Superfarr.ily Argiopoidea 



and third rows of eyes; and the second pair, the fourth row. 

 There are usually four pairs of black dots on the abdomen ; but 

 these are sometimes wanting. The armature of the chelicera of 

 the female is represented in Fig. 740. 



Hentz, who first described this spider, says that it is very 

 active, and apparently fearless, jumping on the hand that 

 threatens it. 



Genus THIOD1NA (Thi-o-di'na) 



This genus is the only representative in our fauna of a group 

 of genera distinguished by the presence of four bulbous setae on 

 the tibiae of the first pair of legs (Fig. 746). The function of 

 these setae is not known; but they are believed to be sense-organs. 



Two very closely al- 

 lied species have been 

 found in the United 

 States. 



Tbiodina sylvana 

 (T. syl-va'na). — In 

 the male "the cepha- 

 lothorax varies from 

 light to dark reddish 

 brown and has on the 

 cephalic-plate a large oval spot of white just in front of the dorsal 

 eyes, two white lines on each side near the posterior border, 

 running upward from the lower margin, and just behind and below 

 each dorsal eye three short parallel lines: the abdomen varies 

 from light testaceous to brown and has on the dorsum two longi- 

 tudinal white bands; on each side of the bands are some scattered 

 black dots." I n the female, " the cephalothorax is yellow, darkest 

 in the eye-region; the eyes are on black spots, and there is a brown 

 spot just above the anterior middle eyes, the abdomen is yellow 

 with three longitudinal white bands, the middle often less distinct, 

 and many black dots; the other parts are yellow" (Peckham). 

 The male measures from .36 to .44 inch in length; the female 

 from .36 to .48 inch. This species is found in the South and is 

 distributed from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 



Thiodina puerpera (T. pu-er'pe-ra).— 'The general colour of 

 the male is like sylvana, but instead of the oval white spot there 

 is a white band running from between the dorsal eyes down the 



670 



