THE EPEIRID/E 



175 



Fig. 409. Web of Ep3ira 

 labyrinthea with large ir- 

 regular web around the 

 nest. One-third the real 

 size. 



is light brown or yellow. On the under 

 side the ends of the mandibles and the 

 maxillae are black. The sternum is black, 

 with a white middle stripe. The abdo- 

 men has a short middle white stripe sur- 

 rounded by a large dark spot, and there 

 are several yellow spots along the sides 

 and around the spinnerets. 



The round web of this spider is not 

 large, generally three or four inches in 

 diameter, but the irregular part above 

 and partly covering it may be much 

 larger, sometimes as much as six inches 

 across, where the shape of the surround- 

 ing plants allows it (fig. 409). One seg- 

 ment at the upper part of the round web 

 is partly open, as in globosa (p. 173) and 



Zilla (p. 185), and here a strong thread passes to the nest, 



which is often covered by a large spreading tent. In the last 



of the summer several small, flat, 



brown cocoons are strung to- 

 gether in the irregular web above 



the tent (fig. 410), which is then 



smaller and less regularly made. 

 Epeira gibberosa. — A small and 



light-colored species living among 



grass and in bushes in open fields. 



The adult female is from a sixth 



to a quarter of an inch long, and 



the male smaller. The cephalo- 



thorax and legs are light greenish 



yellow, and the abdomen gray, or FlG ; ?* f Web of E P e ;[ a ******** "ith 



J ' ° J string of cocoons in the upper part over 



light yellow Covered with lighter the spider's nest. One-third the real size. 



