Superfamily Argiopoidea 



one above, the other below; these valves are usually united by 

 a suture of more delicate tissue, which the mother tears in order 

 to let the young escape. 



A few members of the family spin webs. In one division 

 of the family, which is represented in this country only by Sosippus, 



the web is said to resemble that 

 of Agelena. 



It is to this family that 

 the famous tarantula of southern 

 Europe belongs, the bite of which 

 was supposed to cause the danc- 

 ing madness. This is a large 

 species, resembling in form and 

 colour our Lycosa carolinensis. 



The Lycosidae have received 

 the attention of most of the 

 writers on American spiders. 

 The large size of many of the 

 species and the interesting habits 

 of some of them have made 

 them attractive subjectsof study. 

 The only paper, however, that 

 aims to describe all of the spe- 

 cies in our fauna is the Revision of North American Spiders of 

 the Family Lycosidce by Ralph V. Chamberlin (08). This 

 paper, which was prepared by Mr. Chamberlin while a graduate 

 student in the Department of Entomology of Cornell University, 

 1 have freely used in the preparation of the following account 

 of the family. 



The genera of the Lycosidae represented in the United States 

 can be separated by the following table: 



Fig. 715- 



LYCOSA HELLUO, FEMALE 

 WITH YOUNG 



AA. 



TABLE OF GENERA OF THE LYCOSID^ 



Anterior tibiae armed below with five pairs of long slanting 

 spines. Only a single rare species from the South known. 

 P. 649. Sosilaus 



Anterior tibiae armed beneath with less than five pairs 



of spines. 

 B. Lower margin of the furrow of the chelicera? armed 



620 



