Superfamily Argiopoidea 



Sometimes there are only the two lateral stripes, and there are al 

 variations between these markings." (Emerton.) 



Fig. 474. SINGA VARIABILIS (after Emerton) 



Singa pratensis (S. pra-ten'sis). — "When 

 full grown the females are a fifth of an inch F >s- 47s. singa 



1 v , it , , 1 j 1 j ■<., PRATENSIS, FEMALE 



long, with the abdomen oval and marked with (after Emerton) 



a double white stripe in the middle and a single 

 one on each side (Fig. 475). The cephalothorax is yellow, with 

 a little black between the middle eyes not extending to the lateral 

 pairs. The males are marked in the same way." (Emerton.) 



Genus METEPEIRA (Met-e-pei'ra) 



The metatarsus and tarsus of the first legs together are 

 longer than the tibia and patella; the lateral condyle of the 



chelicerae is comparatively small. In 

 both of these respects this genus re- 

 sembles the Metinae more than the 

 Argiopinas. In the males the bulb of the 

 palpus bears a median apophysis resem- 

 bling a double-bladed reaping-hook (Fig. 

 476). There is no hook on the coxa of 

 the first legs, and no groove on the femur 

 of the second; the patella of the pedipalp 

 bears two spines at its apex. In the 

 female the tip of the scape of the epigy- 

 num is recurved. 



The following is a common and 

 widely distributed species. 

 The Labyrinth Spider, Metepeira labyrinth ea, (M. lab-y-rin' 

 the-a). — This exceedingly common species is most easily recog- 



462 



Fig. 476. PALPUS OF MALE OF 

 METEPEIRA LABYRINTHEA 



