*SHOW ~ The families of British Spiders. 6 September 2004. 
 
*CHARACTER LIST 
 
#1. <synonyms:>/
 
#2. <common collective name of family members:>/
 
#3. <habitat, aquatic or terrestrial:>/
       1. terrestrial <land dwelling> <<implicit>>/
       2. moving across the surface of still water to take victims from
          it/
       3. fully aquatic, living and hunting in slow-moving or still
          water, and maintaining a submerged, air-filled bell web as
          home base/
 
#4. the adult spiders <length>/
       mm long/
 
#5. the adult females <whether green>/
       1. bright green/
       2. not bright green/
 
#6. the adult spiders <build, with reference to the abdomen>/
       1. slender-bodied/
       2. of medium build/
       3. decidedly plump-bodied/
 
#7. the adult spiders <length of legs relative to body length>/
       1. decidedly short-legged <the longest pair no more than 1.5
          times the body length>/
       2. with legs of medium length <the longest pair more than 1.5 but
          less than 3 times the body length>/
       3. decidedly long-legged <the longest pair at least three times
          but less than 5 times the body length>/
       4. harvestman-like with very long, thin legs more than five times
          the body length/
 
#8. the adult spiders <whether crab-like in stance and locomotion>/
       1. markedly crab-like in stance and locomotion/
       2. not crab-like in stance and locomotion <<implicit>>/
 
#9. the caput <whether exhibiting lobes, turrets or globular
          extensions>/
       1. conspicuously lobed, turreted, or with globular swellings
          <some \i{}Linyphiidae\i0{}>/
       2. not conspicuously ornamented with lobes, turrets or globular
          swellings <<implicit>>/
 
#10. the adult spiders <number of eyes>/
       1. with six eyes/
       2. with eight eyes/
 
#11. the eyes <when 8, pattern>/
       1. in two <more or less curved> horizontal rows of 4/
       2. in an oval cluster <alternatively interpretable as two rows of
          4, the anterior row recurved and the posterior procurved>/
       3. ostensibly in three rows of 4+2+2, the anterior row of four
          more or less recurved/
       4. ostensibly in three rows of 4+2+2, the anterior row of 4
          incorporating two enlarged medians, and facing forwards on the
          square-fronted caput like a battery of car headlamps, with the
          two rows behind each comprising a pair of small eyes borne
          dorsilaterally on the top of the caput <\i{}Salticidae\i0{}>/
       5. comprising two relatively large medians, with three small
          laterals in triangular arrangements on either side <the
          characteristic \i{}Atypus\i0{} pattern>/
       6. comprising a pair of large, circular anterior medians and
          three smaller laterals in a curved-longitudinal row on either
          side <the characteristic zodariid pattern>/
       7. comprising four small ones at the extremities constituting a
          large quadrilateral, with the other four in a small,
          anterior-median, trapezoid arrangement whose anterior side is
          shorter and the inner pair of which are the largest of all
          <the \i{}Eresus\i0{} pattern>/
       8. in a distinctive hexagonal pattern <the \i{}Oxyopes\i0{}
          pattern>/
 
#12. the eyes <when 6, pattern>/
       1. clustered almost in a circle <this anteriorly open, or more or
          less closed>/
       2. all large, closely aggregated anteriorly on the cephalothorax,
          with the median pair oval and contiguous, flanked by a pair on
          either side <the characteristic \i{}Oonops\i0{} pattern>/
       3. arranged as a pair of separate medians and two pairs of
          smaller laterals <the segestriid pattern>/
       4. in pairs at the front of the cephalothorax, the two lateral
          pairs placed obliquely, and the median pair larger and
          situated transversely ahead of them <the characteristic
          scytotid pattern>/
 
#13. the eyes <colour>/
       1. all clear and glassy/
       2. all dark/
       3. light, except for the dark anterior medians/
 
#14. the eyes <whether ringed with white hairs>/
       1. conspicuously ringed with white hairs/
       2. not ringed with white hairs/
 
#15. the chelicerae <plane of articulation>/
       1. articulated to move upwards and downwards, lying parallel to
          the long axis of the body, and relatively massive
          <\i{}Atypidae\i0{}>/
       2. <large or small,> articulated to move horizontally inwards and
          outwards or obliquely <<implicit>>/
 
#16. the chelicerae <whether basally fused>/
       1. fused at the base/
       2. free at the base <<implicit>>/
 
#17. the maxillae <length/breadth>/
       1. longer than broad/
       2. about as long as broad/
       3. shorter than broad/
 
#18. the palpal organs of the male <pedipalps, form: see Notes>/
       1. of complex structure and enclosed <at least partially> by the
          specialized, hollowed tarsal segment (the cymbium)/
       2. comprising an exposed bulb attached to the little-modified
          tarsal segment (no cymbium)/
 
#19. the male palps <pedipalps, presence of a paracymbium: see Notes>/
       1. with a well developed paracymbium/
       2. without a paracymbium <<dubiously implicit>>/
 
#20. the female palps <with or without a claw: see Notes>/
       1. with a claw/
       2. without a claw <<dubiously implicit>>/
 
#21. the adult spiders with the longest legs represented by <pairs I,
          II, III or IV>/
       1. I/
       2. II/
       3. III/
       4. IV/
 
#22. the front legs <constitution and carriage>/
       1. short or shortish, and rather stout/
       2. not short and stout/
 
#23. the first two pairs of legs <I and II, whether laterigrade and
          borne crab-like>/
       1. laterigrade <the morphologically front side directed upwards,
          the stance and locomotion usually crab-like>/
       2. not laterigrade, the stance and locomotion not crab-like
          <<implicit>>/
 
#24. the first two pairs of legs <I and II, whether longer and stouter
          than the second pair>/
       1. conspicuously longer and often stouter than the third and
          fourth pairs <the stance and sideways locomotion crab-like>/
       2. not markedly longer and stouter than the third and fourth
          pairs <the stance and locomotion usually not crab-like>/
 
#25. the first two pairs of legs <distinctive spininess:
          \i{}Mimetidae\i0{}>/
       1. having the tibia and metatarsus armed with long spines, these
          forwardly-curved towards their tips and increasing in length
          acropetally along the row, between which are single rows of
          shorter curved spines/
       2. without the spines characteristic of \i{}Mimetidae\i0{}
          <<implicit>>/
 
#26. the trochanters <notching>/
       1. not notched/
       2. of only the IVth legs notched/
       3. of all the legs notched/
 
#27. metatarsus IV <whether concave above>/
       1. concave above/
       2. not concave above/
 
#28. metatarsus IV of the females <presence of a calamistrum: see
          Notes>/
       1. with a dorsal series of curved bristles (the calamistrum,
          which is reduced in the males)/
       2. without a calamistrum/
 
#29. the <calamistrum> bristles <in one or two rows>/
       1. in a single row/
       2. in two rows/
 
#30. scopulae <brushes of close-set hairs, presence>/
       1. present on <at least> tarsi I and II/
       2. absent/
 
#31. tarsal claws <number>/
       1. 2/
       2. 3/
 
#32. the tarsi <whether with claw tufts: recorded only for 2-clawed
          tarsi>/
       1. with claw tufts/
       2. without claw tufts/
 
#33. tarsus IV <presence of a ventral comb>/
       1. with a ventral row of serrated bristles constituting a comb/
       2. without a ventral comb/
 
#34. the abdomen <whether angular>/
       1. smoothly rounded <<implicit>>/
       2. angular in shape/
 
#35. the abdomen <patterning>/
       1. conspicuously patterned dorsally/
       2. plain dorsally/
 
#36. the abdomen <\i{}Anyphaenidae\i0{} pattern>/
       1. conspicuously exhibiting a pair of characteristic,
          medio-longitudinal irregular dark markings (see illustrations)
          <\i{}Anyphaenidae\i0{}>/
       2. not marked as in \i{}Anyphaenidae\i0{} <<implicit>>/
 
#37. the abdomen <whether partly red>/
       1. predominantly bright red, with black markings/
       2. predominantly bright red and yellow/
       3. exhibiting red or pink colour, but neither predominantly
          bright red and black nor predominantly bright red and yellow/
       4. without any red coloration <<implicit>>/
 
#38. the abdomen <whether partly green>/
       1. entirely or partly green/
       2. without green coloration <<implicit>>/
 
#39. the abdomen <tracheal spiracles>/
       1. exhibiting a pair of large tracheal spiracles behind the book
          lungs/
       2. with a single, inconspicuous tracheal spiracle/
 
#40. the epigastric furrow <straight or pro-curved>/
       1. nearly straight/
       2. pro-curved <curved forwards> between the lung slits/
 
#41. the tracheal spiracles <and slit, position>/
       1. more or less equidistant from the epigastric furrow and the
          spinnerets/
       2. behind the epigastric fold/
       3. close to the spinnerets/
 
#42. the spinnerets <arrangement>/
       1. in a more or less transverse row/
       2. clustered and superposed <not in a transverse row>/
 
#43. the anterior spinnerets <insertion>/
       1. wide apart/
       2. close together/
 
#44. <segmentation of the spinnerets:>/
       1. the spinnerets all unsegmented <<implicit>>/
       2. the posterior spinnerets 3-segmented/
       3. with one pair of spinnerets <the posterior, or outer ones>
          2-segmented/
 
#45. the abdomen of the females <presence of a cribellum: see Notes>/
       1. furnished with a plate-like cribellum <spinning organ>
          anterior to the spinnerets (this being reduced in the males)/
       2. without a cribellum/
 
#46. the reproductive openings of the females <presence of an epigyne:
          see Notes>/
       1. associated with an epigyne/
       2. without an epigyne/
 
#47. the adults <whether constructing a silken retreat>/
       1. constructing a terrestrial retreat in the form of a silk tube/
       2. constructing a retreat in the form of an underwater
          diving-bell, which is kept filled with air/
       3. constructing neither a terrestrial silken retreat nor an
          underwater diving-bell <<implicit>>/
 
#48. the adults <whether forming snare-webs>/
       1. making snare-webs/
       2. not making snare-webs/
 
#49. the adults <snare-web makers, form of the web>/
       1. constructing orb webs <or partial orbs>/
       2. constructing tangled webs/
       3. constructing horizontal sheet webs <cobwebs>/
       4. constructing funnel-shaped or tubular webs/
 
#50. the adults <not snare-web making, behaviour>/
       1. lying in wait for their prey/
       2. actively pursuing their prey/
 
#51. the females <whether carrying egg sacs: see Notes>/
       1. carrying conspicuous egg sacs attached to their spinnerets/
       2. carrying conspicuous egg sacs via their chelicerae and palps/
       3. not carrying egg sacs <<implicit>>/
 
#52. <number of species:>/
       species in Britain/
 
#53. in <genera in Britain:>/
 
#54. <distribution of British representatives:>/
       1. confined to southern England/
       2. widespread <<implicit>>/
 
#55. <general comments:>/
 
#56. abbreviated taxon name:/
 
#57. <illustrations:>/
