404 ARACHNIDA ARANEAE chai-. 



that they are usually marked with red or yellow spots on the 

 abdomen. They have been referred to in the section on the 

 venom of spiders (see p. 362). 



The genus Steatoda possesses one English species (>S'. hipunctata) 

 which is extremely comuKjn in Imildings and in the angles of 

 walls, and is a rather striking spider, with dark cephalothorax, 

 and livid brown abdomen with a broken white stripe down the 

 middle. Several closely allied genera are also sparingly repre- 

 sented in this country, among which may be mentioned Crustu- 

 lina (two species), Asagenu (one species), Tentana (two species), 

 Lithyphantes (one species), Laseola (live species), and Euryopis 

 (two species). In some of these the male is provided with a 

 stridulating organ between the thorax and abdomen (Fig. 183, 

 p. 327). The remarkal)le genus Tetrahlemma (see p. 318) is 

 considered by Simon to have affinities with this group, though 

 Pickard-Cambridge, who first described it, is inclined to rank it 

 among the Dysderidae. 



(iv.) The Phokoncidiinae are a remarkable group of spiny 

 Theridiids whose superficial resemblance to the Gasteracanthinae 

 of the Epeiridae (see p. 409) has often deceived 

 Arachnologists as to their true affinities. There 

 are eight genera, all exotic, inhabiting hot 

 countries, and spinning a Tlieridion-M^o. web 

 on bushes. Plioroncidia has twelve species iu 

 South Asia and Madagascar. Trithena (Fig. 

 208) is its American representative, five species 

 being found in South America. Ulesanis has 

 Fig. 20S.—Trithena about twenty species, and extends from South 



tricuspidata ?. America to Australia. 

 X 3^ (After 



Simon.) (v.) The Erigoninae are an immense group 



of miniite, sober-coloured spiders, which include 

 the " Money-spinners " of popular nomenclature, and are largely 

 responsible for the gossamer which fills the air and covers every 

 tuft of grass in the autumn. The number of species described 

 is very large and constantly increasing, and more than a hundred 

 are recognised as British. 



Desperate eftbrts have been made of late years to grapple with 

 this almost unmanageable group, but the multitude of genera 

 which have been proposed can hardly as yet be considered to be 

 finally established. The small size of tliese spiders, which 



