136 
Psyche 
[Vol. 92 
(Hippa and Oksala 1979). The three morphs will mate readily in the 
laboratory, and Seligy (1971) discovered that lineata, redimita and 
ovata could be obtained in the progeny of a single female. Although 
the morphs are usually distinct, recent research of Hippa and 
Oksala (1979, 1981, 1982) indicates that the genetics of the color 
polymorphism is more complicated than previously thought; a brief 
summary of recent findings appears in the Appendix. 
Ecologists have uncovered two intriguing aspects to the distribu- 
tion of these morphs in Europe. Local populations often differ in 
the frequencies of the three morphs, yet a given population will 
maintain remarkably constant frequencies over several generations 
(Oxford 1976). Furthermore, a latitudinal cline in morph frequen- 
cies exists, with the red forms tending to be more common in north- 
ern populations of continental Europe (Hippa and Oksala 1979). 
E. ovata also occurs in parts of North America (Levi 1957), but 
has not been extensively studied on this continent. Seligy (1971) 
provided information on the natural history of the species in North 
America and described details of postembryonic development; how- 
ever, he did not give data on morph frequencies in different locales. 
In 1983 we determined morph frequencies in E. ovata populations in 
Maine, Massachusetts, and two regions of New York. We discov- 
ered that frequencies varied between local populations within an 
area, and also found that the overall frequencies for each geographi- 
cal region were not the same. Most striking was the presence of the 
ovata morph in Maine and a mountainous area of Massachusetts, 
and its absence from two populations in widely separated regions of 
New York State. 
Methods 
Natural History of E. ovata 
This brief account is based primarily upon Nielsen (1932), Bris- 
towe (1958), Seligy (1971) and personal observations. 
Middle through adult instars are found underneath the leaves of 
many species of brambles, small saplings and herbs such as golden 
rod ( So/idago ). E. ovata occurs along roadside ditches, open fields 
and in the forest understory. It is often highly aggregated, with dense 
clumps sometimes being referred to as “colonies”. The spider builds 
a small, inconspicuous tangle web underneath a leaf, the edges of 
