178 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



but on the whole think there is not much doubt that it is correctly placed as here. 

 Abbot's No. 234, Epeira bivittata, Walck. (II., page 78), is probably the same ; the centra! 

 folium is vermilion or lake color, as are also the eight V-shaped spots. The remainder of 

 the abdomen is green, with yellowish-white bands. The legs and cephalothorax are also 

 green, with orange yellow annuli. 



Abbot's No. 365, which Walckenaer regards as identical with his Epeira cingulata (Abbot's 

 No. 233), is without doubt a beautiful example of Hentz's E. scutulata. Abbot has desig- 

 nated it in his brief notes as " none so pretty ; " he beat it off of a sumac bush. The 

 general color of the abdomen is green ; but a T-sliaped figure of delicate ash color defines 

 the dorsal folium. The V-sbaped spots are included within contiguous circles of dark 

 pinkish color, and the circular spots upon the dorsal front are similarly marked. The 

 cephalothorax and legs are light yellow. The abdominal tubercles on this specimen are 

 plainly indicated in Abbot's drawing — so much more distinctly indeed than in No. 228 (E. 

 miniata) that I have hesitated whether it would not be right to accept this as the type of 

 the species, although the description occurs much later in order in Walckenaer's publication. 

 However, I have little doubt that No. 228 is identical with Hentz's E. scutulata, and there- 

 fore conclude to give it the priority. 



Fem.\le: Total length, 4.5 mm.; abdomen, 3 mm. long, nearly 4 mm. broad; cephalo- 

 thorax, 2 + mm. long, somewhat less in width ; head about half as wide as cephalothorax. 



Ceph.\lothorax : Corselet rounded ovate ; cephalic suture, fosse and grooves distinct ; 

 caput slightly depressed, pubescent, with a few bristles; sternum slightly longer than wide, 

 with sternal cones, somewhat arched, pubescent, yellowish brown. Labium triangular, base 

 wider than length ; maxillae as wide as long. 



Eyes: Ocular quad about as wide in front as long and wider than rear; MF black, 

 separated about 1.75 diameter; MR amber, about equal to MF, and separated one diameter; 

 side eyes barely contingent, equal, SF removed from MF less than alignment of the latter, 

 or about 1.3 their intervening space; front row slightly recurved, rear row longer and 

 slightly procurved; clypeus about 1.5 diameter in height. 



Legs: 1, 2, 4, 3; stout for so small a species, clothed fi'eely with strong hairs and dark 

 spines ; color varying from yellow to light brown, and without distinct annuli ; the palps 

 resemble the legs; the mandibles are conical, not divergent. 



Abdomen': Triangular ovate, much broader at base than apex; the base, which over- 

 hangs the cephalothorax, slopes downward thereto, forming a triangular front, thus leaving 

 the abdomen divided by a ridge into two well defined slopes. The anterior part is in some 

 species darker in color, has a lateral row of circular spots, and on the crest two bright 

 white oval spots; beyond this sometimes rosy tints. Shoulder humps well defined, darker 

 in front, in the rear tipped at times with white ; dorsum abruptly arched to the spinnerets. 

 The color in many specimens is grayish yellow, in others pale yellow, and in some quite 

 white, with reticulated markings. An indistinct triangulated folium marks some specimens; 

 on each dorsal margin is a row of four brownish yellow spots within white circles, which 

 converge to the apex in V-shape. In some specimens these are quite distinct, in others 

 apparently wanting. The ventral pattern is a dark brown median band, with light yellow 

 and gray margin; spinnerets dark; epigynum with a short somewhat sinuated scapus, well 

 rounded at the tip. 



Male: Total length, 3 mm.; cephalothorax slightly longer than broad, and ridged in 

 the centre as in female ; abdomen slightly longer than broad ; shoulder tubercles less prom- 

 inent than in female. Adult specimens in hand (California) have a triangular dorsal folium 

 with scalloped edges sharply marked by dark brown interrupted lines, punctuated at points 

 with black spots. In several immature specimens from Florida and elsewhere the markings 

 closely resemble that from which Hentz described the species, an immature male; V-shaped 

 black dots mark the margin of the dorsum, narrowing to the apex, and four somewhat 

 similar spots are on the base in front. In some immature specimens from California, when 

 freshly taken, the abdomen was prettily tinted with pink hues. (Plate VIIL, Fig. 9a.) 

 Length of legs (1, 2, 4, 3), 7, 5.2, 4.7, 3.1 mm.; tibia-II is not thickened or otherwise mod- 

 ified, and the coxae are without spurs. 



