1967] 
Levi — Behavior of Sicarius 
329 
In the Pholcidae, this same structure, a swollen area held by the 
male with his chelicerae, is in front of the gonopores in place of the 
epigynum of other spiders. However, as indicated by this genital 
structure of the female and the unusual pedipalp structure of the 
male, Pholcidae are not closely related to other spiders. Further evi- 
dence for this comes from the method of sperm induction, quite dif- 
ferent from that of any other spiders: the sperm drop is taken into 
the mouth aided by the third legs and from there to the palps. As 
in other haplogyne spiders, both pedipalps are inserted simultaneously 
into the female gonopore (Gerhardt, 1927). 
A unique, as yet unmentioned, behavioral character of sicariids is 
the eggsac. Made of sand grains, it resembles a mud-dauber nest 
rather than a spider eggsac (Levi and Levi, 1968, p. 28). The method 
of construction is unknown. Scytodids carry their eggs in a loose 
sac; loxoscelids attach their eggs, wrapped in very few threads, in their 
webs, as do plectreurids. Dysderids keep their eggs at the inner end 
of the tube with no silk around the eggs ( Ariadna and Dysdera). 
Diguetid eggs are contained in strong silk sacs within a strong silken 
tube. 
SUMMARY 
Sicarius feeds by overpowering passing insects. No use is made of 
silk in feeding; the prey seems to be slowed down by poison. The 
male begins courtship by digging the female out of the sand and 
stroking her. The mating position was observed (Fig. 1) ; both pedi- 
palps were inserted simultaneously. A female will mate repeatedly. 
In recharging the pedipalps, both were dipped simultaneously into 
the sperm drop on a specially made web and held in the drop without 
visible movement. In their long life span sicariids resemble other 
haplogyne spiders (although there are some exceptions). In its be- 
havior, Sicarius resembles Loxosceles more than Scytodes. Construc- 
tion of the unusual eggsac of Sicarius has not been observed. 
References Cited 
Bonnet, P. 
1945. Bibliographia Araneorum, Toulouse, vol. 1. 
Cooke, J. A. L. 
1965a. Beobachtungen an der Spinnengattung Dysdera. Natur Museum 
95: 179-184. 
1965b. A contribution to the biology of the British spiders belonging to 
the genus Dysdera. Oikos 16: 20-25. 
1966. Genitalia in Dysdera crocata. Senckenbergiana Biol. 47: 35-43. 
Dabelow, S. 
1958. Zur Biologie der Leimschleuderspinne Scytodes thoracica (La* 
treille). Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Syst. 86: 85-162. 
