406 ARACHNIDA — ARANEAE ■ chap. 



characteristic Linyphian web is a horizontal sheet of irregular 

 strands, anchored to neighbouring twigs or leaves by cross 

 threads in all directions, and the spider generally lurks beneath 

 the web in an inverted position. Some of the larger species are 

 very familiar objects, Linyphia triangularis being one of the 

 most abundant English spiders, filling furze and other bushes 

 with its extensive spinning work. 



The sub-family may be roughly divided into three groups, of 

 which the first is small, consisting of only three exotic genera of 

 one species each. Donaclwchara may be taken as the type genus. 

 They are moderate-sized spiders with rather short legs, found in 

 France and Holland. 



The second group consists of a number of genera of small 

 spiders, sober-coloured, and generally more or less unicolorous in 

 brown, yellow, or black, living in herbage. The sexes are much 

 alike, the males never exhibiting the excrescences on the caput 

 so often met with in the Erigoninae. The genus Tmeticus may 

 be considered the type. It includes about forty species, of which 

 about half are British. They are mostly dull yellow or brown 

 spiders, averaging perhaps the eighth of an inch in length. 

 Allied genera which are represented in England are Porhomma 

 (twelve species), Microneta (twelve species), Sintula (twelve 

 species). The American cave-genus Anthrobia comes here. 



The third and last group is that including Linyphia and 

 allied genera. They are moderate-sized or small spiders with 

 long spiny legs and particularly long tarsi. The abdomen is 

 generally decorated. The caput is frequently rather prominent 

 and crowned with hairs. 



Of the large number of spiders which have been described 

 under the generic name of Linyphia, Simon ^ only admits about 

 fifty species. Ten are included in the British list. L. triangu- 

 laris has already been mentioned, but there are other common 

 species, as Z. montana, L. marginatu, and L. clathrata. The 

 members of most of the associated genera are rather small in size. 

 We may briefly mention Bolyphantes, Batliypliantes, Lephthy- 

 pliantes, and LabuUa, all of which include English species.^ 



Fam. 23. Epeiridae. — This family includes all the spiders 



' Hist. Nat. des Ar. i. p. 692. 



^ The Erigoninae, Formicinae, and Linypliiinae, together with the Epeiridae, 

 form Simon's family of Argiopidae. 



