66 FAUNA OF MAYFIELD'S CAVE. 



not especially dull in color and have eyes about normal in size, while 

 the other 8 are more or less dull and have eyes with a greater or less 

 degree of degeneration. 



Hamann (1896, 195-203) lists 19 species of this group from European 

 caves. Of these all but one are more or less dull in color and 16 show 

 decided reduction in the size of the eyes, while 5 of them have the eyes 

 greatly reduced. 



In the Mayfield's Cave species of this group there is a direct relation 

 between the species inhabiting perpetually total darkness or visiting 

 twilight, and the degree of the degeneration of the eyes and the loss of 

 color. Theridium kentuckyense lives only near the mouth and usually in 

 bright twilight; its eyes and color show no modification from that of the 

 ordinary Theridium. Theridium porteri lives in dim twilight or just 

 beyond in darkness; its eyes are slightly reduced and its color is some- 

 what dull. Nesticus carteri is found well within the cave and is much 

 duller; its eyes are more reduced. Phanetta subterranea lives in the 

 depths of the cave; its color is very dull and its eyes are reduced and 

 part of them often lacking. 



Family EPEIRIDAE. 

 Meta menardi (Latreille). 



Aranea menardi LATREILLE, Hist. Nat. d. Crust, et de Ins., VII, 266 (Massachusetts, 

 Kentucky, Virginia, District of Columbia). 



Metafusca C. KOCH, Die Arachn., vill, 118, figs. 685-687. 



Epeirafusca BLACKWELL, Spid. of Gr. Brit., n, 349, fig. 252 (Great Britain). 



Meta menardi THORELL, Rein, on Synon. of Eur. Spiders, 38. SIMON, Arachn. de 

 France, I, 151. EMERTON. Trans. Conn. Ac., vi, 328, pi. 34, fig. 18 (New Eng- 

 land). PACKARD, Mem. Nat. Acad. Sci., iv, 1888, 11, 57 (Dixon'sCave, Kentucky). 

 MARX, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., xn, 1889, 551. McCooK, Am. Spiders, III, 11. 

 BLATCHLEY, Rep. Ind. Geol. Surv., xxi, 1896, 203 (Mayfield's, Strong's, Donne- 

 hue's, Donaldson's, Clifty, Wyandotte, and Saltpeter Caves) . EMERTON, Common 

 Spiders, 1902, 190, figs. 443-445. 



Not at all common, my only record in Mayfield's Cave being made 

 from 2 immature specimens. Found to be extremely abundant in the 

 caves at Mitchell. In Donaldson's and Lower Twin Caves it is excess- 

 ively abundant near the mouth, where the light is rather dim. It is 

 also found in darkness occasionally, but I have never taken it farther 

 than 200 feet from the mouth of a cave. This spider always spins a 

 characteristic somewhat loose and irregular orb-shaped web. I have 

 several times seen the large female resting in the middle of the orb- 

 shaped web and the much smaller male on the wall just at the edge of 

 the web. Flies are sometimes found entangled in the web of this species 

 and in a mass of debris taken from one of these webs I recognized the 

 remains of several Leria and one or two beetles, together with parts of 

 a spider cocoon, probably a discarded one of its own. 



