Fig. [210].—Epeira angulata, ♀.
E. umbratica is a dark flat, somewhat toad-like Epeirid of retiring habits, which stretches its snare usually on wooden palings, between the timbers of which it squeezes its flat body, and waits for insects to entangle themselves.
Two of our finest Epeiras, E. pyramidata and E. angulata (Fig. [210]), are seldom met with, and only in the south.
Our only Cyclosa (C. conica) is easily recognised by the peculiar form of its abdomen, which is greatly prolonged beyond the spinnerets. It is a small, rather dark species, which constructs a particularly perfect snare.
Five British Epeirids belong to the genus Singa. They are small creatures, not exceeding a sixth of an inch in length. They live in heathery and marshy localities.
(vi.) The Gasteracanthinae are a remarkable group of Epeirids, characterised by the hard and coriaceous integument covering the abdomen, which is usually furnished with a number of more or less formidable thorn-like spines, calculated to render these spiders by no means pleasant eating for insectivorous birds. An even more constant characteristic is the presence on the back of the abdomen of a number of “sigilla,” or somewhat seal-like impressions arranged symmetrically, four forming a trapezium in the middle, while the others are distributed round the border.
Fig. [211].—Gasteracantha minax, ♀.
There are about 200 species of Gasteracantha, all natives of tropical countries.