1972] 
Brady — So sip pus 
29 
Sosippus can readily be divided into two species groups based 
upon their morphology, coloration, genitalic structure, and geo- 
graphic distribution. One species group is found in the West and 
consists of S. calif ornicus and four Mexican species. In the East 
I recognized three species in the second group in 1962: S. texanus, 
S. mimus , and S. florid anus. This paper is primarily a more detailed 
examination of the southeastern populations which make up the S. 
floridanus species group. Two perplexing features of the distribu- 
tion and geographic variation of Sosippus mimus appeared in 1962. 
First was the occurrence of specimens from northern Florida which 
had a color pattern like mimus , but possessed 4-4 posterior cheliceral 
teeth as in floridanus. Second was the occurrence of three specimens 
from Lake Placid, Florida (including only a single mature female, 
figs. 13-14 of Brady, 1962) that were not like any of the specimens 
from surrounding localities. Based on their color pattern and 3-3 
posterior cheliceral teeth, these were considered southern representa- 
tives of mimus (see Map 1, Brady, 1962). 
The occurrence of a few isolated specimens of mimus in southern 
Florida was most puzzling. Also the variability of certain characters 
in mimus from northern Florida indicated the possibility that more 
than one species was represented. The materials available in 1962 
included only three mature specimens between Louisiana and west- 
ern Florida, all males. It is very difficult to distinguish different 
species of the floridanus group on the basis of males alone. The 
primary problem, then, was the lack of specimens from critical 
areas. 
Since 1961 a number of short field trips to Florida of 5-7 days 
duration have provided additional data. After a preliminary trip 
to Florida during the spring of 1968, Jim Toothaker and I under- 
took an intensive three week field study during which we collected 
and photographed Sosippus from Louisiana to south central Florida. 
From the western-most locality where we collected Sosippus 
(Fountainbleau State Park near Mandeville, Louisiana) to Youngs- 
town in western Florida, we found only one species, S. mimus. Char- 
acteristic of this species was a relatively constant number of 3-3 
posterior cheliceral teeth (Table 1), a diffuse color pattern on the 
carapace (Figs. 28-33) and a specific type of epigynum (Figs. 1-9), 
Along the west coast (Cedar Key) and inland (Horse Creek) 
in peninsular Florida, we found typical S. floridanus. These popula- 
tions all have 4-4 cheliceral teeth on the posterior margin (Table 
1 ) , a characteristic floridanus color pattern with the white stripes 
