280 ARANEIDEA. 
slight curve directed backwards; anterior row shortest and the convexity of its curve slight and directed 
forwards. The eyes are subequal, the fore-laterals slightly the largest and separated from the hind- 
laterals by nearly a diameter’s interval. The central quadrangle is longer than broad, and its anterior 
slightly shorter than its posterior side. The interval between the hind-centrals is greater than between 
each and the hind-lateral next to it, exceeding a diameter, while the fore-centrals are nearer to each 
other than to the fore-laterals. 
Legs moderately long, rather strong, 4, 1, 2, 3, furnished with numerous, mostly short, fine hairs and short 
spines; some of these are in a longitudinal series of pairs beneath the tibie and metatarsi of the first 
pair, four pairs on the former, three on the latter, no series of pairs beneath the tibize of the second pair 
of legs, only three single spines along the outer margin, and a pair, transverse, at the fore extremity; a 
thin scopula beneath the tarsi, and a very slight claw-tuft beneath the terminal claws, which are three in 
number, the inferior ones slender and not easy to see. Colour of the legs orange-yellow-brown, with 
some faint dusky annulations on the femora, but not quite running round the joint. 
Falces tolerably long, powerful, rather prominent in front. Colour red-brown. 
Mazxille moderate in length and strength, enlarged at the extremity, where they are convex, and rounded on 
the outer, and rather obliquely truncated on the inner sides. Colour orange-yellow-brown. 
Labium oblong, more than half the length of the maxille, and truncate at the apex; darker in colour than the 
maxille. 
Sternum as broad as long, similar in colour to the legs, nearly round, a slight prominent point only at the 
middle of the hinder extremity, and two smaller points opposite the insertions of the third pair of legs. 
The inner edges of the coxe of the fourth pair are nearly but not quite contiguous. 
Abdomen oval, of ordinary form; rather broader behind than in front, clothed with very short fine hairs. 
Colour yellow-brown, closely marked with deep brown and black; a patch at the middle near the fore 
margin is more distinctly marked with several short, longitudinal, black stripes, and from near the middle 
to above the spinners is a series of three or four indistinct pale angular bars or chevrons. The sides are 
marked with black disposed in oblique lines. The underside is yellow-brown, marked with several 
transverse, parallel, black lines or bars. Spinners short, compact; inferior pair longest and strongest. 
Genital aperture rather large and of characteristic form. 
Hab. Mexico, Omilteme in Guerrero 7000 to 9000 feet (7. H. Smith). 
EPEIRA, Walckenaer. 
Epeira smithi, sp. n. 
Adult female, length rather over 5 lines; length of abdomen over 4 lines, breadth of ditto 4 lines. 
This spider belongs to the group of which Epeira sollers, Walck., may be taken as the type. 
The cephalothorax is of the normal form; deep black-brown in colour, thinly clothed with coarse grey hairs. 
Eyes subequal ; those of the central group form a quadrangle, whose anterior side is considerably longer than 
the posterior side, and its eyes are larger than the hind-centrals, these last with the two fore-lateral 
eyes form a straight transverse line. The interval between the hind-centrals is rather less than half 
a diameter; the eyes of each lateral pair are contiguous to each other and placed slightly obliquely. 
Legs not very long, 1, 2, 4, 3, moderately robust; colour black, a broad bright yellow-orange annulus towards 
the hinder part of all the tibize, the whole of the metatarsi and tarsi of the first and second pairs of legs 
are also bright yellow-orange; the metatarsi of the third and fourth pairs have a black annulus at their 
anterior extremity. The legs are furnished with a few, neither very long nor strong, spines. 
Palpi similar in colour to the legs. 
Falces moderate in length and strength, and similar to the cephalothorax in colour. 
Mawxille and labium of normal form; colour black, their extremities margined with whitish. 
Sternum black-brown, with a longitudinal, median, somewhat arrow-shaped, dull orange-yellow marking. 
Abdomen large, short, broad-oval, length and breadth very nearly equal, round in front, round-pointed behind. 
On the upperside the anterior portion is black, the rest yellowish-mouse-brown ; the black part is divided 
from the rest by a transverse whitish irregular or somewhat dentated line, broken in the middle—on each 
side of the middle it is brightest, most conspicuous, and of a curved form; towards each side of the median 
line of the middle and hinder part are some irregular black-brown patches, leaving a strongly dentate 
