1982] Lubin, Opell, Eberhard, Levi — Uloboridae 49 
reduced and modified planar or domed orbs in the midst of meshes 
which include sticky as well as non-sticky threads ( P . oweni also 
spins orbs without meshes— Eberhard, 1969), the “orb” of Polenecia 
( =Sybota ) which lacks sticky spirals and has instead sticky radii 
(Wiehle 1931), the orbs cum sheet webs spun by young spiderlings 
and mature males of several species (Szlep, 1961; Eberhard, 1977b), 
and the various simplified webs of Hyptiotes (Wiehle 1927, Marples 
and Marples 1937) and Miagrammopes (Akermann 1932, Lubin et 
al. 1978), it becomes clear that there is an extraordinary diversity of 
web forms in the relatively small family Uloboridae. It is likely that, 
in conjunction with morphological studies, a fuller understanding of 
the webs and behavior of uloborids will shed more light on relation- 
ships within the family. 
Systematic Section 
Conifaber new genus* 
Figures 14-15, 20-29 
Type. The type species of Conifaber is Conifaber parvus, new 
species. The genus name is a masculine noun derived from the Latin 
nouns conus and faber and means “cone craftsman”. 
Diagnosis. Conifaber contains the smallest known uloborids, 
females being 2.0 mm and males 1 .5 mm long. Because of their small 
size members of this genus are more likely to be confused with those 
of Ariston and Siratoba than with Zosis, Octonoba, and Purumitra, 
to which they are more closely related. Conifaber males and females 
are distinguished from those of Ariston and Siratoba (Opell, 1979; 
figs. 41, 72) by having a strongly recurved anterior eye row whose 
median eyes are located on a slight anterior carapace extension and 
have a diameter twice that of the other eyes (Figs. 20-23). Unlike 
Ariston and Siratoba females whose first femora are 1.5 and 2.0 
times the carapace length, respectively, and whose thoracic grooves 
are in the carapace’s posterior two-fifths, Conifaber females have 
first femora equal in length to the carapace and have a centrally 
located thoracic groove. Like Ariston, but unlike Siratoba, Coni- 
*For nomenclatural purposes B. D. Opell is the author of the genus Conifaber and 
the species C. parvus. 
