THE THERIDID^ 



125 



are slender, without markings, the front pair longer than the 

 others. The point of the abdomen is movable and is some- 

 times curved downward when the spider is disturbed in the 

 web, as shown by the dotted line in fig. 292. They make webs 

 like those of Theridium, between branches of shrubs (fig. 296) 

 and also among the upper threads of the webs of larger spiders. 

 They have been found in the webs of — 

 Agalena, Theridium, and Linyphia, in 

 the looser parts, out of reach of the 

 maker of the web. Hanging in the web, 

 they look like straws or the scales of 

 pine buds that have fallen into it. The 

 cocoons of eggs hang in the web and 

 have a peculiar shape (fig. 296), the 

 upper part conical and the lower 

 part contracted into a narrow neck. 

 The species is common in New 

 England and is found all over the 

 country as far south as Florida. 



Argyrodes nephilae.— This is about 

 as large as Argyrodes trigonum, 

 with the hump silver white and 

 the under side of the body black 

 or dark brown (fig. 297). The 

 hump ends in a blunt round point. 

 The front of the head is more nearly vertical than in trigomim, 

 and the upper part projects forward, carrying with it the front 

 middle eyes. In the male there are two horns in front of the 

 eyes, the upper one carrying the middle eyes of both rows 

 (fig. 299). The cephalothorax is black or dark brown above 

 and below. The abdomen is black on the under side, including 

 the spinnerets, and there is a black middle stripe extending 

 back to the tip of the hump. The basal joints of all the legs 



299 297 



Figs. 297, 298, 299. Argyrodes nephilae. 

 — 297, female. 298, male. Both en- 

 larged eight times. 299, head of male. 



