244 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



Genus HENTZIA, new. 



I have felt it necessary to establish a new genus to receive the following interesting 

 species, whose spinningwork, as described in a previous volume, sets it apart as widely 

 different in its industry from all other spidere. It is impossible to follow Dr. Marx in 

 relegating it to Argiope, as the character of the eyes is entirely difterent, those of Argiope 

 being procurved in both rows, the front row slightly and the rear row very much. On the 

 contrary, the eyes of this species are so arranged as to form an oval figure, the front row 

 being decidedly recurved, the rear row procurved. The midfront eyes are separated from 

 the sidofront by a space almost equaling, but a little less than, the space which divides the 

 latter. The cephalothorax is of medium height, the caput not specially depressed. 

 The sternum is somewhat, but not decidedly, longer than wide. The labium is short, 

 and the raaxillse wide, almost as wide as long. The legs are long, rather thin, sparsely 

 covered with pubescence, and the spines, instead of being stout and short, are long and 

 thin. The abdom.en is cylindrical, decidedly longer than wide. In its general appearance 

 the species is more closely allied to certain Theridioids than to the typical Epeira, and 

 approaches Argyroepeira, from which, however, it differs, among other points, by the fact 

 that in the latter genus the space between the midfront and sidefront eyes is more than 

 twice as great as the interval between the midfront eyes, in this respect resembling Epeira. 

 In Hentzia basilica the ocular quad is much longer than wide; the width in front only 

 slightly, if any, greater than the rear width ; in a typical Epeira the front width is usually 

 decidedly greater than the rear, and the quad is not so manifestly longer than wide. The 

 space between MF and SF in Hentzia is less than the intervening space of MF; in Epeira, 

 on the contrary, that space is 1.5 to 2.5 times greater, usually nearer the latter than the 

 former. The difference in this respect is enormous. In Hentzia basilica the space between 

 SR and MR is but little, if any, greater than that between IMR; in the typical Epeira, on 

 the contrary, the intervening space between SR and MR is 3.5 to 4 times that of MR. The 

 diflerence in this respect is even greater than in the former. The shape of the abdomen, 

 again, separates the two genera, the typical Epeira being triangular ovate ; this, on the 

 contrary, being cylindrical, inclined to rectangular, and decidedly longer than wide, with 

 the abdomen formed into a sort of caudal jirojection. The spinous armature of the legs 

 also shows a decided difference, Hentzia having rather scant pubescence, and spines not 

 numerous, long and slender, instead of being abundant, stout, and rather short, as in 

 Epeira. The terminal joints of the legs also cliffer, Epeira being marked by a moderately 

 long metatarsus, not disproportionate to the other joints, whereas Hentzia has a metatarsus 

 at least one-third longer than the tibia, and the tarsus is much longer than the patella. In 

 Hentzia basilica the three legs are almost nearly equal in length, the first and second pairs 

 scarcely differing, and the fourth but a fraction of a millimeter shorter. The snare is a 

 horizontal orbicular web, raised at the centre into an umbrella shape, like that of certain 

 species of Linyphia. 



No. 96. Hentzia basilica McCook. Plate XIV, Fig. 2; PL XXIII, Fig. 8. 



1878. Epeira basilica, McCook .... Proceed. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., p. 124. 

 1889. Epeira basilica, McCook .... Amer. Spid. and their Spinningwork, Vol. I. 

 1889. Argiope basilica, Marx Catalogue, p. 541. 



Female: Total length, G.o mm.; cephalothorax, 3 mm. long, 2 mm. wide; abdomen, 

 5.5 mm. long, 2 mm. wide. 



Cephalothorax : Oval, truncated at the base ; fosse a low circular pit ; corselet medium 

 height, somewhat flattened on top ; color yellow or olive, with a blackish brown ring on 

 the margins of the corselet, and a similarly colored band passing the entire length of the 

 corselet and caput on the median line ; pubescent, especially on the margins ; the caput not 

 depressed, and scarcely elevated above the summit of the corselet; the sternum cordate. 



