A HISTORY OF CORNWALL 



hurries down, and with the tarsal comb on the fourth 

 pair of legs commences kicking out from the spinners 

 silken fluid, often quite moist like treacle, which 

 strikes against and hardens on the victim. In this 

 way very large spiders, beetles, and wood-lice are en- 

 snared and converted into food. With a rapid and 

 irritable movement of the forelegs also, small tufts of 

 fine silk are gathered and flung promiscuously over 

 the web. The male, a much smaller spider, may 

 often also be seen hanging near at hand in the web, 

 and the one or more brown pear-shaped egg-sacs also 

 hang in the upper part of the toil. Sometimes these 

 spiders are found outside the houses, but rarely, if ever, 

 amongst the shrubs in the open garden. Known also 

 under Theridion. 



1 06. Steatoda variant, Hahn. 

 Mawnan. 



A very much smaller species, varying considerably 

 in colour, and found abundantly in greenhouses and 

 also amongst shrubs in the open garden. This species 

 makes no tent-like retreat, but sits close to the one or 

 more pale rounded egg-sacs, usually spun up against a 

 beam or window-sill. Known also under Theridion. 



107. Steatoda denticulata, Walckenaer. 

 Mawnan. 



Also a very small and abundant species, occurring on 

 the outside of windows and outhouses, also on walls 

 and palings. It makes no tent-like retreat, and the 

 habits are very similar to those of the last species. 

 Known also under Theridion. 



1 08. Steatoda itsyphium, Clerck. 

 Liskeard. 



Very common on gorse and holly bushes, where they 

 construct a tent-like domicile, and spin up within its 

 shelter the small greenish egg-sacs. The young when 

 hatched pass also their earlier days within the tent, 

 but on the death of the mother spider they scatter, 

 taking up positions for themselves amongst the neigh- 

 bouring foliage. Known also as Theridion nervosum, 

 Blackwall, and under Theridion. 



109. Steatoda fallens, Blackwall. 

 Saltash (G. C. B.) ; Liskeard. 



This minute Theridloid, pale yellow in colour, with 

 often a dark, or paler dorsal spot on the abdomen, 

 lives beneath the leaves of shrubs and trees laurel, 



elm, lime, etc. where it spins its minute pear-shaped 

 pure white egg-sac, which rests on its larger end and 

 has several other small cusps towards the small sharp- 

 pointed stalk. Known also under Theridion. 



I IO. Theridion ovatum, Clerck. 

 Mawnan. 



A very common species. The female lives in the 

 folded leaf of a bramble, or that of some other shrub, 

 spinning the edges together. Within this domicile 

 she constructs a round sea-green egg-sac about as large 

 as a very small pea. The spider has a pale yellow 

 abdomen with a broad pink central dorsal band or two 

 pink bands, one on each side. Another variety has no 

 pink bands, but a row of black spots on each side. 

 The male and female can often be found together 

 within their leafy domicile. This spider is also known 

 under the name of Phylhnethls llneata and Theridion 

 llneatum. 



in. Steatoda blpnnctata, Linnaeus. 

 Mawnan ; Portscatho. 



A dark brown, shiny, rather flattened spider living in 

 chinks of walls, angles of windows, and crevices in the 

 partitions of old stables, etc. emerging usually at 

 nightfall. The males are remarkable for their very 

 large palpi and also for the possession of a stridulating 

 organ, formed by a series of chitinous ridges in a 

 hollow at the anterior part of the abdomen, which 

 move over some cusps on the conical posterior of the 

 carapace. Known also as Theridion quadrlpunctatum, 

 Blackwall, and Steatoda blpunctata. 



112. Asagena phalerata, Panzer. 

 Downderry Cliffs (G. C. B.). 



A rare species. Known also as Theridion slgnatfim, 

 Blackwall. 



113. Enoplognatha thoraclca, Hahn. 

 Mawnan. 



Known also as Nertene alblpunctata, O. P.-Cambridge, 

 and Drepanodus obscurus, O. P.-Cambridge. 



114. Teutana grossa, C. L. Koch. 

 Portscatho. 



A rare species, found usually in cellars or caves. A 

 single adult male. Known also as Theridion versutum, 

 Blackwall, and Steatoda versuta. 



PHOLCIDAE 



Spiders with more or less slender bodies and very 

 long slender legs. The eyes are situated in three 

 groups a group of two in the centre, and a group of 

 three on each side. The only British species we 

 possess is a well-known frequenter of houses in the 

 southern counties, spinning an irregular web and 



moving swiftly 

 when alarmed. 



with a circular shaking motion 



115. Phoktu phahngloldes, Fuesslin. 



Botus Fleming ; Cothele ; Saltash (G. C. 

 nell). 



DICTYNIDAE 



The spiders belonging to this family possess three 

 tarsal claws, and the eyes are eight in number, situated 

 in two transverse rows, the laterals being in contact. 

 The cribellum (or extra pair of spinning organs) and 

 the calamistrum (a row of curving bristles on the pro- 



tarsi of the fourth pair of legs) are present in all 

 members of the family. They construct a tubular 

 retreat with an outer sheeting of webbing, which is 

 covered with a flocculent silk made with the calamis- 

 trum by threads from the cribellum. 



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