NEPHILA. 217 



closer together ; the abdomen less definitely banded, more irre- 

 gularly clouded with blackish marks, and the tibiae of the 4th leg 

 not plumose. 



Total length 7 mm. 



Loc. Burma : Shvvegoo Myo (Feci) ; Tharrawaddy, Rangoon, 

 Double Island, and Tenasserim (Oates). Also Celebes. 



Genus NEPHILA, Leach. 



Nephila, Leach, Zool. Misc. ii, p. 183, 1815; Simon, Hist. Nat. 

 Araiyn. i, p. 755, 1894. 



Carapace with cephalic region convex, generally armed poste- 

 riorly with two tubercles ; ocular quadrangle nearly square or 

 slightly narrower in front. Legs very long, spinulose, with 

 protarsi longer than tibiae and patellae. Female with vulva not or 

 weakly developed. Male relatively minute, with palpus simple. 



Type, N. metadata, Fabr. 



Distribution. Tropical countries of the world. 



Synopsis of Indian Species. 



a. Legs short, 1st about four times as long as 



carapace N. malabarensis, p. 219. 



b. Legs long, 1st about six times as long as 



carapace. 

 a\ A strong conical tubercle behind labium . N. imperialis, p. 218. 

 &'. At most a low elevation behind labium. 

 a 2 . Abdomen high at its posterior end above 



the spinners N. clavata, p. 218. 



b-. Abdomen low at its posterior end. 

 « 3 . Legs black ; abdomen spotted with 



yellow A. maculata, p. 217. 



b'K Legs mostly red ; abdomen less 



varied . . . .' N. kuhlii, p. 218. 



225. Nephila maculata, Fabr. Ent. Syst. ii, p. 425, L793 (Aranea); 

 Thorell, Ann. Mus. Genoca, xvii, p. 145, 1881 ; id. op. cit. xxv, 

 p. 149, 1887, with synonymy (Nephila). 



2. Colour: cephalothorax and its appendages black, coxae of 

 legs and proximal half of palpus yellow; carapace covered with 

 silky yellow pubescence; abdomen olive-brown, ornamented below 

 with yellow spots and above with a pair of longitudinal yellow 

 lines and a transverse yellow band in front. Carapace smooth, 

 with a pair of sharp tubercles. Sternum nearly Hat behind 

 labium. Legs very long, femur of 1st nearly twice as long as 

 carapace, 1st leg about six times as long. Abdmn, n long. 



Measurements in mm. — Total length '.'>7, carapace 12, 1st leg 72, 

 4th 04. 



Loc. Ceylou : Peradeuiya (Sarasin, Freeman), Trincomali (Yer- 



