes highest and farthest apart (fig. 39). The abdomen is
large in the female, widest behind the middle, and a little pointed
behind. The labium is not longer than wide, and the maxillæ are
straight, with the sides parallel. The sternum is oval, not so short and
wide as in _pratensis_. The opening of the air-tubes is halfway between
the epigynum and spinnerets (fig. 38), instead of just in front of the
spinnerets, as it is in most spiders. The spinnerets are two-jointed.
The legs are slender and tapering, the fourth longest in females and the
first in males. The cephalothorax has two longitudinal broken gray
bands. The abdomen has a double row of spots in the middle and oblique
rows of smaller spots each side. The oblique lines of spots extend under
the abdomen halfway to the middle.
[Illustration: FIGS. 42, 43. Anyphæna calcarata.--42, under side of
cephalothorax of female. 43, palpus of male.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account