24 KKCOKDS 01" THE AL'STRALIAN MUSEUM. 



— the lletitele.s, spiders which form webs with open meslies and 

 irregular chambers, and which lurk in the centre or at their 

 sides. 



Individually considered, the members of this family are small, 

 the largest being those of the genus Latrodectus, Walck. — spiders 

 ha^•ing a somewhat evil reputation. 



Many of the sjjecies are remarkable for their bright and strik- 

 ing colours, as well as inteiesting and curious forms. All — or 

 nearly all — sedentary spiders construct webs for the capture of 

 prey, and these are of two distinct types — (1) the irregularly- 

 formed snare, or retitelarian web : and (2) the wheel-like, or orbic- 

 ular web. The first of these is characteristic of the Theridiida?. 



Morphologically, this family is a most interesting one. It has 

 been studied by many authors, no two of whom are wholly in 

 accord as to its classification, while some are absolutely at vari- 

 ance. The reader who desires to pursue the subject further sliould 

 carefully peruse Simon's remarks on this family." 



In order, however, to satisfactorily study this group, it would 

 be necessary not only to bring together an extensive collection, 

 but to devote possibly years to patient and laborious investigation. 

 Simon found he could not satisfactorily divide this family into 

 sub-families, but in order to facilitate its study he broke it up into 

 about eighteen groups, of which six occur on the mainland of 

 Australia and one in Tasmania. 



Argyrode^. 



This group embraces thi'ee genera, each of which is widely dis- 

 tributed. They are Ariamnes, Thor., Rhompha^a, L. K., and 

 Argyrodes, Sim. The range of the fii'st of these is defined as 

 " Orbis reg. tropic, omn.;"" and of the second and third, " Orbis 

 totius I'eg. trop. et sub-trop."'" Ariamnes and Argyrodes each 

 occur in Australia. 



Ariamnes colubrinns, Keys., was originally recorded from Peak 

 Downs, but I have had it from various parts of this State. Mr. 

 A. M. Lea collected it in the Northern Rivers District, and I have 

 collected it at Guildford and Waterfall. It is a long, vex'miform 

 spider, and constructs a small web amongst the branchlets or 

 spurs (^f shrubs and coarse herbage. When disturbed or alarmed 

 it drops out of its web and hangs suspended by a thin silken line. 

 Owing to its colour, and the manner in which it folds its legs 

 when dangling in the air, it has the appearance of a piece of dead 

 stick hanging on a web. 



** Siiiidii — Loc. cif., pp. 488, et seq. 



^ Simon — Loc. cif., p. 502. 



19 Simon— Loc. cif., pp. 502 and 503. 



