1982] Ross, Richman, Mansour, Trambarulo & Whitcomb 299 
Earlier instar spiders were maintained in a laboratory room and 
transferred during penultimate or adult stages to an environmental 
growth chamber. Temperatures in the room were stabilized at 27° C 
in the summer and 24° C in the winter, ±2°C. The spiders were kept 
under fluorescent lights. The eggs, postembryos, and first instars 
used for later observations were all maintained in the environmental 
chamber, which was kept at a constant 26.7° C on a 13:1 1 L:D light 
period. Humidity was controlled within the chamber by a supersat- 
urated NaCl solution bath in a 20 X 15 X 8 cm tray. The tray was 
partially filled with small pebble-sized rocks to increase the surface 
area available for moisture exchange. The humidity control method 
was adapted from a technique described by Winston and Bates 
(1960) and it stabilized humidity levels within the 60-70% range as 
monitored by a hygrothermograph. 
Mating was observed in plastic gerbil cages, which were modified 
to prohibit escapes by gluing taffeta-like cloth between the upper 
and lower portions of the cage. 
Carapace widths were measured at the widest points with an ocu- 
lar micrometer and a binocular microscope. 
Results and Discussion 
The courtship and mating of H. venatoria was described by 
Bonnet (1932) and Sekiguchi (1944b). Our observations generally 
agree with these published accounts except where noted in the fol- 
lowing discussion. In the current study, males introduced to a cage 
with a female were observed to construct a sperm web approxi- 
mately 2 hours prior to mating. After sperm induction male spiders 
groomed their pedipalps for 5-25 seconds. The males vibrated their 
bodies prior to mounting, as described in detail by Rovner (1980). 
After mounting, the male rubbed his first pair of legs on the female’s 
abdomen before and sometimes during insertion of the pedipalps. 
Copulation occurred in bouts lasting from one to six hours over a 
period of 24 hours. The pedipalps were inserted alternately, for an 
average of 20.4 seconds for each insertion (n = 70, SD = 6.8 
seconds). Bonnet (1932) reported that insertion lasted 6-7 seconds, 
not counting transfer time. Males were often cannibalized by the 
female after mating, which could account for the higher proportion 
of females to males found in the field. 
