1 90 Transactions, — Zoology, 



This species spins a web of normal form about buildings, on 

 trees, etc. ; fabricates its first cocoous in November, they have a 

 broad-oval form, 3 mm. in diameter, greenish-brown, of a soft 

 felty texture, suspended by fine lines, contain about 128 un- 

 agglutinated, spherical, straw-coloured eggs. Pairs about end 

 of October. 



Te Karaka, Auckland, A.T.U. Common in the district. 



Theridium blatteus, sp. n. Plate VII., fig. 2. 



Length of a mature female, 2-| mm. 



Cephalothorax broad-oval, moderately constricted at caput, 

 which is prominent ; median indentation transverse oval ; it is 

 glossy, greenish-yellow, suffused with dark olive ; profile line 

 rises abruptly from thoracic junction, dips into indentation, then 

 forms a moderate arch across caput. Clypeus prominent, slopes 

 forward, about half facial space. 



Four central eyes form a square, anterior pair prominent, 

 dark, and rather smaller than the rest, which are flatter, have a 

 pearly lustre, and placed on lake-coloured eminences ; hind- 

 centrals are about as far from each other as they are from the 

 hind-laterals next to them — a space equal to their diameter ; 

 laterals nearly contiguous, seated obliquely on small tubercles, 

 fore-pair close to anterior-centrals. 



Legs long, slender, 1, 4, 2, 3; clear yellowish-brown, black 

 annulations ; armature fine erect hairs, long bristles ; superior 

 tarsal claws, 1st pair, rather weak and straight, tip bent, seven 

 comb-teeth increasing in length and strength ; interior claw 

 smaller tban superior, moderately bent, one pointed tooth. 



Palpi moderately long, resemble legs in colour and armature ; 

 palpal claw short, curved, 4 long comb-teeth, forming an even 

 line with point of claw. 



Falces vertical, slender, yellowish, suffused with dark-olive, 

 fangs short. 



Maxilla broad, somewhat rounded on inner, and obliquely 

 truncated on outer side, moderately inclined towards labium, 

 which is rather broader than long, somewhat pointed. 



Sternum broad-cordate ; these parts are dark-brown. 



Abdomen oviform, broad, pointed at spinners, projects over 

 base of cephalothorax, very convex above ; ground-colour pale- 

 purple and yellowish tints, thickly marked with small purple 

 spots ; wide central and transverse black bands, margined with 

 pale-yellow at their extremities, form a large cross-like figure ; 

 ventral surface black, few yellow spots, spinners short. Vulva 

 prominent brownish circular eminence, orifice large. 



Te Karaka, Auckland, A.T.U. 



Theridium jntmilio, sp. n. Plate VII., fig. 3. 

 Length of an adult female, lf-2 mm., and of an adult male, 

 1^ mm. 



