1907. 6i 



ARANEIDA. 



BY DENIS R. PACK-BERESFORD, B.A., M.R.I. A., D.L. 



As might be expected, owing to the almost entire absence of 

 shrubs on the island, the spiders of Lambay are confined to a *\ ery 

 great extent to the ground-inhabiting species. 



I took a few specimens of the common Araneus diadematus, 

 A. cornutus, Meta segmentate, and Tetragnatha extensa, in the 

 little bays along the south coast, and a few Xilla atrica on the 

 furze bushes on the western slope of the island, but these, with the 

 addition of one or two immature Theridions, constitute the sole 

 representatives of these usually abundant kinds, taken either by 

 myself in October or by Mr. Halbert in June. By far the 

 commonest species is Drassodes cupreus, which I found in large 

 numbers in the crevices of the rocks on the south and west 

 coasts, and I also found a large colony of the handsome Dysdera 

 crocata on the coast between the harbour and Scotch Point. 



Of the rarer kinds, the most interesting are Lophocarennm 

 stramineum, Menge, which has not been recorded before in the 

 British Isles ; Porrhomma errans (Bl.) and Attus pubescens, Fab. 

 both of which are new to Ireland ; Micryphantes innotabilis 

 (Cb.) of which there is only one previous Irish record, and which 

 is a scarce species both in England and on the continent of Europe. 

 Mica rio soma festivum, Koch, which, though very common in 

 France and fairly so in England, has only been recorded once 

 previously in Ireland ; Prosthesima subterranea, Koch, of which 

 species Professor Carpenter records only one Irish example, 

 from Co. Wicklow, though I have taken a single adult female 

 myself in Co. Waterford ; and Hilaira reproba (Cb.) of which 

 only a single female had previously been taken in Ireland. 



Except where otherwise noted I took the spiders myself 

 during a very pleasant three days' visit in October last. 



My best thanks are due to Professor Carpenter for kindly 

 naming some of the species, which I was unable to identify, 

 and also for confirming my identification of some of the rarer 

 kinds. The Rev. O. Pickard Cambridge has also examined the 

 specimen of Lophocarennm stramineum. In the list which follows 

 I have adopted the nomenclature given by Professor Carpenter 

 in his " List of the Spiders of Ireland " (Proc. R. 1. Acad. (3) 

 vol. v.) 



