Urquhart. — On New Species of Araneidea. 109 



Maxilla long, somewhat tapering, curved towards labium, 

 which is broader than long, everted ; organs yellowish. 



Sternum broad-cordate, yellowish. 



Ahdomen oval, black-margmed indentation at base ; olive- 

 brown ; a series of oblique bands, formed of wreath-like clusters 

 of large creamy-white flecks, with pinkish centres, extend from 

 base to spinners, converging round lateral margins, leaving a 

 long open space on forepart of median line, dark spot towards 

 posterior end ; sparsely clothed with long black hairs, few 

 bristles ; ventral surface brownish-yellow. 



Two specimens, taken on webs formed of a few irregular 

 lines, amongst long grass; June-July. Te Karaka, A.T.U. 



Fam. DEASSID^. 



Genus Drassus, Walck. 

 Drassus formicarius, sp. nov. 



Male, immature, — Ceph. th., long, 3; broad, 2. Abd., 

 long, 6 ; broad, 2. Legs, 4, 1, 2, 3=8-5, 7-8, 7, 5-5 mm. 



Cephalothorax chocolate-brown, sparsely clothed with short 

 fine yellowish hairs ; oval, convex above, compressed forwards, 

 somewhat squarely truncated posteriorly ; median striae rather 

 faint ; contour of profile represents a nearly horizontal line 

 dipping moderately at base ; chjpeus in height equals diameter 

 of a fore-central eye. 



Posterior row of eyes procurved, median pair oval, closer to 

 one another than they are to hind-laterals a space equal to 

 diameter of latter eyes, which rather exceed former in size ; 

 anterior row procurved, centrals largest of eight, about twice 

 size of fore-laterals, separated from each other by an interval 

 equal to rather more than their radius, closer to side eyes next 

 to them ; space between laterals nearly equal to that between 

 centrals. 



Legs moderately strong, yellow-brown, broad olive-brown 

 annulations at articulation of joints, faint or absent on terminal 

 articles ; armature fine hairs (on both specimens), only 1 spine 

 at extremity of tibiae and metatarsi of 4 pair ; genual joints of 

 1-2 about equal in length, tarsi about one-fourth shorter than 

 metatarsi ; tarsal claws — 1st pair, base straight, 4 open some- 

 what crooked teeth, point at base ; claw of fourth pair, 8 teeth 

 increasing in length and strength ; hairs of claw-tuft dilated 

 towards extremity, flattened, extend beneath nearly entire 

 length of tarsi of 1-2, and along sides of metatarsi. 



Palpi yellowish, humeral joint rather longer than cubital 

 and radial together, latter articles about equal in length. 



Falces rather short, conical, convex, divergent, project 

 moderately forwards, greenish-brown. 



