Superfamily Argiopoidea 



gray and white, about one fourth inch long, and lives on the 

 sides of houses and on fences. The front of the head around and 

 above the eyes is white. There is a white band across the anterior 

 end of the abdomen, and two or three oblique white bands on the 

 sides. In some cases, according to the Peekhams, the oblique 

 bands meet on the back, and a longitudinal white band passes down 

 the middle of the abdomen, widening, at the spinnerets. 



Genus HYCTIA (Hyc'ti-a) 



This genus includes long, slender spiders, with the first pair 

 of legs much stouter than the other legs, and with the tibia of the 

 first legs with four pairs of spines beneath. The sternum L 

 narrowed in front so that the anterior coxae are separated by a 

 distance less than the width of the labium. Three species have 

 been found in the United States. 



Hyctia pikei (H. pi'ke-i). — This species can be easily distin- 

 guished from all other attids occurring in our fauna by the shape 

 of the abdomen, which is more than three times as long as wide. 

 The male measures from .28 to .35 inch in length; the female 

 from .32 to .38 inch. In the male there is a wide black stripe, 

 with four notches on each side, on the middle of the abdomen, 

 and a white stripe on each side. In the female the central band 

 is dark brown and is less definite and the sides are not so white 

 as in the male. 



This species is widely distributed in the eastern half of the 

 United States. 



Hyctia bina (H. bi'na). — In this species the abdomen is only 

 twice as long as wide. In the male the abdomen is bronze-brown, 

 with a white basal band, extending back about one third of the 

 length of the abdomen on the sides and a broken white band on 

 each side of the middle. In the female there is a white, median 

 band extending the entire length of the abdomen, on each side of 

 which there is a black band which does not reach either end of the 

 abdomen. 



This species is also widely distributed in the eastern half of 

 the United States. 



Hyctia robusta (II. ro-bus'ta).— -This species has been found 

 only in the Far West. The abdomen is three times as long as wide. 

 It is a larger and hairier species than H. pikei and has white in 



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