34 



THE COMMON SPIDERS 



close to the edge and the others running back from the lateral 

 eyes (fig. 98) ; there are also two fine brown lines sometimes 

 extending from the middle eyes to the dorsal groove, but usually 

 broken in the middle. There is a brown spot just behind the 

 dorsal groove and two others in the middle of the cephalothorax. 

 On the abdomen there are two black spots at the front 

 end, two in the middle and two near the hind end, besides 



several smaller ones along the sides. There 

 are four light brown lines across the hinder 

 half, each with a white line behind it, and 

 at the sides are oblique brown lines alter- 

 nating with white. The legs have a distinct 

 light line along the dorsal side and are 

 covered with fine brown spots without any 

 other markings. 



Xysticus (Coriarachne) versicolor. — The 

 thorax, abdomen, and legs are all much 

 flattened, the head is low, and the upper 

 and lower eyes nearer together than in the 

 other species. The colors are black and 

 gray in irregular spots on a light ground 

 (figs. 99, 100). On bark or unpainted 

 wood these spiders can hardly be seen. 

 Light individuals have black spots on the 

 legs at the end of each joint and the usual 

 three pairs of dark marks on the abdo- 

 On the thorax is a white spot in the middle under the 



Figs. 99, 100. Xysticus 

 versicolor. — 99, fe- 

 male. 100, male. Both 

 enlarged four times. 



men. 



front of the abdomen. Around this spot and behind the eyes 

 is black extending in spots along the sides. In dark females 

 and in most males the dark spots are so large that the whole 

 spider is nearly black. 



This is a common spider, and a similar species, Coriarachne 

 depressa, is equally common in Europe. 



