THE GENUS TRIAERIS SIMON (ARANEAE, 
OONOPIDAE) IN CENTRAL AMERICA 
AND THE WEST INDIES * 
By Arthur M. Chickering 
Museum of Comparative Zoology 
Since my first contact with the Genus Triaeris Simon in 1939 
in Panama I have continued to collect these interesting little spiders 
at every opportunity during my collecting trips to parts of Central 
America and the West Indies. Simon established the genus Triaeris 
in 1891 on the basis of females from St. Vincent, B. W. I. He 
also stated that he had the same species from Venezuela. In 1940 
Miss Elizabeth Bryant described what she regarded as the female 
of a new species from Cuba. In 1948 she reported Simon’s species 
from Haiti. In 1951 I reported T. patellaris Bryant from Panama. 
As will be shown later in this paper I have now decided that T. 
patellaris Bryant is a synonym for T. stenaspis Simon. I believe that 
I now have this species from several localities in Central America 
and numerous localities in the West Indies as well as one record 
from Southern Florida. According to my present view, the male 
of T. stenaspis Simon is still unknown. After a period of uncertainty 
it now seems that I have a new species of this genus represented by 
a male from St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands and a female from 
Nevis, B. W. I. Two males from Trinidad, W. I. seem to repre- 
sent another new species. I am, therefore, compelled to recognize 
three species of the genus Triaeris from the region under study. 
The female of Triaeris lepus Suman has recently been described 
from Hawaii. 
All types, together with my entire collection of this genus, are 
being deposited in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard 
University. 
Grants GB-1801 and GB-5013 from the National Science Founda- 
tion have furnished financial aid for several collecting trips in Central 
America, Florida and the West Indies together with my continued 
research in the Museum of Comparative Zoology for nearly six years. 
I am deeply grateful for the help and encouragement received from 
members of the staff of the Museum of Comparative Zoology over a 
period of many years. Special acknowledgements should be extended 
to Dr. Ernst Mayr, Director; Dr. P. J. Darlington, Jr., Alexander 
Agassiz Professor of Zoology; Dr. Herbert W. Levi, Associate 
* Manuscript received by the editor September 10, 1968 
