Superfamily Argiopoidea 



Although the scape of the epigynum (Fig. 489) is elongate, it 

 is less than twice as long as its width at the base. 



The males before me are remarkable for their size, being 

 about as large as the females. 



This species, as its specific name indicates, prefers shady 

 situations. Emerton states that it lives in great numbers about 

 houses and barns in northern New England. 1 have found it in a 

 tunnel at Ithaca, and on the sides of cliffs in a ravine. Its webs 

 are sometimes very large. 



This is the Epeira cinerea of Emerton. 



Aranea gemma (A. gem'ma). — This is a very large species 

 which is widely distributed in the western half of the United 

 States. The larger specimens that 1 have examined measure 

 four fifths inch in length and two thirds inch in width. The 

 spider varies greatly in colour; usually the ground colour is yellow 

 with brown or darkish markings. Among some specimens which 

 1 collected in California one was almost entirely white, the others 

 were yellowish marked with dark gray. In some the folium is 

 distinct on the hind half of the abdomen; in others it is wanting. 

 The humps on the abdomen are very prominent. On the ventral 

 side of the abdomen, there is a brown band extending from the 

 epigynum to the spinnerets; this band is bordered on each side 

 by a more or less broken yellow stripe. The most distinctive 

 feature is the form of the epigynum, which is small for so large 

 a spider; the scape is short, triangular, as broad at the base as 

 long, and ends in a spoon-shaped tip (Fig. 490). 



I have not seen the male. McGook states that it is small 

 compared with the female, measuring only one third inch in 

 length. 



THE SMALLER ANGULATE ARANEAS 



Among the species of Aranea that are characterized by the 

 presence of a pair of humps near the base of the abdomen, there 

 are some that are distinguished from those described above by their 

 smaller size, the adult females usually measuring less than one 

 third inch in length. The more common species of this group are 

 the two following: 



Aranea corticaria (A. cor-ti-ca'ri-a).— This is the larger of the 

 two common species of the smaller angulate Araneas, the adult 

 female measuring nearly one third inch in length. The abdomen 



472 



