Herbert W. Levi.
The Spider Genus Billima Simon.
Psyche 74:340-341, 1967.

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THE SPIDER GENUS BILLIMA SIMON*
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University Simon (1908) described the species Billima attrita which he placed in the subfamily Theridiosomatinae. Recently I noticed that Bonnet (1959, p. 5042) placed the genus in the subfamily Argio- pinae. As I just revised the American species of the subfamily, an examination of the type specimen appeared in order. I would like to thank Prof. M. Vachon and M. Hubert for the loan of the specimen from the Museum National d'Histoire Na- turelle, Paris.
Biliima attrita is a theridiid. It does not belong in the family Araneidae (= Argiopidae) or to the Theridiosomatidae as it lacks a colulus, has only one tooth on the chelicerae, and the labium is not rebordered. All members of both the Araneidae and Theridiosomatidae have a large colulus, and usually have numerous teeth on the cheli- cerae and a rebordered labium. BiiIima attrita belongs to the genus Theridion (Levi and Levi 1962). A description is presented here and the species is illustrated for the first time. Theridion Walckenaer
Theridion Walckenaer, 1805. Type species designated by Int. Comm. Zool. Nomencl. Opinion 517, 1958: Aranea picta Walckenaer 1802. Theridion is listed in the Official List of Generic Names in Zoology. Billima Simon, 1908.
Type species by monotypy B. attrita. NEW SYNONYMY. Theridion attrita (Simon)
Figs. 1-4
Billima attrita Simon, 1908, p. 430. Female lectotype here designated and juv. male paralectotype from "Stat. 109 Subiaco N." [Perth, West. Australia] in the Museum National dlHistoire Naturelle, Paris, ex- amined. -Bonnet, 1955, p. 887. Not Theridion attritum Nicolet 1849 (dnelosimus attritus} .
Description.
Carapace yellowish with black line all around. Ster- num yellow-orange with gray pigment. Legs yellow with darker marks on venter.
Dorsum of abdomen whitish with a median darker longitudinal band, irregular in outline and bordered on each side by a white band (Fig. I) ; venter black with a white transverse pigment band (Fig. 2). Eyes subequal in size. Anterior median eyes slightly more than one diameter apart, their radius from laterals. *Manuscript received by the editor November 6, 1967 3 40




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Levi - Billnna
Figs. 1-4. Theridion attritum (Simon), female. 1. Dorsum of abdomen. 2. Venter of abdomen. 3. Female genitalia, dorsal view. 4. Epigynum. Posterior eyes their diameter apart.
Labium attached to sternum
with indistinct seam. One tooth on anterior border of chelicerae. Legs quite short, abdomen suboval (Fig. I). Epigynum has a cen-
tral circular depression containing the openings (Fig. 4). Connecting ducts of epigynum coiled (Fig. 3). Total length, 2.2 mm. Carapace 0.7 mm long, 0.7 mm wide. First femur, 0.8 mm, patella-tibia 1.0 mm, metatarsus 0.7 mm, tarsus 0.4 mm. Second patella and tibia 0.8 mm, third 0.5 mm, fourth 0.8 mm.
This species is surprisingly similar to Theridion melanurum Hahn of Europe and Theridion varians Hahn. However, it is much smaller and the internal ducts differ in structure (Fig. 3 ) . The
ventral transverse band on the abdomen (Fig. 2) would be unusual in American a,nd European Theridion species. REFERENCES CITED
BONNET, P.
1955. Bibliographia Araneorum 2 (I), Toulouse. 1959. Op. Cit. vol. 2(5).
LEVI, H. W. and L, R. LEVI
1962.
The genera of the spider family Theridiidae. Bull. Mus. Corn$. Zool. 127: 1-71.
SIMON, E.
1908. Araneae in Michaelsen, W. and R. Hartmeyer, Die Fauna Sud- west-Australiens, 1 ( 12). Fischer, Jena. WALCKENAER, C. A.
1802. Fauna Pahienne, Paris.
1805. Tableau des Araniides, Paris. I




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