92 ARANEIDEA. 
joint small. The palpal organs consist of a large roundish basal bulb, produced into a not very long but 
strongish, curved, tapering sharp-pointed spiny process, almost concealed among the long dense hairs 
beneath the radial joint. 
The tibie of the first pair of legs are furnished with two strong prominences or spurs clothed with hairs at the 
fore extremity on the inner side. 
Hab. Costa Rica (Loucard). 
This spider is remarkable, not only for the large comparative size of the cephalo- 
thorax and its short strong legs, but also for the very distinct pattern on the abdomen. 
MACROTHELE, Ausserer. 
Macrothele digitata, sp. n. 
Adult female, length & lines; length of abdomen 5, and of the spinners of the superior pair 63 lines: adult 
male, length 6 lines ; length of abdomen 34, and of the superior spinners 5 lines. 
Female. The cephalothorax is short, oval, truncated anteriorly, flattened, the caput not rising above the thoracic 
level, excepting the eye-eminence, which is of moderate size and height, oval, and close to the fore margin 
of the caput. Normal indentations tolerably strong, and marked by converging dark brown lines, the 
ground-colour being yellowish-brown, and the surface covered with adpressed silky greyish-yellow pube- 
scence. Thoracic indentation deep, slightly curved, the convexity of the curve directed backwards. 
The eyes are of tolerable size, disposed in the usual form: two large, round, and prominent, in a transverse 
line, occupy the middle at the fore part of the eminence ; the interval between these is not much more than 
half a diameter. At about the same distance on each side of these is a group of three others on a 
tubercle near the base of the eminence; the two outer ones (lateral pair) oval, almost as large as the 
centrals, and nearly contiguous to each other; the other (hind central) small, oval, and nearly contiguous 
to the hind lateral eye on its side, These are of a pearly-white hue, the centrals dark grey. 
The legs are tolerably strong, not very long, 4, 3, 2,1, of a yellowish-brown colour, marked with deep reddish- 
brown at the ends of the joints, and clothed with numerous hairs, bristles, and spines (the latter chiefly 
on the metatarsi and tibiw, though there are a few near the extremity on each side of the tarsi); each 
hair, bristle, and spine issues from a minute dark reddish-brown tubercle, giving the legs a closely spotted 
or speckled look. The tarsi end with two superior curved claws, beneath which is another smaller one, 
all three pectinated. The tarsi are all long, thin, and devoid of scopula. 
The palpi are short, strong, and resemble the legs in colour and armature, terminating with a single claw, 
which is pectinated and slightly curved. 
The falces are strong, very prominent, and abruptly curved downwards near their extremity in profile ; they 
are of a deep rich red-brown colour, furnished in front with numerous long black bristles. Fang short, 
powerful, and similar in colour to the falces. 
The mawille are not very long, but broad, straight, and divergent, with a prominent obtuse point at their 
extremity on the inner side; they are of a red-brown hue, yellow on the inner side, where towards the 
base are numerous minute red-brown spines or denticles. 
The labium is very small and short, set almost at right angles to the sternum, deep reddish-brown, with a 
yellow apex. 
The sternum is short, oval, pointed behind, truncated before, of a blackish-red-brown colour, furnished with 
numerous prominent bristles, and with a marginal row of clear roundish yellowish-red-brown spots 
marking the insertion of each leg. 
The abdomen is oval, rather convex above, of a dull chocolate-brown hue, thinly covered with yellowish 
pubescence and some bristly hairs; it is marked on the upperside with two longitudinal rows of fine 
oblique pale stripes, the last three or four of which meet, and form the ordinary angular bars or chevrons. 
The four spiracular plates are of a yellowish hue, marked round their inner sides with a half-ring or 
crescent marking of deep black-red-brown. The spinners of the superior pair are longer than the 
abdomen, three-jointed, the last joint very long, tapering to a fine point, and palpiform ; the inferior ones 
one-jointed, cylindrical, and shorter than the first joint of the superior pair. 
