Superfamily Argiopoidea 



"The female is variable. In the typical form the eye-region 

 is mottled with short fawn and black hairs, with a darker trans- 

 verse band between the dorsal eyes, behind which are two white 

 scallops. The hairs behind and on the upper sides are yellowish 

 brown, and those on the lower sides and clypeus are white. The. 

 abdomen is velvety black with a white band at base, a wide scal- 

 loped white band on each side behind the middle, and a central, 

 irregular, white band which begins in front of the middle in a broad 

 arrow head, and which may or may not reach the apex. At the 

 end is a pair of white dots. The legs are medium brown. Another 

 form has a white abdomen with a black band behind the base 

 and four large black spots on the back" (Peckham). The male 

 measures .26 inch in length; the female, .30 inch. 



The range of this species extends from the Atlantic to the 

 Pacific. 



Genus PLEXIPPUS (Plex-ip'pus) 



The cephalothorax is high and convex, with the sides parallel 

 in the cephalic part and rounded on the thoracic. The ocular 

 quadrangle occupies about one 

 third of the length of the cepha- 

 lothorax and has the sides nearly 

 parallel. The tibia of the first legs 

 is armed with three pairs of spines 

 beneath; and the first two pairs of 

 legs are similar. Only one species 

 occurs in our fauna. 



Plexippus paykullii (P. pay- 

 kul'li-i). — This is a dark spider with 

 a median light band extending the 

 whole length of the body; this band 

 is wider on the posterior half of 

 the abdomen. In the female (Fig. 

 760), the median band is divided 

 on the first half of the abdomen by a dark line, and the wider 

 portion of this band, on the second half of the abdomen, is in- 

 distinctly marked with dark chevrons, and has a pair of trans- 

 verse white bars extending from it. The male measuVes from .^<> 

 to .40 inch in length; the female from .}<> to 4S inch. 



This species is found in all of the warm regions of the world, 

 including the extreme southern portions of ouf territory. 



693 



Fig. 760. 

 PL] \iiti r\\ Kl LLII. I l \l \l.i 



