CHAPTER X 



SPIDERS 



Classification and distribution 



Without doubt spiders are the best known and in many ways the 

 most interesting of all the Arachnida. The diversity of their webs 

 and the various and intricate methods used in their construction 

 have always attracted attention. Indeed, many people seem to 

 notice only those species that capture their prey in webs such as 



Fig. 32. Examples of spider families: 1. Liphistiidae, 2. Thera- 

 phosidae, 3. Gnaphosidae, 4. Sparassidae, 5. Thomisidae, 6 .Sal- 

 ticidae, 7. Lycosidae, 8. Agelenidae, 9. Theridiidae, 10. Argio- 

 pidae, 11. Linyphiidae. (Drawings not to scale.) (After various 

 authors and original.) 

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