Superfamily Argiopoidea 



by many writers. This spider lives among plants at the bottom 

 of clear and quiet ponds; but it breathes air which it brings 

 down from above the surface of the water adhering to its body. 



Fig. 661. LATERAL ASPECT OF AGELENA 



Fig. 662. WEB OF AGELENA N/EVIA 



1 1 constructs a dome of silk among the plants at the bottom of the 

 pond or in a crevice of some kind or in an empty shell and fills 

 it with air; this air-filled dome serves as a home for the spider, 

 a nidus for its egg-sac, and a retreat for passing the winter. 



This family is represented in our fauna by nine genera, 

 which can be separated by the following table: 



TABLE OF GENERA OF THE AGELENID^ 



A. Fore spinnerets contiguous, preceded by a colulus. P. 585. 



Cyb/eus 



583 



