286 
Psyche 
[June 
Figure 1. Spider Drymusa dinora in the resting area (B) in the center 
of the web. A trap is built at site A after prey enters through site C; 
later a second trap web is built at C to corral prey. 
against the substrate while the prey passes through the area and 
moves on. 
Females carry the egg-sac in their chelicerae much like the species 
of the genus Scytodes (and the structure of the sac itself resembles 
that of Scytodes also). The sac is temporarily abandoned when a 
suitable prey enters the web. 
Discussion 
In the attack on small prey the species behaves like the very 
primitive spiders, including their relatives of the genus Sicarius 
(Sicariidae) (Levi, 1967), attacking and subduing the prey solely 
by the use of the chelicerae (Eberhard, 1967). 
Large prey is caught by trapping webs and is subdued by biting, 
but neither holding nor wrapping is involved in the immobilization 
process. The trapping is a remarkable adaptation to the species’ 
habits, since the web is frequently exposed to prey too large to be 
captured (e.g., passalid beetles). An extensive capturing web, often 
destroyed without reward for the spider, would represent a significant 
loss of energy (through the production of silk). 
During the post-immobilization wrapping the spinnerets are ap- 
plied directly to the prey in a fashion similar to that observed in the 
diguetids (Eberhard, 1967). 
The capturing behavior of Drymusa dinora suggests the presence 
of an effective venom mdicating a closer relationship with Loxosceles. 
