J. IL Emerton — iSfeic England Therididm. 



Erigone persoluta 

 Erlgone cormipalpis 

 Erigone nndtissima. 

 Erigone viaria 

 Erigone florens 



= Microneta persoluta. 

 = Microneta cornupcdpis. 



=■ 3ficroneta viaria. 



=1 Lophocarenum florens. 



Lately, Keyserling lias described several American spiders of this 

 family from tlie Museum of Comp. Zool., at Cambridge, but, as far as 

 I know, these descriptions have not been published. I have, how- 

 ever, seen the types which have been returned to Cambridge, and 

 have used Keyserling's names for those species which seem to me to 

 be new. The following sijecies of this family are named by Keyser- 

 lino; in the Cambridge collection: 



Steatoda horealis 

 Theridiuni tepidariorxim. 

 Steatoda riiralis 

 Steatoda triangulosa 

 Theridiuyn punctis-sparsiim . 

 Asagena americana. 

 Theridium zelotypum. 

 TJnypJi ia neJ} iilosa. 

 Phgllonethis placens 

 Phgllonethis lineata 

 Mhiietiis interfector Hentz. 



= Tlierldion, horeale Hentz. 



=r Tlierldion marnioratuni Hentz. 

 =. Theridion serpentiinim Hentz. 



Tlierldion frondeum Hentz. 

 Theridion frondeuin Hentz, young. 



THERIDIDM. 

 The Therldidce are small, slender spiders, spinning webs, often of 

 large size, and living in them, hanging by their claws back down- 

 ward, and catching and eating the insects which become entangled 

 among the threads. Their markings are under the skin, and do not 

 depend to any great extent on colored hairs or scales. Fine hairs 

 are, however, usually present, thinly scattered all over the body, and 

 the coloi's are st)metimes modified by them. In many species the 

 colors arc plain, without any markings on the legs or abdomen. 

 This is usually the case in Tinetlcus^ Lophocaroinni and the smaller 

 LinyphinoB, in which nearly all the species have the cephaU)thorax 

 and legs dull yellow brown and the abdomen gray. The amount of 

 color varies greatly in individuals of the same species, some being 

 nearly white and others nearly black. In other genera the colors 

 are bright and distinct, and se\ ei-al of the larger sjtecies of Thcridliun 



