PROCEEDINGS, 1917. 95 



SPIDERS COLLECTED IN NOVA SCOTIA AND NEW BRUNS- 

 WICK BY ROBT. MATHESON, IN 1912. 



J. H. Emerton, Boston, Mass. 



THIS COLLECTION included 75 species, most of them from Truro and West 

 River, or from the neighborhood of Annapolis and Digby and all are well known 

 through New England and farther West. Their principal interest is in extending 

 eastward the known range of these species. 



The house spiders are well represented. Lithyphantes nebulosa, Epeira sclopetaria, 

 and Tegenaria derhami are introduced from Europe and extend across the continent. 

 Theridion tepidariorum and Eperia cavatica are from southern parts of America. T. 

 tepidariorum is the most common house spider all over the Northern United States. It 

 was found at Granville Ferry and Bear River, N. S. E. cavatica lives under rocky cliffs 

 in Kentucky, Ohio and New York and in barns, sheds and porches through northern 

 New England and Southern Canada. It was found at Hampton and Hillsboro, New 

 Brunswick. 



Besides these are the following native species which live sometimes on the ground or 

 on plants but are very commonly found about houses. Theridiom murarium lives in 

 coniferous trees and is one of the most common species on fences. Steatoda borealis 

 lives under stones and logs and also in barns and dwellings. Meta menardii is found am- 

 ong stones in damp woods and more often in cellars, wells and drains. Epeira patigiata 

 is the most common round web species in trees and bushes and also in porches and 

 barns, where, however, it is often replaced by the imported E. solopetaria. Zilla atrica 

 lives along the coast as far south as Rhode Island in hedges and on fences, wharves and 

 houses. It occurs at both Digby and Truro. Agelena naevia found in Digby is one of 

 the commonest American spiders and makes the fiat webs so commonly seen on grass on 

 a damp morning. It lives also around the windows of houses and in the lighter parts of 

 cellars and barns. Salticus senicus and Marpissa familiaris found at Bear River and 

 Granville Ferry are common jumping spiders making no webs and hunting small in- 

 sects on fences and the outside of houses. 



The spiders of the spruce forest are represented by several species. Theridion zelo- 

 typum and Linyphia limitanea were found at both Truro and Digby. T. zelotypum is 

 abundant throughout Maine south to Portland and north to Chicoutimi, Quebec. It 

 extends Westward through Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan to the Rocky Moun- 

 tains. Linyphia limitanea occurs in Newfoundland and Maine and westward to Mani- 

 toba. A rare species found at Digby and at Truro is Lophocarenum ftorens in which 

 the male has a bulbous process, on top of the head. A similar species L. decemoculatum 

 is found in spruce trees across Canada. Another rare species found at Truro is Epeira 

 labyrinthea. It lives in bogs in Maine and at several points across Canada to the Rocky 

 Mountains. It makes nests and very fine round cobwebs among low plants in the open 

 bog. 



These spiders include probably not more than a quarter of the species living in the 

 province and further collections would be useful in the study of distribution of North 

 American spiders. 



Spiders Collected by R. Matheson in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. 1913. 



Theridion zelotypum. Amaurobius sylvestris. 



spirale. Tegenaria derhami. 



frondeum. Coelotes montanus. 



murarium. Agelena naevia. 



tepidariorum. Clubiona canadensis. 

 Steatoda borealis. riparia. 



