NOTES ON ARCHITECTURE OF AUSTRALIAN AKANEID.?:— RAINHOVV. 2o 



The spiders of the genus J/v/y/-orA\s' are small, and many of them 

 exceedmgly lirilliant, lot)king, when suspended in their webs, like 

 atoms of burnished silver, or dewdrops glistening in the sun. In 

 habits they are parasitic, and usually construct their irregular 

 webs among the outer lines of the snares of large orb-weaveis 

 such as Ch-ytopliura, 8im., and Xephila, Leach. Their food consists 

 of the smaller insects that have become entangled in the huge 

 orb-webs, and which are too minute to attract the attention of the 

 legitimate tenant. A. lo/fipodiana, Cambr., occurs both in New 

 Zealand and Australia. I have collected specimens around Sydney 

 in the autumn. A. incif<i/rons. Keys., has been recoi'ded from 

 Bowen and Sydney : and Mr. Lea collected A. nKdyarifarin.^, 

 mihi, at the Clarence River, N. 8. Wales. 



Episin.e. 



Nine genera are included in this group, two of which, EpisivKs, 

 Latr., and Janiilna, Thor., occur in Australia. The spiders of the 

 former genus ai-e, according to Simon, " walking Theiidiides," and 

 are most frequently met with outside their webs. All these spiders 

 are of striking form. The first, second, and fourth pairs of legs 

 are long, and the third pair very short. The abdomen is usually 

 rhomboidal, wide and high in front, and attenuated behind. The 

 genus occurs in " Europa et reg. medit. ; Asia centr. ; ins. Tapro- 

 bane ; Africa austr.; N. Hollandia {anstralis, Keyserl.) ; N. Zea- 

 landia (((ufijxKlianus, Cambr.) ; America sept, et merid.; Vene- 

 zuela, Brasilia, Paraguay. "'^^ Keyserling's species, E. auatrrdis, 

 originally recorded from Peak Downs, is the only form so far re- 

 corded from Australia. 



The genus Ja>tuhi.s, Thor. (of which our Australian form, ./. 

 hicornix, Thor., is the type species), is recorded from " ins. Tapro- 

 bane ; pen. Malayana ; N. Hollandia sept.; America merid.; An- 

 tillje, Venezuela, Brasilia.''^- Although so widely distributed, 

 only a dozen species have, so far, been assigned to this genus. 

 ./. bicovitis is at present unknown to me ; the type was collected 

 by D'Albertis, at Somerset, Cape York. 



EuRYOPEiE. 



There are six genera in this section, three of which occur in 

 Australia. The first of the Australian series, Enryopis, Menge, 

 is widely distributed, its range being: "Europa et. reg. medit.; 

 Asia centr., merid. et orient; Nova-Hollandia et Polyn.; Anieri. 

 sept, et merid. "^" Only one species occurs in Australia — E. am- 



11 Simon — Loc. cit., p. 520. 

 1- Simon — Loc. cit., p. 521. 

 1^ Simon — Loc. cit., p. 529. 



