The Linyphiadæ consist of a great number of species of small spiders
living, for the most part, in shady woods, among the lower branches of
plants, under leaves, and in caves and cellars. They differ from the
Therididæ generally in having the body more elongated, the legs stouter
and with more spines, the mandibles larger and stronger and furnished
with teeth around the claw, and the maxillæ straighter and not inclined
inward toward the labium. There are two groups among them,--Linyphia and
its allies, which are comparatively large and some of which live in the
open woods, with large cobwebs, and Erigone and its allies, which are
all very small spiders, living mostly in short grass, dead leaves, and
moss. The latter usually have narrower bodies and stouter legs,
resembling the Drassidæ. Their colors are generally plain and dull, and
the females are difficult to distinguish from each other, while the
males often have peculiar modifications of the head and proportionally
very large and complicated palpi.
The webs usually have a large flat sheet, supported by threads above and
below, under which the spider lives. Some species have the sheet of web
curved upward or downward. _Linyphia marginata_ forms a dome-shaped web
four or five inches in diameter.