THE LYCOSIDjE 



75 



middle. The sides are darkest toward the front 

 end, where there are two black spots. The under 

 side is lighter than the back. The epigynum 

 (fig. 180) differs from that of the related species, 

 having the middle lobe narrow in front and 

 wide and triangular at the end. 



Lycosa communis. — This is a common spider 

 in pastures, running in grass or hiding under 

 stones. It varies in color from light gray to 

 almost black, but the markings are almost 

 always the same and distinct. On the thorax 

 there is a middle stripe ex- 

 tending forward to the eyes, 

 and a narrower one between 

 the eyes to the front of the 

 head (fig. 181). 



I 



Figs. 179, 180. Lycosa 

 kochii. — 179, female 

 enlarged twice. 180, 

 epigynum. 



At the sides 

 are light 

 stripes nearly 

 as wide as the 

 middle one 

 extending 

 under the eyes 

 to the front of 

 the head. On the abdomen the 

 front pointed stripe is large. The 

 light stripes at the side of it are 

 wide and distinct, uniting on the 

 hinder half of the abdomen into 

 a middle stripe, broken some- 

 times into a row of four or five 

 spots. In dark individuals this 

 light marking is yellow and more 



181,182. Ly- 

 cosa communis. — 



181, female en- 

 larged three times. 



182, front of head 

 showing eyes. 



