398 ARACHNIDA ARANEAE CHAP. 



pretty little spider, about a sixth of an inch in length, black, 

 with iridescent hairs, and some white marks on the abdomen. 

 It runs about in a very active ant-like fashion and does not 

 object to the sunshine. It is fairly abundant in England. 



Fam. 15. Palpimanidae. This family includes a few genera 

 of exotic spiders. They are especially characterised by the 

 great development of their anterior legs, which are not much 

 used for locomotion, but are frequently raised as the spider moves 

 along, generally somewhat slowly, by means of the other three 

 pairs. The best known genera are Metronax and Stenochilus 

 from India, Huttonia from New Zealand, and Pafynmanus from 

 the Mediterranean region, Africa, and South Asia. 



Fam. 16. Eresidae. The Eresidae are a small family of 

 cribellate spiders whose systematic position has been the subject 

 of much discussion. In general appearance they resemble the 

 Attidae (vide infra), but this resemblance is quite superficial. 

 On the whole they seem more nearly allied to the- following 

 family than to any other. They are stoutly built, with thick, 

 strong legs, and live either in the ground or on bushes, where 

 they weave a close-textured web. One species, Eresus cinna- 

 berinus, has occurred on rare occasions in the south of England, 

 and the male, which is a third of an inch in length, is perhaps 

 the most striking member of our Spider fauna, the abdomen 

 being scarlet, with four (or sometimes six) black spots edged 

 with white hairs. The cephalothorax is black, with red on the 

 postero-lateral borders. The abdomen of the female is black. 



Fam. 17. Dictynidae. Cribellate spiders, with oval ccphnlo- 

 tliorax and broad convex caput, with the eyes, normally eight, 

 ranged across it in tiro straight or slightly curved transverse rows. 

 Basal joints of chelicerae long and strong, often bowed. Legs 

 n if her strong. Tarsi three-clawed and devoid of scopuhi. 



The Dictynidae are sedentary spiders which weave a web of 

 irregular strands, covered by the close weft which is the product 

 of the cribellum. Some live under stones or in holes in walls, 

 while others spin their webs in bushes or herbage. There are 

 about sixteen genera, of which Dictyna and Amaurobius are the 

 most important. 



Nearly a hundred species of Dictyna have been described. 

 They are small spiders, usually living in grass and herbage. 

 Thirty species inhabit Europe and the neighbouring coast of 



