NOTES ON SOME ARACHNIDS FROM OHIO 

 VALLEY CAVES. 1 



NORMAN E. McINDOO. 



In September, 1909, immediately after the expiration of my 

 year at the Indiana University's Cave Farm, 2 I spent two weeks 

 collecting arachnids in the following caves: Marengo, Spring, 

 Wyandotte, Little Wyandotte, Sibert's Well, Saltpeter and 

 Mammoth Cave. In all these caves 268 individuals were caught. 

 The expenses in part were defrayed by a grant from the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science. 



Linyphia Weyeri Emerton 3 was taken only from Marengo Cave. 

 This species in this cave is as abundant as Troglohyphantes (Wil- 

 libaldia) cavernicola Keys, is in the Shawnee Cave. They are 

 most abundant at a place 200 feet from the old entrance, or 500 

 from the new one. None were seen farther that 1,200 feet from 

 the old entrance. Insects from this locality to the end of the 

 cave are very rare, while near the entrance they are very abun- 

 dant. The habitat, habits, webs and cocoons of this spider are 

 similar to those of Troglohyphantes. Some were collected on 

 their snares in the angles formed by the floor and wall, some 

 along clay banks, some in little pits in the sand floor, and others 

 under rotten boards and debris with thysanurans, beetles, diptera 

 and myriopods. They were not sensitive to my carbide light, 

 but were easily irritated by blowing on the web. The snares 

 were quite abundant and were constructed like those of Tro- 

 glohyphantes. Several cocoons w r ere collected; one contained 

 newly hatched spiderlings which were white in color. One 

 spider was caught eating a thysanuran. Since the entrance to 

 this cave is an artificial one securely made in a sink hole, we may 

 expect an even temperature throughout the cave. And since 

 the spiders are most abundant near the entrance we may at- 

 tribute this phenomenon to the great number of insects. 



1 Contribution No. 117 from the Zoological Laboratory of Indiana University. 



2 "Biology of the Shawnee Cave Spiders," BIOL. BULL., Vol. XIX., No. 6, No- 

 vember, 1910. 



3 These various species were identified by Dr. Alexander Petrunkevitch. 



