SPERMOPHORA.—MODISIMUS. 223 
its lower margin in a nearly semicircular form (looked at from above and behind). Colour brownish- 
yellow, with converging rays of a darker (yellow-brownish) hue. Thoracic indentation long and deep. 
Eyes in two groups of three, each on a triangular black tubercle, forming a posterior slightly curved row of 
four, the convexity of its curve directed backwards, and the other two eyes (rather the largest) forming a 
transverse line immediately in front of the hind-lateral eyes, contiguous with them but not quite con- 
tiguous with the hind-centrals. The interval between those of the anterior row is no more, perhaps 
slightly less, than a diameter, that between the hind-centrals (the smallest of the six) is nearly about 
one and a half diameters. 
Legs moderately long, 1, 4, 2, 8, slender, similar in colour to the cephalothorax, furnished with hairs only ; the 
undersides of the coxal joints are strongly protuberant. 
Palpi short, slender, similar to the legs in colour. 
Falces strong, conical, and of a yellow-brownish hue. 
Abdomen nearly globular above; looked at in profile it is of a balloon shape, the spinners forming the lower 
point of it; it is of a bluish-white colour, marked with obscure dull purplish spots on each side of the 
median line, leaving a clear, central, longitudinal, tapering space between them. 
Hab. Mexico, Teapa in Tabasco (H. H. Smith). 
This spider was accompanied by a small mass of about twelve eggs held together by 
silky matter (but not in any kind of egg-sac), and attached to the underside of the spider 
by silken lines. 
MODISIMUS, Simon. 
Modisimus propinquus, sp. n. 
Adult female, length 1} lines; adult male, length 1 line. 
In size, colours, general markings, and appearance this species is very similar to Modisimus inornatus, Cambr. 
(antea, p. 149). The two anterior eyes are distinctly larger than the rest, and are separated by rather less 
than a diameter ; the interval between the hind-central pair is one and a half diameters, while that between 
each and the lateral eye of the same row next to it is less than a diameter of the former. The ocular area 
is divided longitudinally by a yellow stripe, very distinct and well defined in the male, and the central 
longitudinal yellow-brown band on the cephalothorax is narrower and tapers more towards its hinder 
extremity. The disposition of the eyes in the male appears to be a little different from that of the female ; 
the four centrals form an exact square; the interval between the hind-centrals is rather greater than that 
between each and the hind-lateral next to it, and that between the fore-centrals is distinctly more than a 
diameter. 
The falces of the male have, in front of each, on the inner side of the fore extremity a curved stripe of 20-30 
rather closely set, short, obtuse spines directed downwards ; this stripe of spines curves round the inner 
corner of the extremity of the falx. 
The palpi are not very long, but strong. The radial joint is rather long, strong, and much curved. The digital 
joint is short, slightly produced in a somewhat pointed form at its extremity on the inner side, and greatly 
produced on its outer side into a long, somewhat bent, rather flattened, and obtusely ended apophysis 
directed backwards (it was not easy to see the exact form of this apophysis, owing to its proximity to 
some of the processes of the palpal organs). The palpal organs are of enormous size, consisting of a large, 
globular, corneous bulb lying on the inner side beneath the radial joint, and terminating with various 
corneous or spiny processes directed backwards; one of these is a long, tapering, pointed spine directed 
inwards, with its sharp point very near the spines above mentioned on the falces: it seems not improbable 
that this spine may be used to produce stridulating sounds by acting against those on the falces; at any 
rate the relative position of these with the spine on the palpal organs suggests the possibility of these 
structures being so used. 
The markings on the abdomen are very similar to those of I. inornatus, but the spots appear to be more 
distinct and separated from each other, and the genital aperture of the female is of a different form. 
Hab. Mexico, Teapa in Tabasco (H. H. Smith). 
