1969] 
Sabath — Gea heptagon 
369 
wooden leg in the center of the terrarium floor. I set the vial holding 
the spider at its base. The spider usually climbed upward onto 
the hoop where she would spin her web. I collected webs easily 
after the spider dropped out by removing one hoop and providing 
another. The terrarium sat at room temperature near a window 
and fluorescent lights. 
Specimens used are deposited in the Museum of Comparative 
Zoology, Harvard University. 
Observations 
Dropping and Color Change. The spider dropped from her web 
to the ground in the yard when first approached, but soon returned. 
For several days in the terrarium she dropped readily on approach, 
but later waited until touched with forceps. On the web, especially 
in direct sunlight, her abdomen was mottled with areas of creamy 
white that contrasted with brown markings that include a dark 
dorsal triangle (Figs. 1-2). When she dropped to lie, legs folded, 
on the ground, the white areas turned instantly to brown often 
almost as dark as the dorsal triangle (Figs. 3-4). The white marks 
returned gradually over several minutes. The degree of change 
varied; the photographs unfortunately do not show the extremes 
seen. 
W eb. The orb web in the grass was almost vertical. The di- 
ameter of the spiral was about 13 cm; the hub was off center 
(Fig. 5). The webs in the terrarium were spun generally in the 
evening or early morning. They were not replaced nightly unless 
removed from the spider. Radii numbered from 25 to 33 ; spiral 
diameters varied from 10 to 12 cm. None had a stabilimentum 
(Fig. 5). One evening I noted a complete orb that, an hour 
later, was missing a, 6o° wedge from the lower side. Both radii 
and spiral were gone. Several other webs spun in captivity also were 
missing this wedge. In spinning the sticky spiral, the spider felt for 
the previous strand with leg 1, sometimes putting leg 4 on it. She 
used leg 4 toward the hub for putting slack into the thread. 
Feeding. I observed that when feeding on a leafhopper on the 
web in the field, she refused to drop from the hub until nudged 
hard by a vial edge. In the terrarium when I blew upon a web, 
she shook it violently. Once when a leafhopper fell into the web, 
she jerked it once, then again. When the prey moved, she ran toward 
it; the prey froze and she turned away. I wiggled the prey with 
forceps and the spider jumped it. It appeared instantly covered 
with silk. The spider wrapped it three or four turns, cut it loose. 
