xt7jh98zbx4z https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7jh98zbx4z/data/mets.xml Alabama Alabama Museum of Natural History 1950 Other titles include: Alabama Museum of Natural History museum paper, Geological Survey of Alabama, Museum of the Geological Survey of Alabama. Other creators include: United States. Work Projects Administration, Geological Survey of Alabama, Tennessee Valley Authority. Issues for 1, 3 carry no series numbering. No. 2 also as Education papers no. 1. UK holds archival copy for ASERL Collaborative Federal Depository Program libraries. Call number  AS36 .A2. journals  English University, Ala. : Alabama Museum of Natural History, 1910-1960 This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Alabama Works Progress Administration Publications Museum Paper, no. 30, 1950 - including "Alabama Museum of Natural History: A Study of Theridiid and Mimetid Spiders with Descriptions of New Genera and Species" by Allan F. Archer text Museum Paper, no. 30, 1950 - including "Alabama Museum of Natural History: A Study of Theridiid and Mimetid Spiders with Descriptions of New Genera and Species" by Allan F. Archer 1950 1950 2015 true xt7jh98zbx4z section xt7jh98zbx4z » GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BWAEEEAMA
· WALTER B. Jonas, STATE GEOLOGIST
MUSEUM PAPER 3EI
· ALABAMA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
A STUDY OF THERIDIID AND MIMETID SPIDERS
WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW GENERA
AND SPECIES
By L
ALLAN F. ARCHER ·
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GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA
WAIETER B. Jomzs, STATE GEOLOGIST
MUSEUM PAPER BCI
ALABAMA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY I
. STUDY OF THERIDIID AND MINIETID SPIDERS I
WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW (QENERA I
AND SPECIES  
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By 5
ALLAN F. ARCHER I
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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL  
University, Alabama t
_ June 28, 1950 i
T lll ~able James E. Folsom  
· Zovernor of Alabama  
I Montgomery, Alabama I
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 A have the honor to transmit herewith the manuscript of a J I
  N: ‘ entitled "A Study of the Theridiid and Memetid Spiders A ‘
it ll. Descriptions of New Genera and Species," by Allan F. A
J :\¤ r. It is requested that this be printed as Museum Paper l ,
  flu the Geological Survey of Alabama. t I
l Respectfully, y
 _ WALTER B. JONES, l
it State Geologist A
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Q lx »;O>UcT10N _,__,____,_,_O,   O,OOO,_T,.,.__TO.........A....4,..,O..».,».......................4»....,..TT..,..»....W....W..V. A 7  
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  PIE r>GENY AND TAXONOMY ......,......,,.......................,,.................V......... . ».».......»   8   ;
  Cl JFICATION, GENERA, AND SPECIES OF THERIDIIDAEU. . M 10    
; Tk =.I1MET1DAE ,,,_________,_,,_E,EE _ ».»..................,_.....,...E.,,.,.......EEE . VEEETETT.T.....W A TE»....T.     29    
E Br )GRAPHY 4WA_____é__,__A____________________________,A__,,,,_____,EEE_.EE_._E__, . E............,E,TVT.T..,.,E   EEEE   ,.     U
V  PL   H ___OOO___________O___________VO,OOO_OOO»_OO__»»________O_______,________,___________O,______________.OOO _ O.»_.»..q_..   ._.»,.,,_ :2:: T
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  i~ is in question.    
; wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. W. J. Gertsch  
- and her members of the Entomology Department of the Ameri- i
wi. [useum of Natural History for all sorts of assistance ren-  
 p der in the study of this and other families of spiders as well as E ·
. for grant that made the completion of this study possible.  
I at also greatly indebted to Dr. Walter B. Jones for extending  
res. ·ch facilities to myself and for the gift of material collected i I
_`  **1] l ‘ field by himself, particularly in his study of cave faunas.   E
. Ure H. E. Frizzell of Rolla, Missouri, has lent ine the USG of   Q
 , hw rry extensive collection of theridiicl spiders from the IlO1`ICl`l-   .
 . ”·`·`*‘* ‘i'1i United States, thus enabling me to study males of many   2
X ll‘*l1 ¤tic genera, and to her I extend my gratitude as well as to   l
` l-l"· Y Fr. Roewer of Bremen, Germany, himself a student of § L
I. the heridiidae, for the donation of species representing genera   i
» 1`·u·i..iai· to Eurasia. I i
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t s GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA
4 O
  PHYLOGENY AND TAXONOMY   j
ti A glossary of anatomical and general terms can be t` grid  . °
  both in Comstock’s "Spider Book" and in a new and excl ent  i  
( book by Gertsch, "American Spiders" (see bibliography; A 2 4
  study of the external anatomy of the Theridiidae and Mimi tae i
  demonstrates the fact that the most comprehensive differ ces  
  separating species, and higher taxonomic categories as wt lie  
  in the genitalia. Both primary and secondary sex chars ers  ,
  used in conjunction with other structural features, partie irly  ‘
  the appendages, are of the highest value in the understands y of  Y
  specific, generic, and familial differences. The character; en- ·
  erally used for the separation of categories above the si ific  
it level tend to overlook genitalia, and to dwell upon features the  
  eyes, chelicerae, and armature of the legs. Unfortunately iese j
  last structures are not consistently helpful (e. g. the leg spi s iii  
Q Mimetidae and the tarsal comb in Theridiidae), and tend t on-  .
  fuse the issue, when lacking as they are at times. On the wher  j
_Q hand the genitalia, primary and secondary, are consis atly  t
  helpful. It is certain that the genitalic anatomy must be lied  1
  upon as a clue to the differences in habits that charai rize  _.
  each genus and as a clue to the very intrinsic difference hzrt A ,
  separate the aggregations of species comprehended in one one  ‘
  from those aggregations comprehended in any other iltli
  Finally the genitalic anatomy along with the increasin; -»m- —
ia plexity of the structural dimorphism of the two sexes fur —i%I<‘*
  the pattern of the family tree on which genera in each :¤1l>"
  should be arranged, beginning with the more primitive i MW J
  and ending with the most derivative genera on the top bri: ·i¤·<.
  That genitalia should furnish an answer to this question Het r
E} surprising, for in considering the question of speciatiot the
  ¢. a   I
my  y   A that occurs in the southern hemisphere of the Old World. l
ms,   lb se of the presence of tibial apophyses on the male palpus " ”
__m_  l ¢¤> l as other peculiarities this genus has had a varying career, i —
JW . la? placed in families other than the one in which it belongs, [
my T Hr wer, Dr, Roeivert correctly placed it in the Theridiidae and [ t
wu  c lin cd it in a subfamily of its own. On the other hand we   ‘
wp M »~ne subfamily in which the presence of a tarsal comb is  
tm v if l imaginary. The truth of the matter seems to be that  
the  l ll. rnservative southern hemisphere N2'c·o<7omHS· simply pre-   p
M.i_  ‘ *'r · the tarsal brush from which the comb is later derived as   T
Allr. i   ialized structure. A study of the male palpus Of_1\?/'('U’/{!,vr¢iJ.°? g
_mt,__  ‘ `V r that its status is clearly that of a theridiirl. In this Pon-   .
the 1 ir ui it should be pointed out that there is another genus rr·.mi·»ii _ Trilie Spintharini   ·
it ,· of .» Trioe Pholcommatini  
l)y)li,_)_ ` Tl`il>é PhO1`OHCl(lliHl   4 2
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  ( Sliiitzimily Conopisthinae. Median apophysis of the tegulum of  
  _ 1 'fliw male palpus present, extending around to the ventral Side 5-
I l`"{`l' V of the genital bulb. Tarsal comb ab01"tiV€. i i
liu CS ' [
ui .-dell ` In the treatment of genera heavy emphasis is laid upon the g
H dm. . ¤M?*: genitalia. Generic distinctions based on female genitalia i —
1, We ;il`¤"}‘Zithe1‘ unsatisfactory in this family. However, Wiehle (see   %
OL mj ` _’ll>¤¤Ql“&1Jhy) and others have figured transparencies of the   _
icniale epigynum, and generic characters can be detected in F ’
_ e,rs_,__ . i
, ( ` Bfyant makes Lucaraehne, 1940, a metine argiopid, but it is most cer-   L
lun UI EW SV 0 Theridiid, lacking a paracymbium on the male pallplls. The   I
{yl-s;1l "*'?"‘i`U\‘<3 paracymblum" of figs_ 116-117 is located on the wrong side F Q
I "l JW Déilus, even for an infolded paracymbium. Cuban Spiders. Bull.    
Yilxeeiun Comp. Zoology, 1940, 96 (7): 349-352. g  
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  y 12 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY or ALABAMA  
l i these. This line of investigation should be followed up. Ii all  5
§ cases the genera described here for the first time along ith  
l resurrected genera or subgeneric names raised to the ger ric  
  rank pertain to species placed by Simon and others under rhe —
  very comprehensive genus Theridion. As it now stands his  L
  ~ genus contains generic elements belonging to two subfam its l
l Episininae and Theridiinae. It is hoped here that gen? the  .
  studies have enabled us to get away from such bizarre re> hs. 1
  lt is regrettable but absolutely necessary to divorce the rue
  genus Tlwridion from its association with what must no be i
  known as Alloflzcridion, and to place it with what has Jcll »
Q — known as Enoplognaf/za. It is indeed remarkable that Tizcw vm
  o1·m*unz (Clerck) should not have been seen as identical wit the
fj i species of Eizoplogiiztzflza, but such is the case. I
  1 Subfamily Episivrimzc  i_
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  Tribe Episinini. Origin of the embolus without any parti dar
ll ~ acompanying apophysis from its base, as far as known. '4T`1l1— `
  bium apparently undivided. Palpal tibia of medium wlth  .
  apically. Abdomen frequently having spines of other ar eu- ‘
  dages. Including Mcotipa. and E])fSf’lZ2!·S. _ g
 
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  p Cimvclellrzam, new genus  i
E Plate I, figure 1 I
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  p Cymbium of the male palpus surmounted by an apicat in- `
  i lateral spine; genital bulb having a blade-like embolus acc ~·¥`}·‘  ·
gg   process, and conductor. Abdomen of the female cordai in- _
  dented on the dorsal margin, and having many short < Ml ’
  spines or hairs. Epigynum forming ovate or curved pa` FNS ·
fil on the external plates. Male with prominent stridulating · ‘1*ll·
  the lunate plate being complete. Chelicerae geniculate. {
tr . . .
  1 Lwenotypez C. Ulli€)"l‘(lN(lfH))Z (Emerton) ‘
al
  The species of this apparently Nearctic genus were for= ‘1`l§`  _
  assigned to Tlzeridrion, and two of them were listed in THF   ll"`
  1 on Alabama Theridiidae, 1946 (see bibliography). BesiY H CUY"€d» i S
X its Z $M~¢¤11ig,punctate or dentigulate (laminated) conductor. Margill § 1
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  I4 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA A
i of palpal tibia entire, equal on all faces. Epigynum an oi qq Z
E elliptical vault. Male small but not minute, one-third t0 t 0-  A
_T thirds the stature of the female. Stridulating apparatus of ue H 
  male present as a partial lunate plate 0n either side of ue  §
i pedicel. Chelicerae non—geniculate.  
I  ,
( .
  Genotype: P, fcpirlazwrmizi (C. L. Koch) 1
l  :
i The species of this genus have been included under T! (Vi- 1
.· di<»»1_ and have been regarded as at least characteristic 0. il,  ,
l p which they are not at all. Parastc0.foda was originally es li-  ·‘
  A lished as a subgenus by the writer," but is now recognized a  i
  distinct genus. Besides the genotype the following species re
  known: P. fornzosmn (Clerck), P. ’H))Z()7'(llLt("Zl)}Z (L. Koch). .id A
  P. orznzzwrz (Simon). The first is probably Eurasian, the se iid  _
  1 is Alpine, and the third occurs in the Papuasian Region, an< he =
  male palpus is shown in Plate I, figure 5. In the latter he .
Q enibolus is very long and looped.  
  l Cl']/])f(lC]liCL€(L· Archer, 1947  ——
  Margin of cymbium of male palpus having a sinus neai he ·  _
  ( apex. and at times lobate. Embolus strongly converging ith ._
    the short, erect, diagonally truncate conductor. Margin oi he  
  i palpal tibia on the apical level having a sinus on the ectal i ”