72 
Psyche 
[March 
Note. Recently I indicated that I had examined the type of 
Theridion fordmn Keyserling (Levi, 1967, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 
136: 28). This was not the case. Dr. W. J. Gertsch first made me 
aware that the type might not be the species I thought. Through the 
courtesy of Dr. J. G. Sheals and Mr. D. Clark the specimens were 
examined. Keyserling indicated that the specimen described came 
from Bogota, but that specimens from other parts of South America 
were at hand. The vial from Bogota, contained two specimens: a 
mature female clearly belonging to T. sisyphoides (Walckenaer) 
and a juvenile specimen belonging to the other species for which the 
name T. haemorrhoidale is now used. The mature female was des- 
ignated lectotype of T. fordmn. The name Theridion fordum thus 
becomes a synonym of T. sisyphoides. All other specimens labelled 
by Keyserling as T. fordmn belong to T. haemorrhoidale. The pos- 
sibility exists that T. haemorrhoidale is a group of species having 
a similar epigynum. Particularly North American specimens are 
quite variable. However there are few males in collections and the 
females do not readily fall into groups. All intergradations occur. 
Latrodectus variolus Walckenaer 
Latrodectus variolus Walckenaer, 1837, Histoire Naturelle des Insectes 
Apteres, 1: 648. Female lectotype is Abbot manuscript figure 391, in 
the British Museum (Natural History) library. — McCrone and Levi, 
1964, Psyche 71: 13. 
Latrodectus mactans hesperus Chamberlin and Ivie, 1935, Bull. Univ. Utah, 
Biol. Ser. 3(1): 15. Figs. 1, 4, 6-14, 21, 22-23, 9 , $. Female holotype 
and male paratype from Salt Lake City, in the Univ. Utah collection 
now kept at the American Museum of Natural History; examined. 
NEW SYNONYMY. 
Latrodectus curacaviensis: — Levi, 1959. Trans. Amer. Microscop. Soc. 78: 
38 (in part). 
In a recent paper Kaston (1968, Entornol. News 79: 1 1 3 ) in- 
dicated that he considered L. hesperus different from L. mactans and 
L. variolus but gave no evidence for this statement. He indicated 
“that at least the common black widow of the west must be called 
hesperus .” There is no indication whether he refers to the northern 
one common in British Columbia to northern California and con- 
sidered Latrodectus variolus , or the one of southern California be- 
lieved to be Latrodectus mactans. 
The type of L. m. hesperus , was unavailable to me in 1957. I have 
recently examined both the female holotype and male paratype and 
have found them to be L. variolus. The female has a complete, un- 
broken “hourglass’’ on her venter. The name had previously been 
synonymized with L. mactans (Levi, 1959)* 
