ZOROCRATES.—SPARASSUS. L177 
calamistrum and the correlated additional spinning-organ (cribellum) it is separated 
widely by M. Simon from Agroeca, with which its generic characters appear to ally it 
most closely. 
SPARASSUS, Walckenaer. 
Sparassus minax, sp. n. 
Adult male, length 43 lines; breadth of cephalothorax slightly over 23 lines, length of cephalothorax slightly 
over 23 lines.’ Adult female, length 64 lines; length of cephalothorax 23 lines, breadth of cephalothorax 
23 lines. 
Cephalothorax in the male very slightly broader than long; in the female the length and breadth appear to be 
equal, Caput short, lateral marginal impression at the junction with the thorax moderate. Convexity 
moderate, profile evenly curved; height of the clypeus rather less than the diameter of the fore-central , 
eyes. Colour dull orange-yellow, marked and veined in a scratchy way, but not strongly, with red-brown, 
showing the position of the normal indentations. A few short bristles on the upper part of the caput and 
clypeus. 
Eyes rather small, subequal, those of the hind-central pair slightly the smallest. The curves of the two rows 
are not strong ; that of the anterior row strongest and directed forwards, that of the posterior row directed _ 
backwards. The interval between the fore-central pair is equal to a diameter, and that of each of them 
from the fore-lateral eye on its side is about one-third of that interval. The quadrangle of the four 
centrals is as broad as long, the anterior side a very little shortest. The interval between those of the 
hind-central pair is equal to two diameters, and is slightly greater than that between them and the hind-. 
laterals. 
Legs long, tolerably strong, 2,1, 4,3. Colour similar to that of the cephalothorax, obscurely spotted with 
small dusky reddish-brown points. They are armed with moderately long and strong spines, and a compact 
scopula beneath the tarsi and metatarsi, which, however, does not extend nearly to the hinder extremity 
of the latter. Beneath the tarsal claws is a claw-tuft ; the tarsal claws are strongly toothed—apparently 
9 or 10 denticulations. 
Palpi rather short, similar to the legs in colour. The humeral joint has four short strong spines near its fore 
extremity, two in a longitudinal line in the middle, and one on each side. Cubital joint short, cylindric. 
Radial joint a little longer, stronger than the cubital, very prominent on its outer side, terminating in a 
short, strong, sharp-pointed spine directed downwards and forwards, and forming a strong hook ; between 
this and the inner side of the anterior margin of the joint is a very long, rather sinuous, tapering, sharp- 
pointed corneous, or spine-like, apophysis directed forwards, whose length is considerably greater than the 
length of the joint, which is also well furnished with long, coarse, bristly hairs, and has a long strong 
spiniform tapering bristle directed forwards from near its base on the inner side. The digital joint is 
large, of a somewhat cylindric-oval form; it has a small truncated prominence at its base on the inner 
side and is longer than the radial and cubital joints together, and thickly clothed with hairs. Palpal organs 
well developed but simple in structure. 
Falces moderately long, powerful; cut away on their inner extremity, where the coarse hairs are so thick as 
to make it impossible to see what denticulation, if any, they may have; they are like the cephalothorax 
in colour, with two (a long and a short) longitudinal dark brown lines in front, and have a few short 
bristles in front also. 
Maville short, strong, straight, of an oblong form, rather rounded at the extremity, where near the inner side 
are numerous closely-grouped hairs and strong divergent pale brown bristles. - 
Labium small, broader than long, rounded at the apex, where it has some strong black bristles. 
Sternum broader than long, subtriangular, and (with the maxille and labium) of a yellow hue. 
Abdomen oval, rounded behind, truncated before, of a pale yellow-brown colour, paler along the middle of the 
upperside, marked, on the sides especially, with minute red-brown spots; two red-brown lines form an 
elongate tapering marking along the middle of the fore half, and this is followed by a series of angular 
red-brown lines or chevrons nearly to the spinners. The underside has a broad, central, longitudinal 
dark reddish-brown band, narrowly margined with yellowish. The spiracular plates are yellow, with the 
inner margins dark reddish-brown. Spinners small, short, and compact. 
BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Arachn. Aran., May 1896. 2 at 
