CLASSIFICATION 419 



generic name is really inapplicable, as there are eight eyes, but 

 the anterior laterals are much reduced. The abdomen is lonar, 

 and the legs are long and unequal, the first pair much the 

 longest and the third much the shortest. 



Fam. 35. Oxyopidae. — The Oxyopidae form a well-marked 

 group, with oval cephalothorax somewhat narrowed in front, and 

 lanceolate abdomen. The eight black eyes have a characteristic 

 arrangement, and the anterior medians are always very small. 

 The legs are long and tapering, and not very unequal, and are 

 furnished with particularly long spines, which give these spiders 

 a very characteristic appearance. There are eiglit genera, of 

 which the most important are Pucetia and Oxyopes. 



Pucetia contains a number of rather large spiders, generally 

 bright green, often variegated with red. They affect particular 

 plants. For instance, P. viridis, which occurs in Spain, is always 

 found on Ononis hisjjanica. There are about thirty species of 

 this genus distributed over the tropical and sub-tropical regions 

 of the world. Oxyopes numbers many species, certainly more 

 than fifty, and has a similar distribution, but some of its members 

 invade colder regions. They are of rather small size. 0. lineatus 

 is a very rare spider in the south of England. 



The Oxyopidae are diurnal spiders, running over plants in 

 search of prey, and often leaping, after the fashion of members of 

 the following family. 



Fam. 36. Attidae (Salticidae). — Wandering spiders with 

 cephalothorax broad anteriorly, and hearing eight homogeneous eyes 

 i7i three rovjs. Four eyes, largely developed, are directed forivard ; 

 the remaining four eyes are placed dorsally in two rows, the first 

 pair heing much reduced in size. 



The Attidae or Jumping- spiders form the most extensive 

 family of the whole order, the known species amounting to 

 something like four thousand. It is only of late years that 

 their vast numbers have begun to be realised, for their vagabond 

 habits and great activity enabled them to a great extent to elude 

 the earlier collectors, whose methods were not as thorough as 

 those now in vogue. Their real home is in the tropical regions, 

 temperate fauna being comparatively poor in Attid species. 

 France boasts nearly 150, but only 37 are recorded for the 

 British Isles, and 2 at least of these are recent introductions. 



Some of the tropical forms are most brilliantly coloured, 



