Mr. J. Black wall on newly discovered species 0/ Araneidea. 177 



to Vrassus nitens, were captured in the spring of 1853 ; one 

 running on a public road near Llanrwst, and the other in a 

 window of the aitting-room at Oakland. In the summer of the 

 same year Mr. 11. II. Meade took an adult male of this species 

 in Norfolk. 



Family LiNYPHiiDiE. 



Genus Linyphia, Latr. 



Linyphia tenella. 



Length of the female y yth of an inch ; length of the cephalo- 

 thorax -^^ ; breadth 3^2 i breadth of the abdomen ^V f length of 

 an anterior leg jr ; length of a leg of the third pair ^, 



The cephalo-thorax is oval, convex, glossy, with an indentation 

 in the medial line; the falces are conical, vertical, and armed 

 with minute teeth on the inner surface ; the maxillse are straight, 

 with the exterior angle at the extremity curvilinear. These parts 

 have a brown tint, with the exception of the lateral margins of 

 the cephalo-thorax, which are black. The lip is semicircular 

 and prominent at the apex; and the sternum is convex, glossy, 

 and heart-shaped. Both these parts have a very dark brown 

 hue. The eyes are seated on black spots ; those of each lateral 

 pair are placed obliquely on a small tubercle and are contiguous, 

 and the anterior eyes of the four intermediate ones forming the 

 trapezoid are seated on a slight protuberance and are the smallest 

 and darkest of the eight. The legs are long, slender, provided 

 with hairs and fine spines, and have a light yellowish red tint ; 

 the first pair is the longest, the second pair slightly surpasses 

 the fourth, and the third pair is the shortest ; each tarsus is ter- 

 minated by three claws ; the two superior ones are curved and 

 pectinated, and the inferior one is inflected near its base. The 

 palpi resemble the legs in colour. The abdomen is oviform, 

 pointed at the spinners, sparingly supplied with short hairs, 

 glossy, convex above, and projects over the base of the cephalo- 

 thorax ; it is of a dull olive-green hue, the under part being the 

 darkest, and along the middle of the upper part there extends a 

 very obscure series of angular lines of a deeper shade having 

 their vertices directed forwards ; the sexual organs present two 

 parallel, convex, glossy prominences of a red-brown colour. 



An adult female of this Linyphia was received from Mr. R. 

 II. Meade in September, and an immature one from the lie v. 

 Hamlet Clark in October 1853. 



Linyphia circumspecta. 



Length of the male yV*^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^^ t length of the cephalo- 

 thorax ^'^ ; breadth ^jr ; breadth of the abdomen ^'^ ; length of 

 an anterior leg y'^ ; length of a leg of the third pair ^. 



Ann. ^' Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol. xiii. IS 



