THOMISID^ OF AMES REGION 153 



resembles. In fact, the protective resemblance is so perfect as to 

 make the animal difficult to detect. Curiachnc versicolor is very 

 widely distributed throughout the United States. , 



Genus XYSTICUS 



The body is flat and rounded at the posterior end. The abdomen 

 is about as long as the cephalothorax and is widest across the poster- 

 ior half. The front row of eyes is very slightly recurved. The four 

 median eyes are smaller than the latera.1 eyes and form a rectangle 

 a little wider than long. The genus Xysticus is a very large one and 

 embraces nearly one-third of our known Thomisidse. They live 

 under stones, leaves and the loose bark of trees. The general color 

 is brown or yellowish. Five species are represented in the collection. 



Xysticus cinereus Emerton. A single female measuring four 

 millimetres in length was collected. The general colors are brown 

 and white. The cephalothorax bears a light median band which is 

 narrowed in the region of the dorsal groove and widened just be- 

 hind the eyes. The usual brown cross stripes on a lighter back- 

 ground appear indistinctly on the abdomen. The femora are closely 

 spotted with brown and have dark spots at the distal ends of the 

 third and fourth pairs. The other segments are light with dark 

 rings at the basal ends. 



This spider had previously been reported only from the New 

 England states by Emerton, but probably ranges throughout the 

 eastern half of the United States. 



Xysticus elcgans Keyserling. A single male measuring seven 

 millimetres in length is in the collection. The cephalothorax is red- 

 dish brown, darkest at the sides, with a light median stripe which is 

 almost white at the edges. A narrow white line extends along the 

 entire length of the cephalothorax on each margin. The abdomen 

 is dark brown, lightest in the middle with several yellowish transverse 

 stripes. The legs are almost uniformly brown on a yellowish back- 

 ground. 



Xysticus elcgans is very widely distributed throughout the eastern 

 half of the country. 



Xysticus ferox Hentz. Several females and a single male are in 

 the collection. The females all measure about six millimetres in 

 length and the male measures five millimetres. The cephalothorax 

 has the usual yellowish stripe in the middle, with a scattering of 

 brown stripes laterally and two dark spots at the posterior end. The 

 sides of the cephalothorax are brown. The abdomen is brown on 

 the dorsal side with several transverse white stripes. The sides of 



