48 T. THORELL, 
is an Epeirod spider, has been shown by KEYSERLING: 1) as to Mithras C. 
Kocu or Hyptiotes, I have in a previous paper ?) endeavoured to show its 
near relationship to Uloborus LATR. and consequently its connexion with 
the Epeiroide, whereof more farther on under the Gen. Hyptiotes. — 
WESIRING gives to this family the same limits that we have assigned to 
it; BLACKWALL on the contrary separates Uloborus (Veleda BLACKW.) and 
Hyptiotes from the Epeiroide and includes them among his Ciniflonide, on 
which step we shall presently have occasion to express our opinion (when 
treating the sub-family Uloborime) — SIMONS arrangement of this family, 
which he calls ” Épéiriformes" 5), appears to me not particularly happy. 
He divides it into four "tribus": 1:0 ”Nuctobiens’ or "Theridio-Epeires” (for 
the genus Nyctobia SIM = Meta C. KocH + Zilla ıD.); 2:0 ” Tetragna- 
thiens” (with the genera Uloborus, Zosis, Tetragnatha and Argyrodes SIM. = 
WALCKENAER'S "Linyphies épéirides"); 3:0 ”Epeiriens’ (including Singa, 
Epeira, Nephila, Gasteracantha, Acrosoma, Arachnura and Dolophones), and 
4:0 " Érésiens" (the genus Æresus). — The species of Argyrodes Sim. live, 
according to ViINSON,*) who assigns them a place among the Linyphie, 
parasitically in the "'toiles" of certain Epeiroidæ, in which they weave 
"leurs petits réseaux."  VINSON does not say that these "réseaux" have a 
form different from those of other Linyphiæ, which I think he would not 
have omitted to do if such had been the case, and it is therefore not prob- 
able that the webs of these spiders are like those of the Epeiroidæ, or 
that Argyrodes belongs to that family. — That there is no near connexion 
between Æresus and the Epeiroide, it is probably unnecessary to prove. — 
Uloborus and Zosis (= Orithyia BLACKW.) undoubtedly deserve in combina- 
tion with Hyptiotes to be classed as a separate "tribus" or sub-family on 
account of the presence of an infra-mammillary organ >) and calamistrum : 
Tetragnatha on the contrary is closely related to Meta, and that genus, 
as also Zilla, is so intimately connected with Æpeira and Singa, that these 
5 genera can hardly be distributed among different sub-families. — MENGE, 
whose "tribus" Orbitele corresponds to our Epeiroidee, divides 5) the spiders 
of this tribus described by him, (all of which belong to the sub-family 
1) Beschr. neuer ete. Orbitelæ, p. 1 and 22. 
2) Till kànned. om Mithras och Uloborus, p. 202 et seq. 
3) Hist. Nat. des Araignées, p. 233, 
4) Aran. de la Réun., Maur. et Madag., p. 259. 
5) See above, p. 29. 
6) Preuss. Spinn., I, p. 40 and 90. 
