DRY-WEIGHT OF FRESH AND PRESERVED SPIDERS (ARANEIDA, LABIDOGNATHA)

Data on the dry weight for 19 taxa (suborder Labidognatha) of fresh an d preserved spiders are presented. The variation in weight at length f or individual species is also provided. With the notable exception of the genus Tetragnatha, Family Tetragnathidae, the Family Theridiidae, and most of the genera of the Family Thomisidae, the families examined are similar to one another in their weight-length relationships and a re not readily separable on that basis. Dry weight can be approximated using either the weight of fresh specimens or preserved material. The 'typical' spider, based on the material examined, increases in length faster relatively than it increases in weight, and dry weight decreas es relative to fresh weight as length increases.