. American spiders and their spinning work. A natural history of the orbweaving spiders of the United States, with special regard to their industry and habits. Spiders. 164 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. fauna, while Gasteracantha has never been found farther north than the southern areas of our Gulf States. Both these genera, like Nephila, appear to be more especially characteristic of the tropical spider fauna, among which they also have a great variety of prolific and pecuUar species. One's curiosity is sorely puzzled to know why our three northern repre- sentatives of Acrosoma ha
. American spiders and their spinning work. A natural history of the orbweaving spiders of the United States, with special regard to their industry and habits. Spiders. 164 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. fauna, while Gasteracantha has never been found farther north than the southern areas of our Gulf States. Both these genera, like Nephila, appear to be more especially characteristic of the tropical spider fauna, among which they also have a great variety of prolific and pecuUar species. One's curiosity is sorely puzzled to know why our three northern repre- sentatives of Acrosoma have been able to find and hold a place among the fauna, not only of the temperate, but of the more northern areas, while other species, and the genus Gasteracantha in all species, have ceased their northward march at the line already indicated. Or has the progress been in the reverse direction—from the north towards the south? And are our indigenous species of Acrosoma the survivors of a fauna that once held sway throughout the region stretching from New England to the Pacific? IV. Closely associated with spiders making a horizontal snare is the Bas- ilica spider, the sole known representative of species that spin what I have called a Domed orb. The history of this species, which I have heretofore recorded, is as follows :i In the month of June, 1877, I was en- camped upon the hills of the Colorado River of Texas, a few miles southwest of Aus- tin, studying the habits of the agricultural and cutting A limited ])ortion of my time was ii;iven to observing spi- ders, in the course of which the object of this sketch was discovered. Her snare was lunig about two feet from the ground, upon a bush which stood in the midst of a grove of young live oaks. This. Domed Orbs, Epeira basilica Fig. 154. The dome shaped snare of the Basilica spider telarian snare; d, the dome. 1 Proceedings Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1878, pages 124-132. 2 Observations upon the former
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectspiders, bookyear1889
