182 KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



A PRELIMINARY LIST OF KANSAS SPIDERS. 



By Theo. H. Scheffee, Kansas State Agricultural College, Manhattan. 

 Read before the Academy, at Manhattan, November 27, 1903. 



^^HE following list of 100 species represents the results of a season's 

 -■- collecting in the central and western parts of the state. It in- 

 cludes also a half-dozen species taken in the vicinity of Lawrence by 

 the department of entomology of the State University. As the title 

 implies, the list is only preliminary, and the author hopes to double 

 it within the year, if opportunity offers for visiting the southern and 

 eastern parts of the state, and for more extended collecting in the ter- 

 ritory already covered. 



The spider fauna of the prairies is not as rich in number of species 

 as the well-watered and timbered regions of the East, but individuals 

 are abundant in several of the more prominent families, particularly 

 the Lycosida3, Salticid<«, and Thomisida?. In number of individuals, 

 the first-named family undoubtedly leads all the others, the open, 

 grassy plains being especially suited to the habits of these roving 

 ground spiders. Second in point of abundance come either the crab 

 spiders (Thomisida?), or the jumping spiders (Salticida^), perhaps 

 the former. The great variety of prairie flowers blooming in early 

 summer and teeming with insect life afford the proper environment 

 for the lurking habits of the one family or the stalking habits of the 

 other. Then, too, the prevalence of these two types, as well as the 

 abundance of the ground spiders, are no doubt directly related to the 

 fact that they do not build webs — frail structures which would not 

 stand long before the wild, free sweep of our prairie winds. Although 

 the orb weavers (Argiopidse) exceed any one of the three families 

 mentioned in number of species, the individuals are fewer, and mostly 

 confined to sheltered localities, the smaller Tetragnathse alone braving 

 any sort of situation. 



In all, the list of 100 species includes representatives of thirteen 

 families and fifty genera. Twelve families accredited to temperate 

 North America by Simon are not represented, but these families have 

 very scant representation anywhere, and taken together include proba- 

 bly not more than a score or two of species on the continent. Types 

 of the four new species described are in the collection of the Kansas 

 State Agricultural College. Duplicates have been sent to the National 

 Museum, at Washington, section of Arachnida. 



