92 T. THORELL, 
Gen. 13. THERIDIUM (Warck.). 1805. 
Deriv.: Inoidıov, little animal. 
Syn.: 1805. Theridium [Theridion] Waucx., Tabl. d. Aran., p. 72 (ad part.: ”3° Fam. 
Les Renflées, 7urgidæ”). 
1833. 5 SunD., Consp. Arachn., p. 16 (ad max. part.). 
1833. Steatoda ID., ibid. (ad partem). 
1850. Ero OC. Koch, Uebers. d. Arachn.-Syst., 5, p. 16 (ad partem). 
1861. Theridium Wesrr., Aran. Suec., p. 151 (ad partem). 
1864. 5 [Theridion] Brackw., Spid. of Gr. Brit., II, p. 175 (ad partem). 
1864. 5 : sub-gen. Theridium [Theridio] Srw., H. N. d. Araignées, p. 167 (ad 
mak. part.). 
1866. Steatoda MENGE, Preuss. Spinn., I, p. 150. 
1868. Neottiura ID., ibid., II, p. 162. 
1868. Euryopis ID., ibid., p. 174 (ad partem). 
Type: Theridium sisyphium | (CLERCK). 
If the great Latreilleian genus Linyphia forms a close and compact 
whole, from which only a few species need be detached and divided among 
more recently formed genera, this is by no means the case with Theridium 
WALCK. WALCKENAER himself, already in his Tableau des Aranéides, di- 
vided it into several "families", most of which form perfectly natural groups, 
and have been raised to the rank of independent genera by C. KocH, who 
has been followed in this by OHLERT and others. Most of these two wri- 
ters' genera I have thought it best to retain, though with some slight mo- 
difications; moreover I have adopted the genus Æuryopis proposed by 
MENGE, and have added the new genus Dipana NOB. (for Atea melanoga- 
ster: see preceding page) The name ZAeridiwm I have, according to the 
example of (C. KocH and) SIMON, preserved for WALCKENAER'S ”3™ Fam. 
les Renflées”, which family appears to me to include the forms specially ty- 
pical of his Theridium. By MENGE this genus has been called Steatoda, a 
name belonging to a quite different group (see following genus). His The- 
ridium is our Phyllonethis (see p. 90). For Th. bimaculatum (LINN.), MENGE 
has formed the genus Neottiura, which I have thought it best to unite 
with Theridium. Th. guttatum Reuss, which has been looked upon as a 
Theridium by OBLERT, but for which MENGE has proposed a separate genus, 
Crustulina, ought, it appears to me, to be referred to the same genus as 
Ar. bipunctata LINN., i. e. to Steatoda (SUND.). 
WESTRING and BLACKWALL preserve for Zheridium about the same 
limits that it has in WALCKENAER, the latter even refers Æpisinus WALCK. 
to it. 
