The Common Spiders of the United States — John Shaqi
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
$Habrocestum auratum.$--In life this spider is covered with bluish white
hairs that give it a light gray color and obscure the markings. The
markings of the male are so much stronger that those of both sexes can
be best understood by describing the male first (fig. 122). The
cephalothorax has a white middle stripe for a short distance back from
the front eyes and two distinct white stripes from the lateral front
eyes back the whole length. In the middle of the head are two small
white spots and just behind them between the posterior eyes two curved
white lines. The latter marks show indistinctly in the females. Down at
the sides of the cephalothorax are white stripes meeting in front under
the eyes. The abdomen has a white line extending entirely around it and
a middle stripe of varying width.
[Illustration: FIGS. 124, 125. Third and first legs of male Habrocestum
auratum to show differences between this species and the next.--124,
third leg. 125, first leg.]
The female (fig. 123) has only faint indications of the markings of the
cephalothorax, usually a little lighter color in the middle and at the
sides below the eyes. The white stripe around the abdomen is broken into
three pairs of oblique white markings and the middle stripe into several
spots or pairs of spots. There is nothing distinctive in the markings
of the under side or of the legs except the ornaments of the male.
The front legs of the male (fig. 125) in this species are much
ornamented. The femur has long black hairs on the under side. The
patella has long black hairs beneath, a spot of short black hairs on the
inner side, and a crest of long white hairs mixed with shorter black on
the upper side. The tibia is covered with long black hairs except at the
tip, where they are white. There is nothing peculiar about the third leg
(fig. 124). The form and general appearance can best be understood from
the figures.
At the mating time the males, as they approach the females, hold the
front legs extended sidewise and lifted a little from the ground, with
the tibia nearly horizontal and the tarsus turned downward. In this
position they advance slowly, at the same time running rapidly sidewise
from one side to the other and at short intervals jerking the abdomen
and the front legs slightly upward. They go almost close enough to touch
the female and then quickly retreat.
[Illustration: FIGS. 126, 127, 128. Habrocestum peregrinum.--128, female
enlarged six times. 126, third leg. 127, first leg.]
$Habrocestum peregrinum.$--This is about the same size as _auratum_ and
looks very much like it. The female, at any rate in alcohol, has a more
distinct light mark in the middle of the cephalothorax, curving under
the eyes and pointing forward in the middle (fig. 128). The abdomen has
light markings in the middle similar to those of _auratum_, but those at
the sides are less distinct.
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