& ARANEIDEA. 
extremities, and divergent. The sternum is subtriangular. The falces are powerful, 
but not developing to the remarkable extent usual in Tetragnatha. The abdomen is 
usually subcylindric; stouter, but shorter than in Tetragnatha; it is often rather 
humped before, and its hinder extremity is sometimes prolonged in a quasi-caudal 
form. All the known species are more or less ornamented with patches, streaks, 
stripes, lines, or sprinklings of brilliant silver, sometimes varied with black and 
reddish on a whitish or yellowish, or (I believe) often in life a greenish, coloured 
ground; occasionally the abdomen is short, very stout, or subglobular. 
Considering the typical species of this group to be quite distinct generically from 
Meta, Koch, I had some years ago separated them in MS. under another generic 
appellation ; but no opportunity having occurred for its publication, I was glad to find 
my views subsequently shared by Mr. Emerton, who, in his able paper on the North- 
American (or rather New England) Epeiride (Trans. Connecticut Academy, vi. 1884, 
p. 331), has shortly characterized the genus under the name Argyroepeira, giving 
the widely spread and abundant species A. hortorum, Hentz, as its type. ‘The true 
Meta has the legs usually stronger and more spiny, and the abdomen of a more sub- 
triangular form than in Argyroepeira, approaching more nearly the larger spiders of the 
subfamily Linyphiine, in the family Theridiide. (The palpi of the male in Argyroepeira 
approach those of Tetragnatha very nearly in structure, as well as those of Pachygnatha, | 
which, until recently, has always been placed in the Linyphiine.) 
Argyroepeira idonea, sp. n. 
Adult female, average length nearly 33 lines. 
The cephalothorax and other anterior parts are yellow, the extremities of the joints of the legs and of the falces 
as well as the sternum, maxillw, and labium more or less tinged with brown cr reddish yellow-brown. 
The normal indentations between the caput and thorax and the thoracic indentation are strong. 
The eyes are small, in the usual position; the four centrals form a square, whose anterior side is the shortest ; 
the hinder pair are separated from each other by an eye’s diameter, and from the hind laterals by at least 
two diameters. Those of each of the lateral pairs are placed a little obliquely, and contiguous to each 
other on a slight tubercle. The height of the clypeus is equal to the diameter of one of the fore 
central eyes. 
The falces are long and powerful, very much rounded, and prominent towards their base in front. 
The legs are moderately long and strong, furnished with hairs and a few fine spines, relative length, 1, 2, 4, 3. 
The mawille are rather long, broad, and divergent at their extremities. 
The dabiwm is rather less than half the length of the maxille, rounded at its apex, and has a strong transverse 
impression about the middle. 
The sternum is of a subtriangular heart-shape. 
The abdomen is of a subcylindric form, and projects well over the base of the cephalothorax, but its hinder 
extremity is vertical, and does not project at all over. the spinners. It is covered more or less with 
coalescing silvery spots or patches, showing a pattern of a dull greyish-black hue consisting of three 
longitudinal stripes on the upperside, the central stripe throwing off three oblique lines on each side. 
The sides also have a broad grey-black longitudinal stripe on each side, and on the underside the silvery 
markings merely indicate a nearly obsolete transverse curved bar. The genital process and aperture is 
small and inconspicuous, but characteristic in form. 
Hab. Panama, Bugaba (Champion). 
