85 



(Pag. 167.) 10. Th. varians [= Theridtum variant Hahn 1831]. 



Syn.: 1831. Theridium varians Hahn, Die Arachn.,I,p.93, Taf. XXII, figg. 71, 72. 

 1831. ,, leuconotum id., Monogr. Aran., 6, tab. 3, fig. B. 



1864. ., varians Blackw., Spid. of Gr. Brit., II, p. 188, PI. XIV, 



fig. 120. 



1868. Steatoda „ Menge, Preuss. Spinn., II, p. 157, PI. 29, tab. 64. 



Of this species Westring was acquainted with specimens only 

 from Skane; it is however not uncommon in central Sweden, where 

 I have captured many examples at Stockholm and Upsala. At Kis- 

 singen and Travemunde in Germany I have met with all the varie- 

 ties described and figured by C. Koch (Die Arachn., XII, p. 134 et 

 seq., figg. 1056 — 1058), and which Walckenaer ') has erroneously 

 referred partly (figg. 1056, 1057) to his Th. denticulatum, partly 

 (fig. 1058) to Th. tinctum. The cf described by Westring with a 

 note of interrogation as being the male of this species, undoubtedly 

 belongs to it: it is easily recognizable as of Th. varians by the 

 description of the palpi and the clypeus, the height of which latter 

 in my specimens (both German and Swedish), as well as in We- 

 string's, is about equal to the length of the mandibles and of the 

 anterior series of eyes, and therefore much higher than in other, 

 allied species. The colour of the legs is however variable: the thighs 

 are indeed in general dark only at the extremity, but they sometimes 

 have as many as two broken dark rings near the middle (a cf spe- 

 cimen from Upsala). Koch describes (loc. cit.) not only females, but 

 also males, the legs of which were of a uniform light-yellow colour. — 

 TJter. denticulatum Walck. and Th. mehmurum Hahn are by C. Koch 

 erroneously placed among the synonyms of Th. varians (vid. preceding 

 page, under Th. denticulatum Westr.), as also Th. venustum Walck., 

 which appears to be a separate species, unknown to me. 



(Pag. 169.) 11. Th. minimum [= Theridium Ohlertii n.]. 



This species is entirely different from Th. minimum Keuss 8 ) or 

 77/. pallens Blackw. 3 ), which is very small (Q about 2, cf 1 '/„ 

 millim., cephalothorax l / 2 — 2 / 3 millim.), and of which ? has its cepha- 



1) Hist. Nat. d. Ins. Apt., II, pp. 487, 488. 



2) Zool. Misc., Arachn., p. 243 (249), PI. XVII, tig. 2. 



3) Researches in Zool., p. 357; Spid. of Gr. Brit., II, p. 194, PI. XIV, rig. 125. 



