Superfamily Argiopoidea 



These are diurnal, hunting spiders, 

 which make no use of webs for capturing 

 their prey. They do not carry their egg- 

 sacs about as do the members of the two 

 preceding families; but fasten them to a 

 ft J? branch or to a leaf or suspend them in a 



little web which they spin for this purpose. 

 This family is feebly represented in the 

 North; but some of the species are quite 

 common in the South. 

 Three genera are represented in our fauna; these can be 

 separated by the following table: 



Fig. 733. 

 EYES OF OXYOPES 



TABLE OF GENERA OF THE OXYOPID/€ 



A. Posterior row of eyes slightly procurved; posterior lateral 



eyes much farther from the anterior lateral eyes than from 



the posterior median eyes; lower margin of the chelicerae 



unarmed. P. 658. Peucetia 



AA. Posterior row of eyes strongly procurved; posterior lateral 



eyes about as far from the anterior lateral eyes as from the 



posterior median eyes; lower margin of the chelicera with 



one tooth. 



B. Four posterior eyes equidistant; quadrangle limited 



by the posterior median eyes and the anterior lateral 



eyes longer than wide. P. 659. Oxyopes 



BB. Four posterior eyes not equidistant. P. 660. 



Hamataliva 



Genus PEUCETIA (Peu-cet'i-a) 



The members of this genus can be recognized by the slight 

 procurvature of the posterior row of eyes (Fig. 734). They are 

 quite large spiders and are usually of 

 a beautiful green colour, with red spots 

 and black spines. The following is our 

 only species. 



Peucetia viridans (P. vir'i-dans). 

 — This is a common species in the 

 Southern States, where it often at- 

 tracts attention on account of its 



Fig. 734. EYES OF PEUCETIA 



658 



