Three new additions to the Kansas spider fauna are reported with natural history observations. Dysdera crocata, Scytodes thoracica, and Cheiracanthium mildei were found in houses in Douglas County. The last species is venomous and bites cause local swelling and necrosis. Because of their small size, secrective habits, and ability to withstand prolonged fasting, many spider species associated with people have been inadvertently transported to many parts of the globe. Although many species found in buildings are incidental visitors which occasionally wander indoors from surrounding natural habitats, some spider species occur exclusively in buildings throughout most of their ranges (Kaston, 1983). This note records three new additions to the Kansas spider fauna which were found exclusively in and around houses in Lawrence, Douglas County. Dysdera crocata C. L. Koch is a brightly colored spider (total length: 1214 mm) with large, protruding chelicerae. It is commonly found in and around houses in damp locations such as basements, under stones and boards, where it preys predominantly upon pillbugs (Cooke, 1965). The red-orange carapace and legs contrast strongly against the cream colored abdomen. This species' conspicuous appearance and its apparent reluctance to make a hasty retreat when disturbed may imply its coloration has an aposematic function (Hopkins and Martin, 1985). D. crocata has a cosmopolitan distribution (Kaston, 1983) and has been reported in the neighboring state of Nebraska (Rapp, 1980). In Lawrence, were found in houses, under rocks in yards, and in an old porch wall. Adult males were collected in March, June, and October, females from June through October, and immatures during June and October. On 24 March 1989, courtship and mating were observed when a recently captured male was placed in a cage containing a female found in This content downloaded from 157.55.39.217 on Tue, 06 Sep 2016 06:15:29 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 74 TRANSACTIONS OF THE KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE October 1988. On 7 April, the female constructed an elliptical brood chamber (42 x 21 x 13 mm) between a paper towel and the side and bottom of the cage. An egg sac containing 67 yellowish eggs was suspended from the chamber ceiling. During the next two weeks, the female remained in the brood chamber and periodically moved the egg sac to different locations within it. On no occasion was the egg sac in contact with the floor. On 10 June, two brood chambers were discovered among the bricks of a porch wall that was being dismantled. Each contained a female with 49 and 51 spiderlings, respectively. In Kansas, no detailed phenological study of this species has been done. In Great Britain, most eggs sacs were found in May and June. A single female produced a maximum of 5 sacs which contained progressively fewer eggs: 60, 40, 20, 2 and 2 eggs per sac (Cooke, 1965). The courtship and mating behavior of D. crocata has been described by Petrunkevitch (1910), Cloudsley-Thompson (1949), Cooke (1966), and Jackson and Pollard (1982). Predatory behavior was described by Cooke (1965) and Pollard (1986). Scytodes thoracica (Latreille) is a pale, yellow-orange spider (total length 5 mm) with many black spots. Those on the carapace resemble a lyre. It has a cosmopolitan distribution resulting from accidental importation by humans (Kaston, 1983), and has been found in Arkansas (Dorris, 1985). In Georgia (Kaston, 1983), Connecticut (Kaston, 1981), and Denmark (Braendegard, 1965) this species was found exclusively in buildings, but in southern Europe, also occurred outdoors under rocks (Bristowe, 1931). Members of the genus Scytodes are known commonly as spiders because of their unique predatory behavior. The spider forcibly ejects a mixture of viscous gum and venom from the chelicerae onto its prey, which effectively immobilizes it (Gertsch, 1979). An immature spitting spider was discovered on 5 June 1989 in a porch crawlspace in Lawrence. Webs were never constructed in captivity and moths were readily consumed. Although other members of the genus build webs (Bowden and Jackson, 1988), S. thoracica has been observed walking slowly across walls and not associated with webs (Kaston, 1981; Locket and Millidge, 1951). In Europe, maturity is reached in 5-7 molts. Males live 1.5 to 2 years while females live 2 to 3 years (Bristowe, 1958; Dabelow, 1958). Cheiracanthium mildei L. Koch is a pale, yellow spider (total length: 7 mm) recently introduced into North America from Europe (Bryant, 1951). It ranges from California to Alabama, northward to Minnesota, southern Ontario, and Massachusetts (Cutler, pers. comm.; Dondale and Redner, 1982). While it occurs mainly in fencerows and thickets in Europe, in North America it is found almost exclusively in and around houses (Dondale and Redner, 1982). This species has been implicated in a series of spider bites in the Boston area, where it is very common. The bites produced a sharp pain, swelling and redness, followed by the development of a necrotic skin This content downloaded from 157.55.39.217 on Tue, 06 Sep 2016 06:15:29 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms VOLUME 94, NUMBERS 1-2 75 lesion in the bitten area, which healed in 1.5 to 8 weeks (Speilman and Levi, 1970). On 9 June 1989, an adult male was found at night on a wall in the author's residence in Lawrence. Immature females (presumedly C. mildei) were discovered in other Lawrence homes during November and December 1988 and January 1990. In Connecticut, adults were found from May-October, and females with egg sacs were collected from July-September. Each of four sacs contained a total of 70, 50, 49, and 16 eggs, respectively (Kaston, 1981). More observations of these three species in Kansas are needed to determine the extent of their ranges, average life spans, and potential impacts upon the distribution and numbers of other household pests, such as the venomous brown recluse spider, Loxosceles reclusa Gertsch and Mulaik. D. crocata may be welcomed by gardeners since it preys mostly upon pillbugs. The venomous C. mildei, however, could become a medical problem in Kansas. Specimens have been deposited in the spider collection of the Kansas Biological Survey.