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
$Mimetus interfector.$--This is about the same size and color as
_Theridium tepidariorum_, but it has a round and Epeira-like abdomen and
spiny legs like Epeira or Linyphia. The length is nearly a quarter of an
inch. The cephalothorax is one and a half times as long as wide, widest
behind and narrow in front (fig. 314). The mandibles are long and dark
colored, except a spot near the base. The cephalothorax is whitish, with
a stripe of brown from the eyes to the dorsal groove. The abdomen is
small, widest in front, like that of _Epeira angulata_, with two
prominent corners. The markings are also like Epeira,--a central stripe,
with dark spots along the edges (figs. 314, 315). The color is gray and
brown in the darker parts. The legs are light yellow, with dark rings at
the ends of the joints. It lives on bushes and occasionally on houses
and fences, where it has been found in webs among those of _Theridium
tepidariorum_.
[Illustration: FIGS. 316, 317. Ero thoracica.--316, back of female
enlarged eight times. 317, side of female.]
$Ero thoracica.$--This spider resembles the young of _Theridium
tepidariorum_, but the colors are brighter, and the hairs longer and
coarser. It is an eighth to a sixth of an inch long. The cephalothorax
is nearly as high in the middle as it is long and slopes at a sharp
angle under the front of the abdomen (fig. 317). The head is lower than
the middle of the thorax, and the front middle eyes project beyond the
mandibles. The abdomen is as high as long and has a pair of humps on the
highest part. The cephalothorax is light yellow, with a dark irregular
stripe on each side and a middle line crossed by a crescent-shaped mark
on the highest part. The abdomen is white, with brown spots of various
shapes. The front half of each hump is dark brown, and a dark line
extends from there down the sides (fig. 316). At the back of the abdomen
are several transverse stripes, which are sometimes reddish. Stiff brown
hairs are scattered all over the abdomen. The legs are ringed with brown
and yellow, and have coarse brown hairs and long spines on the tibia and
tarsus, which is unusual in this family. It is found under stones and in
winter under leaves in woods. It lives also in Europe.
THE LINYPHIADÆ
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