34 p. : 26 cm

"The tranquillus and speciosus groups of Trachelas, and the 20 species from North and Central America placed in them, are diagnosed and described. In both groups the male embolus is a separate sclerite and the internal female genitalia have anteriorly folded lateral ducts. As defined, the tranquillus group includes those species in which the male embolus has a coiled base and the internal female genitalia have large, regularly coiled median ducts, whereas the speciosus group contains those species whose males lack a coiled embolar base and whose females have small, irregularly coiled median ducts. Keys to the species, illustrations and scanning electron micrographs of somatic and genitalic characters, locality lists, maps, and notes on natural history are provided. The affinities of the genus and its species groups, the associations of these spiders with man, the relative abundance of teratological specimens, difficulties in matching sexes, problems in nomenclature, and the use of leg cusps as a taxonomic character are discussed. Seven new species are described; depressus from southern mexico, organatus from Arizona and western Mexico, spicus from Chiapas, sinuosus from Georgia and Florida, fuscus from Durango and Nuevo LeoМЃn, latus from southern Mexico and Guatemala, and hamatus from Veracruz. The female of spirifer F.O.P.-Cambridge and the male of huachucanus Gertsch are described for the first time. Four specific names are newly synonymized: uthanus Chamberlin and Ivie and arizonatus Gertsch, both with mexicanus Banks; laticeps Bryant with similis F.O.P.-Cambridge; and morosus banks with transversus F.O.P.-Cambridge"--P. 3

"Issued October 15, 1974."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 34)

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