1973 ] 
Rovner — Schizocosa avida 
247 
Discussion 
The copulatory pattern observed in Schizocosa avida was similar 
to that described in S. bilineata and S. crassipes (Montgomery, 1903) 
and S. saltatrix (Rovner, in press). The occurrence of a series of 
insertions of one palp prior to a shift to the other palp differs from 
the rather strict alternation of palps seen in Lycosa chaperi (Bhat- 
nagar and Sadana, 1965), L. gulosa (Kaston, 1936), L. helluo 
(Kaston, 1936; Nappi, 1965), L. punctulata (Rovner, unpublished 
data), and L. rabida (Montgomery, 1903; Kaston, 1936; Rovner, 
1972). Furthermore, the pattern of variation in series length, which 
seems typical of Schizocosa spp. (Rovner, in press), was also present 
in S. avida. Thus, Gertsch and Wallace’s (1937) placement of the 
former Lycosa avida into the genus Schizocosa on the basis of 
morphology has been strengthened by these behavioral data. The 
large number of palpal insertions (about 300) and the relatively 
long duration of copulation (about 2-3 hours) in S. avida also indi- 
cate a greater affinity to Schizocosa spp. than to Lycosa spp. (Rov- 
ner, in press). 
Another aspect of behavior may be worth investigating in this 
regard. Knost and Rovner (in prep.) found that post-immobilization 
tying down of prey occurred in L. punctulata and L. rabida but not 
in S. crassipes. Whether this distinction is -genus-specific or not must 
await studies of feeding behavior in other members of these two 
genera. 
Literature Cited 
Bhatnagar, R. D. S. and G. L. Sadana 
1965. Sexual behaviour in Lycosa chaperi Simon (Arachnida: Ara- 
neida). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 62: 568-573. 
Chamberlin, R. V. 
1904. Notes on generic characters in the Lycosidae. Canad. Ent. 36: 
173-178. 
1908. Revision of North American spiders of the family Lycosidae. 
Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 60: 158-318. 
Dondale, C. D. 
1969. Two new species of the spider genus Schizocosa (Araneida: 
Lycosidae) from the Great Lakes region. Canad. J. Zool. 47: 
751-758. 
Fitch, H. S. 
1963. Spiders of the University of Kansas Natural History Reservation 
and Rockefeller Experimental Tract. Misc. Publ. Mus. Nat. 
Hist. U. Kansas No. 33. 202 pp. 
Gertsch, W. J. and H. K. Wallace 
1937. New American Lycosidae with notes on other species. Amer. 
Mus. Nov. No. 919: 1-22. 
