190 



THE COMMON SPIDERS 



or bright yellow 

 red at the base. 



443 



The spines are black at the points and bright 

 There are several black spots on the back, and 

 gray marks at the sides. The under side of 

 the abdomen is darker than it is above and 

 marked with black and yellow spots. The 

 cephalothorax and legs are light 

 brown, the thorax with lighter edges. 

 The young have the abdomen 

 longer, with the posterior spines 

 short and blunt. 

 The third and 

 fourth legs are 

 whitish, with dark 

 longitudinal 

 stripes. The males 

 are smaller than 

 the females and re- 

 semble the young. 

 The abdomen is a little widened behind and has 

 in place of the spines three pairs of low humps. 

 The front legs are dark, and the hinder legs light, 

 as in the young. The web (fig. 437) has a hole 

 in the middle, across which the spider hangs. 



Meta menardi. — This spider lives in caves and 

 similar cool and shady places in various parts of 

 this country and also in Europe. In general 

 appearance, especially when young, it reminds 

 one of Linyphia. The abdomen is 

 longer than wide, high in front, and 

 tapering a little behind (fig. 445). 

 The eyes are near together, the 



lateral eyes almost as near the middle pairs as they are to each 

 other. The mandibles are long, thickened in front near the 



440 



Figs. 440, 441, 442. Acrosoma spinea. 

 — 440, female enlarged four times. 

 441, male enlarged four times. 442, 

 young less than half grown. 



444 



445 



Figs. 443, 444, 445. Meta menardi, 

 enlarged four times. — 443, 444, 

 half-grown young. 445, back of 

 adult female. 



