Superfamily Argiopoidea 



of that genus. The abdomen is about twice as long as wide, blunt 

 at both ends, and projects far over the cephalothorax. The legs 

 are long and slender, especially the first two pairs. 



The genus contains more than one hundred species, but only 

 one has been found in our fauna. 



The beautiful Leucauge, Leucauge venusta (L. ve-nus'ta). — 

 This is a common and widely distributed species. It is a bright 

 green and silver-white spider, tinged with golden, and sometimes 

 with orange-yellow or copper-red spots. In the female the cephal- 

 othorax is yellowish with a dark green stripe in the middle and 

 one on each side. The abdomen is egg-shaped twice as long as 



wide, with the front end 

 rounded and projecting above 

 the cephalothorax. 1 1 is silver- 

 white above, with a dark line 

 in the middle, from which 

 extend four pairs of more or 

 less distinct bars, as shown in 

 Fig. 435. On the sides of the 

 abdomen there are two vellow- 

 ish stripes. Sometimes there 

 are two bright orange-yellow 

 or copper-red spots above 

 near the hind end of the ab- 

 domen, and a large spot of the 

 same colour on the ventral side 

 near the middle. None of the 

 specimens that I have taken in 

 New York have the red spots 

 but in all that I have taken 

 The length of body is one fifth 



Fig. 435. LEUCAUGE VENUSTA 



in the South they are present, 

 to one fourth inch. 



The males are half as large as the females; with longer legs, 

 and similar colours. 



The specific name venusta or beautiful, applied to this spider 

 is well deserved, for it is one of the most beautiful of all our 

 spiders. It is a very widely distributed species, extending beyond 

 the limits of the United States both north and south. 



Unlike Mela, this spider lives in open, well-lighted situations. 

 It builds its web on shrubs and trees. The webs are horizontal 



422 



