The Drassidæ, like the Lycosidæ (p. 67), are ground spiders, though some
genera, like Anyphæna (p. 12) and Clubiona (p. 15), are equally common
in summer on bushes. They make nests in the form of a bag or flattened
tube, but no cobwebs for catching insects, and are commonly found
running about among dead leaves and short grass and sometimes even on
bare ground and sand. In form they are usually two or three times as
long as they are wide, like the Lycosidæ (p. 67), but more often
flattened on the back. The legs differ but little in length, and the
first and second pairs are directed forward, the third and fourth
backward. Their hairs and spines are short, giving them a smooth,
velvet-like appearance. The feet have two claws, with a brush of
flattened hairs under them, like the Thomisidæ and Attidæ (p. 41), but
unlike the Lycosidæ (p. 67), which have three claws. The mandibles are
large and strong and are together as wide as the head. The eyes are all
about the same size and arranged in two rows of about the same length
and not far apart, but between different species there are slight
differences in their arrangement. The colors are usually dull gray,
brown, and black, with few markings or none. A few species are very
brightly marked, as in Micaria (p. 9) and Pœcilochroa (p. 4).
There are three groups among the Drassidæ:
1. Prosthesima, Gnaphosa, Pœcilochroa, Pythonissa, and Drassus, which
are generally dark in color and flattened above, with the cephalothorax
narrow in front and the eyes covering about half the width of the head
and differing in their relative positions among the different genera.
The labium is long and the maxillæ slightly widened at the end, or with
the outer corners rounded off and sometimes a crease or depression in
the middle. The joints of the first legs are sometimes thickened in the
middle. The lower spinnerets are longer than the others and flat on the
end.
2. Micaria, Geotrecha, Phrurolithus, Agrœca, and Anyphæna, in which
the body is less flattened, the legs longer, and the movements quicker.
The colors are lighter and more varied. The labium is short and the
maxillæ with straight sides.
3. Clubiona, Chiracanthium, and Trachelas, in which the colors are plain
and light, the eyes spread over more than half the front of the head and
close to its front edge. The labium is as long as it is in Drassus, but
contracted at the base. The maxillæ are narrow in the middle and flat
and wide at the ends.
[Illustration: FIGS. 3, 4, 5. Gnaphosa conspersa.--4, female enlarged
four times. 3, the eyes seen from in front. 5, the maxillæ, labium, and
ends of the mandibles from below.]
$Gnaphosa conspersa.$--Half an inch long and rusty black in color. In
alcohol the legs and cephalothorax are dark reddish brown and the
abdomen gray. The whole body is covered with fine black hairs. The
cephalothorax and abdomen are about the same size and a little
flattened. The legs are stout and all nearly the same length. The upper
row of eyes is nearly straight and the lateral eyes much farther from
the middle pair than these are from each other (fig. 3). The middle eyes
are oval and oblique, diverging toward the front. The maxillæ are large,
and rounded on the outer corners. The mandibles are large and strong,
with a wide, flat, serrated tooth (fig. 5) under the claw. The cocoon is
white and flat, with a diameter as great as the length of the spider.
The female, as far as I have observed, makes no nest, but partly lines
with silk a shallow hole, in which she nurses her cocoon. It lives under
stones and leaves as far north as the White Mountains and west to the
Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, and on the Pacific coast in Oregon.
A smaller and similar species, _Gnaphosa brumalis_, lives on the top of
Mount Washington and as far north as Labrador.
$Pythonissa imbecilla.$--About quarter of an inch long, bright orange
brown on the cephalothorax and legs and blue black on the abdomen, with
a few white hairs around the muscular spots. The legs are covered with
fine long hairs a little darker in color than the skin. The
cephalothorax is wide behind and more narrowed in front than in
Gnaphosa. The eyes (fig. 6) are close together, and the lateral eyes of
both rows are larger than the middle pairs and a little farther back on
the head. The maxillæ (fig. 8) are short and wide, and bent toward each
other so that they nearly meet in front of the labium. The front edges
are nearly straight and the outer corners only slightly rounded. The
sternum is wide and almost circular. The tarsus of the female palpi
tapers from the base to the tip.
[Illustration: FIGS. 6, 7, 8. Pythonissa imbecilla.--7, female enlarged
four times. 6, the eyes seen from in front. 8, the maxillæ, labium, and
ends of mandibles from below.]
[Illustration: FIGS. 9, 10, 11. Pœcilochroa variegata.--11, female
enlarged four times. 9, eyes from in front. 10, maxillæ, labium, and
ends of mandibles from below.]
$Pœcilochroa variegata.$--This is one of the most brightly colored of
the family. The cephalothorax is bright orange, a little darker toward
the eyes. The abdomen is black, with three transverse white stripes and
a T-shaped white mark between the first and second stripes. On the front
of the abdomen the white stripes are sometimes tinged with orange. The
femora of the first and second legs are black. The distal end of the
femur and both ends of the tibia of the fourth legs are black. Other
parts of the legs are orange-colored. The female is quarter of an inch
long. The cephalothorax is narrower than in _Prosthesima atra_ and
_Gnaphosa conspersa_, and the sternum longer and narrower. The maxillæ
(fig. 10) are long and widened at the outer corners. The two rows of
eyes (fig. 9) are almost straight, the upper one longer than the lower.
[Illustration: FIG. 12. FIG. 13. Pœcilochroa bilineata.--Upper and
under views of female without the legs, enlarged four times.]
$Pœcilochroa bilineata.$--A little smaller than _P. variegata_, but
with the abdomen longer. Cephalothorax and abdomen both white at the
sides and in the middle, with two black stripes from the eyes nearly to
the spinnerets. The abdomen is covered with long hairs, black in the
stripes and silvery white in the light portions. The legs are gray, with
white hairs. The under side is light gray, with two black stripes at the
sides of the abdomen that do not quite reach the spinnerets. The
spinnerets are unusually long. The eyes are arranged as in _variegata_,
the middle eyes being even more distinctly farther apart than they are
from the lateral eyes.
[Illustration: FIGS. 14, 15, 16. Prosthesima atra.--16, female enlarged
four times. 14, eyes seen from in front. 15, maxillæ, labium, and ends
of mandibles from below.]
$Prosthesima atra.$--Black, and less than a third of an inch long. It
may be mistaken for a small _Gnaphosa conspersa_, but, besides the small
size, the abdomen is usually longer in proportion and the head is
narrower than in Gnaphosa. The color is usually a deeper black and less
likely to be gray in the young and rusty in the old, but the feet and
under side of the abdomen are sometimes yellowish in the young. The eyes
(fig. 14) are closer together and the two rows more nearly of the same
length. In alcohol the cephalothorax and legs are blacker than in
Gnaphosa and less brown. The maxillæ (fig. 15) are a little longer and
less rounded at the outer corners than in Gnaphosa or Pythonissa. The
mandibles (fig. 15) are without the large teeth under the claw that
Gnaphosa and Pythonissa have, and they are turned forward more than in
those genera. It lives on the ground and under stones. The cocoon is
white or pink, attached by the under surface, with the upper side convex
and thickened in the middle, sometimes with a little dirt attached to
it.
[Illustration: FIG. 17. FIG. 18. Prosthesima ecclesiastica.--Upper and
under views of female enlarged four times.]
$Prosthesima ecclesiastica.$--Black, with white markings along the
middle of the back. One-third of an inch long, a little larger than _P.
atra_ and smaller than _Gnaphosa conspersa_. The cephalothorax is
proportionally longer and narrower and the sternum narrower and less
round than in _P. atra_ (fig. 18). The cephalothorax is dull black at
the sides, with a whitish stripe in the middle. The legs are also dull
black and, like the cephalothorax, turn brown in alcohol. The abdomen is
black, with a bright white stripe in the middle that extends from the
front end about two-thirds its length; and at the hinder end, just over
the spinnerets, is another white mark (fig. 17). The under side of the
abdomen is dark at the sides and light in the middle. The eyes and
maxillæ are as in _P. atra_, the maxillæ a little less rounded at the
ends.
[Illustration: FIG. 19. Drassus saccatus.--Female enlarged three times.
For eyes and mouth parts see figs. 1 and 2 in Introduction.]
$Drassus saccatus.$--Four-fifths of an inch long, and pale, without
markings. The head is shorter and wider than in _Gnaphosa conspersa_ and
_Prosthesima atra_, and the eyes cover a larger part of the head. Both
rows of eyes (figs. 2, 19) are curved, with the middle highest. The
middle upper pair are oval and turned apart toward the front. The
lateral eyes are twice their diameter from the middle pair. The maxillæ
(fig. 1) are widened at the ends on both sides. The labium is as wide as
it is long, narrowed toward the end but truncated at the tip. The color
is light gray, with short fine hairs all over the body. The front of the
head, the feet, and the mandibles and maxillæ are darker and browner.
The abdomen is marked only with the usual four muscular spots and
sometimes a few transverse dark markings toward the hinder end. The
legs are long and tapering in both sexes. The male is smaller and more
slender than the female, and the male palpi are long, with the end very
little enlarged. They live under stones, and make a large transparent
bag of silk in which the female makes her cocoon of eggs, and stays with
it until the young come out. Early in the summer a male and female often
live together in the nest, even before the female is mature.
[Illustration: FIGS. 20, 21, 22. Geotrecha crocata.--22, female enlarged
four times. 20, eyes seen from in front. 21, maxillæ, labium, and ends
of mandibles from below.]
$Geotrecha crocata.$--Black, with the ends of the legs light yellow and
a bright red spot on the end of the abdomen. It is about a third of an
inch long. The legs are slender and the body is not at all flattened.
The cephalothorax is two-thirds as wide as long, oval behind and
narrowed in front of the legs, where the sides of the head are nearly
parallel. The abdomen is oval and nearly twice as long as wide. The
spinnerets are so far under the body that they show but little from
above. At the front end of the abdomen is a spot larger below than
above, where the skin is thicker and harder and browner in color than
the rest. The cephalothorax is dark brown or black, as are also the
femora of all the legs and of the palpi. The ends of the third and
fourth legs are a lighter brown and the ends of the first and second
legs and palpi light yellow. The abdomen is deep black except a bright
red spot at the hinder end, which varies in size, is sometimes broken
into several spots, or is sometimes wanting altogether. The eyes (fig.
20) are near together, the upper row curved down at the ends. The
maxillæ are straight, with the sides nearly parallel, and the labium is
shorter than wide. The males are usually smaller than the females and
have the red spot larger. These spiders live among stones in dry open
places. They are easily alarmed and move very rapidly. The flat,
parchment-like cocoons found on stones are probably made by this
species.
[Illustration: FIG. 23. FIG. 24. Geotrecha bivittata.--Upper and under
views of female enlarged four times.]
$Geotrecha bivittata.$--The same size as _G. crocata_ but much lighter
colored, and with two white stripes across the abdomen (fig. 23). The
cephalothorax is a little narrower behind than it is in _crocata_. Its
color varies from orange to dark brown. The femora of all the legs are
striped lengthwise with brown and yellow. The hind legs are brown, with
a little yellow on the upper side of the patella and tibia. The other
legs are yellow, sometimes with brown stripes on the under side. The
white marks on the abdomen extend underneath halfway to the middle line.
The sternum and under side are light brown. It lives under leaves at all
seasons.
[Illustration: FIGS. 25, 26, 27, 28. Micaria longipes.--28, Male
enlarged four times. 25, eyes seen from in front. 26, maxillæ, labium,
and ends of mandibles from below. 27, Southern variety, Micaria aurata.
Colored orange, with black and white markings.]
$Micaria longipes$ or $aurata.$--A quarter of an inch long or less, and
resembling an ant both in size and color (fig. 28). The cephalothorax is
twice as long as wide, and only a little widened in the middle. It is
highest in the middle, curving downward at both ends. The front row of
eyes (fig. 25) is nearly straight and the upper row curved, with the
middle eyes highest and the eyes all farther apart than in the lower
row. The abdomen is one-half longer than the cephalothorax and about as
wide, blunt at both ends and drawn in a little at the sides and above at
a point a third of its length from the front. The legs are long and
slender, the fourth pair longest. The colors are light yellow brown,
with gray hairs and scales which on the abdomen have green and red
metallic reflections. The legs are darker from before backward, the
front pair all light yellow except the femur, and the third and fourth
pairs with longitudinal brown stripes that nearly cover the tarsal
joints. The abdomen has a pair of transverse white stripes near the
constricted part and another pair less distinct at the front end. The
under side is as dark as the upper. The white markings extend underneath
halfway to the middle line. The maxillæ are nearly straight on the outer
edge and a little widened toward each other at the ends. The labium is
narrowed at the end and a little longer than wide (fig. 26).
There is an orange-colored Micaria from Long Island, N.Y., and farther
south (probably what is described by Hentz under the name _Herpyllus
auratus_), that seems to belong to this species (fig. 27). Its size and
markings are the same, and the epigynum is like that of _longipes_. The
cephalothorax, abdomen, and femora of all the legs are bright orange
color, with brilliant yellow and green reflections. The spinnerets are
black, and there are five or six transverse black marks on the hinder
half of the abdomen and some irregular black spots around the white
bands.
[Illustration: FIGS. 29, 30, 31, 32. Phrurolithus alarius.--31, female
in a natural position, with legs drawn up over the back, enlarged eight
times. 29, one of the front legs to show spines. 30, eyes from in front.
32, maxillæ, labium, and ends of mandibles.]
$Phrurolithus alarius.$--A small and very active spider marked with gray
and white and having on the abdomen iridescent green scales (fig. 31).
The cephalothorax is nearly as wide behind as it is long. The head is
about half as wide as the thorax. The eyes (fig. 30) are large for so
small a spider, and cover more than half the width of the head. The
middle eyes of the upper row are oval and turned obliquely, diverging
toward the front. The labium is short and the maxillæ straight, as in
Agrœca and Anyphæna, but wider at the base (fig. 32). The legs are
long and slender, except the tibia and metatarsus of the first and
second pairs, which are twice as thick as the same joints of the other
legs and have on the under side two rows of strong spines (fig. 29). The
cephalothorax is light yellowish, with a black line on the edge each
side, and two light gray stripes. The abdomen is gray, with transverse
white markings that vary greatly in size and shape in different
individuals. The abdomen is covered with scales that change from grayish
green to pink with the motions of the spider. The legs are pale, except
the patella and tibia of the first pair, which are black or dark gray,
with the tip of the tibia white. The tibia and patella of the second
pair are marked with lighter gray in the same way. It lives among stones
in open ground, and runs short distances with great swiftness. When
still it lies close to a stone, with the tibiæ drawn up over the back.
[Illustration: FIGS. 33, 34, 35, 36. Agrœca pratensis.--33, eyes from
in front. 34, maxillæ, labium, and ends of mandibles. 35, back of female
enlarged four times. 36, under side of female as far back as the
epigynum.]
$Agrœca pratensis.$--A little light-colored spider, resembling the
next species, _Anyphæna incerta_. It is about a fifth of an inch long.
The cephalothorax is wide behind and low in front and highest near the
dorsal groove. The head is contracted in front of the legs more than it
is in _incerta_. The front row of eyes is nearly straight, the middle
pair only a little the higher (fig. 33). The upper row is longer and
more curved, with all the eyes about the same distance apart, the middle
pair not so much separated as in _incerta_. The abdomen is widest
behind, but not as wide as in _incerta_. The spinnerets are two-jointed,
as in Anyphæna. The legs are long, the fourth pair longest, and are a
little thicker than those of _incerta_. The coxæ of the hind legs almost
touch, and the sternum is short and nearly round (fig. 36). The labium
is short and the maxillæ straight, as in Anyphæna. The cephalothorax,
legs, and mouth parts are light brownish yellow. The cephalothorax has a
fine dark line on each side and two broken longitudinal stripes made up
of gray marks radiating from the dorsal groove. The abdomen has two rows
of gray oblique markings on a light ground. The general appearance is
like a small Lycosa. It lives among leaves and short grass. There is
little difference between male and female.
[Illustration: FIGS. 37, 38, 39, 40, 41. Anyphæna incerta.--37, palpus
of male. 38, under side of female as far forward as end of sternum. 39,
eyes from in front. 40, female enlarged four times. 41, maxillæ, labium,
and ends of mandibles.]
$Anyphæna incerta.$--About a fifth of an inch long, light yellow, with
gray markings. The cephalothorax is three-quarters as wide as long,
rounded at the sides and highest in the middle. The front of the head is
very low, so that the eyes nearly touch the mandibles. The front row of
eyes is nearly straight. The upper row is longer and more curved, with
the middle eyes highest and farthest apart (fig. 39). The abdomen is
large in the female, widest behind the middle, and a little pointed
behind. The labium is not longer than wide, and the maxillæ are
straight, with the sides parallel. The sternum is oval, not so short and
wide as in _pratensis_. The opening of the air-tubes is halfway between
the epigynum and spinnerets (fig. 38), instead of just in front of the
spinnerets, as it is in most spiders. The spinnerets are two-jointed.
The legs are slender and tapering, the fourth longest in females and the
first in males. The cephalothorax has two longitudinal broken gray
bands. The abdomen has a double row of spots in the middle and oblique
rows of smaller spots each side. The oblique lines of spots extend under
the abdomen halfway to the middle.
[Illustration: FIGS. 42, 43. Anyphæna calcarata.--42, under side of
cephalothorax of female. 43, palpus of male.]
$Anyphæna calcarata.$--The same size and color as _A. incerta_, with
longer legs. The markings are the same in both species. The plainest
difference between the females is in the epigynum, the hard and dark
parts of which are larger and longer in _incerta_. Another slight
difference is in the shape of the sternum, which in _calcarata_ extends
farther between the hind legs (fig. 42). In _incerta_ it is more pointed
at the hinder end and shorter (fig. 38). The difference between the
length of the legs in the two species, which is slight in the females,
is greater in the males, the legs of _calcarata_ being the longer. The
palpi of the males differ considerably. In _incerta_ (fig. 37) the tibia
of the palpus has a large process on the outer side close to the tarsus
and extending along its edge a third of its length. In _calcarata_ (fig.
43) the corresponding process is small and does not lap over the tarsus.
The coxæ of the third and fourth legs of the male _calcarata_ have
little processes on the under side (fig. 42), one on the fourth and two
on the third. These do not occur in _incerta_. It lives on plants like
_saltabunda_ (p. 14).
[Illustration: FIGS. 44, 45. Anyphæna rubra.--44, female without the
legs, enlarged four times. 45, under side of abdomen, showing position
of air-tubes.]
$Anyphæna rubra.$--Larger than the other species, with the legs shorter.
The female is about a third of an inch long, with the abdomen longer and
narrower than in _incerta_ or _saltabunda_. The opening of the air-tubes
(fig. 45) is farther forward than usual, twice as far from the
spinnerets as from the epigynum. The legs are comparatively short, the
longest, the fourth, being about as long as the body. The maxillæ are a
little widened at the end. The sternum is widest at the second legs and
narrows to a point behind. The head is a little wider than usual, and
the whole appearance more like Clubiona than the other species. The
color is the usual pale yellow, a little brownish on the head and legs,
and with two longitudinal stripes on the cephalothorax. The abdomen is
nearly white, with two stripes made up of gray spots, and scattered
spots at the sides. The spots turn red in alcohol.
[Illustration: FIGS. 46, 47. Anyphæna saltabunda.--46, female enlarged
six times. 47, palpus of male.]
$Anyphæna saltabunda.$--A pale short spider, with long and slender legs
(fig. 46). The body is an eighth to a sixth of an inch long. The abdomen
is oval, two-thirds as wide as long, and nearly as high as it is wide.
The cephalothorax is three-fourths as wide as long, widest across the
dorsal groove and narrowing gradually to half as wide in front. The eyes
of the upper row are twice as large as those of the front row. The first
legs are longest in both sexes, measuring in the female over twice the
length of the body and in the males three times. The spines are very
long on the legs and palpi but only a little darker in color. The
general color is pale yellow or white, with two broken gray stripes on
the cephalothorax and two middle and several lateral rows of light gray
spots on the abdomen. The spinnerets are slender and two-jointed. The
opening of the air-tubes is halfway between the spinnerets and the
epigynum. The palpi of the male (fig. 47) are long and slender, and the
tibia is slightly curved and has a large thin process on the outer
side.