354 
Psyche 
[Vol. 87 
ducks. Since in this study the Argyrodes were removed from 
Philoponella webs as soon as they were spotted, the number of prey 
normally taken is not known. 
Although it is clear that Argyrodes occur more frequently in 
communal webs than in solitary webs, and that a disproportionate 
number of predation events occurs in communal groups, it is not 
possible to say whether an individual P. oweni is safer (on the 
average) in a solitary web or in a communal group. The more hosts 
per colony an Argyrodes takes, the safer solitary webs become for 
the average Philoponella. 
The biology of Argyrodes in both temperate and tropical climates 
deserves more study. They are an excellent group in which to study 
the evolution and ecology of various prey-capture techniques. 
Along with communal and gregarious host species such as Philopo¬ 
nella, they may provide a model system for the study of resource 
utilization in patches of different sizes. 
Acknowledgements 
I would like to thank Dr. W. Gertsch, Dr. H. Levi and Vincent 
Roth for identifying specimens of Argyrodes. Dr. W. Eberhard, Dr. 
G. Eickwort, Dr. W. Gertsch, Dr. M. Tauber, Richard Keyel, Debra 
Koutnik, Robert Longair and Barbara Taraday reviewed the manu¬ 
script and provided many helpful criticisms. I’m particularly in¬ 
debted to Dr. Gertsch for his encouragement. 
This work was carried out at the Southwestern Research Station 
of the American Museum of Natural History, with support pro¬ 
vided by a National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship 
and grants-in-aid from the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund and 
Sigma Xi. 
References 
Archer, A. F. 
1946. The Theridiidae or comb-footed spiders of Alabama. Alabama Mus. 
Nat. Hist, papers, 22:5-67. 
Brown, J. L. 
1975. The Evolution of Behavior. W. W. Norton and Co., Inc., New York. 
Eberhard, W. G. 
1979. Argyrodes altenuatus (Theridiidae): a web that is not a snare. Psyche, 
86:407-413. 
