NOTKS OX ARCHITKCTL'HE OF AL'STKALIAX ARAXEfD.t: — KAINBOW 27 



Ten genera have been assigned by Simon to this group, and of 

 these one occurs in Australia, namely, Thpvidion, Walck. This 

 genus is widely distributed, its geographical area being : " Orbia 

 totius reg. calid., temper, et frigid."^" Some of the species asso- 

 ciated with it are also ubiquitous, for instance, 1\ rujipes, Lucas, 

 and T. tppidarioriim, C. Koch. The latter is common around 

 Sydney, and sometimes invades buildings. It occurs in Europe, 

 Africa, Asia, and America. The snare constructed is large and 

 usually dome-shaped, and the lines of which it is composed, al- 

 though exceedingly fine, are nevertheless strong enough to arrest 

 large insects. Some of the victims, if there be too many for the 

 owner's immediate neerls, are carriefl to the upper part of the web, 

 and enswathed with silk. Tlie ovti-sacs are more or less round, 

 and are usually of a reddish-brown tint. 



The genus Theridion is one of the most numerous of the entire 

 order. Koch has recorded ten species from Australia in his stan- 

 dard work.^^ One of the species, T. nJho-xtriafirm, L. K., i« widely 

 distributed, and occurs not only on our Australian mainland, but 

 also in the South Pacific Islands. Keyserling, in the supplement 

 to Koch"s monograph,^" records four others, all of which appear to 

 be peculiar to Australia. 



PlIOROXCIDIiE. 



The Phoroncidiie includes some very striking and grotesque 

 forms. The abdomen is large, and in some species, such as 

 Pharuncidia, Westw., armed with long, strong spines. This genus 

 does not occur in Australia, so far as we know at present, but 

 seeing that its geographical area is "India et ins. Taprobane ; 

 Malasia et Papuasia ; ins. Madagascar ; Africa trop. occid.,"^^ 

 we may certainly expect it to occur in Northern or Tropical Aus- 

 tralia. 



Ulesanis, L. K., is distributed over " Reg. medit. occid.; Africa 

 trop. orient, et Afr. austr. ; ins. Taprobane ; ins. Philippine ; N. 

 Hollandia, N. Zealandia et Polynesia ; Amer. sept., trop. et 

 austr. "■^" Six species of this genus are recoi'ded from Australia 

 and Polynesia. U. sextuhei'cnlata, Keys., occurs in Queensland, 

 where it was originally recorded from Gayndah ; it is also found 

 in the Richmond River District. These spiders are usually found 

 on shrubbs or bushes, where they construct their retitelarian snares. 



^'■' Simon — Loc. riY., p. 5.50. 



" L. Koch — Die Arachniden Australienp, i., 1871, p. 256, et serj. 



^'^ Keyserling — Die Aracliniden Australiens, Suppl., 1890, pp,24l,f^ .vf^. 



^'•' Simon — Loc. cU., p. 561. 



'■^^ Simon — Lop. cit., p. oW. 



