THE CINIFLONID.E, OR CRIBELLATA 



-> V 



:/j^ 



This group comprises several families that differ 

 greatly in form and habits, but agree in having 

 peculiar spinning organs, different from those of all 

 the other spiders. They have the usual six spinnerets 

 and in addition the cribellum (fig. 469), a fiat, wide 

 spinning organ, close in front of the other spinnerets 



and covered with 

 finer spinning 

 tubes. Besides this 

 additional spinning 

 organ they have on 

 the hind legs the 

 calamistrum (fig. 470), a row of hairs that is used to 

 draw out a loose band of silk from the spinnerets. 

 Most of our species belong to the genera Dictyna and 

 Amaurobius and resemble Tegenaria (pp. 96-99) in 

 their feet with three claws, in the arrangement of the 

 eyes, and in their general form and color. The others 

 belong to the small and peculiar genera Filistata, 

 Hyptiotes, and Uloborus. 



469 



Figs. 469, 470. — 469, cribellum. 470, calamis- 

 trum of Amaurobius sylvestris. 



THE GENUS DICTYNA 



470 



The Dictynas are all small spiders, not more 



than a sixth of an inch in length, but are 



brightly colored and live in webs in open places, 



where they cannot fail to be seen by any one 



205 



