452 Records of the Indian Museum. [vol. XXII, 



I Carapace unitormly yellowish ; abdomen s.lvtry. espe- 

 cially in the fjmale, with or without greyish or black 

 . markings ; orange or yellow pigment olten extensively 

 I present in living or freshly preserved specimens . . 2. 



/Tibia of fourth leg of female not plumose ; palpal organ 

 of male smaller and paler, often yellowish,.. ... ,5. 



I Tibia of fourth leg of female plumose ; palpal organ of 

 V male dark brown and verv large ... 6. 



Black markings 1 apart from more or less obsolete mid- 

 dorsal line) confined to a pair of spots beside the spin- 

 nerettes and two short rows (often absent) of spots on 

 ) the posterior part of the dtirsal surface, coalescing m 

 -' \ a conspicuous black patch on the postero-dorsal hump, 



I which is not otherwise very prominent (fig. 8a) L. ciilt'i p. 4S3- 



I Black (or grey; markings linear and more extensive (fig. 



V 8A) : . ■ ...' ... ... :.. -t. 



^Black mid-dorsal line of abdomen of female approximate- 

 ly uniform in width throughout, neither anterior nor 

 posterior part of abdomen much produced (fig. Hi, c) : 

 male with relatively short palps and globular palpal i 4.54- 



organs with only the inner tarsal apophysis present ... /.. celebesiona p. 

 .).. Black mid-dorsal line of abdomen of female more or less 



1 strongly expanded behind, dorsal portion of either 

 anterior or posterior part of abdomen produced (fig. 

 i>d-g) ; male with palps very long and slender, tibia not 

 less than three times as long as patella, palpal organ less 

 globular, both inner and outer tarsal apophyses present. 5. 



/Female with posterior end of abdomen comcally pro- 

 duced above spinnerettes, dorsal tubercles absent, dorso- 

 lateral silver band more or less disiinctl}' broadened 

 and bifid behind (fig. ?,d) ; abdomen of male much less 

 strongly marked than that 01 female, oblique stripes 

 absent ... ... ... ... ... L. decoi-ata \>. ^^^. 



Female with anterior end of abdomen produced above 

 carapace, three pairs of more or less distinct dorsal 

 tubercles present in anterior part of abdomen, all silver 

 bands tapered and divergent behind (fig. 8^) ; abdomen 

 of male as strongly marked as that of female, oblique 

 black stripes present between the longitudinal ones [455- 



^ dorsally ... L. heiigahnsts p. 



(■Abdomen of female not projecting far forwards above 

 carapace ; male moderately large with more or less 

 parallel-sided abdomen, its chelicerae without strong 

 spines ... .. L.fessellata p. 4^~,. 



" I Adomen of female projecting far forwards above cara— 

 I pace ; male minute with more or less spherical abdo— 

 \ men and anterior surface of chelicerae thickly covered 



with large black spines ... ... ... L.fiistigatap. 4.s(<- 



Leucauge ventralis (Thorell) . 



Meta ventyalis. Thorell, 1877, pp. 423-427. 

 Argyroepeira ventralis, Workman, i8g6, pi. Iv. 

 Argyroepeira ventralis, Pocock, igoo, pp. 216, 217. 



Localities. — Nirodumunai in the Trincomalee District ( cf ) 

 and Kandy ( 9 ) in Ceylon; Trichur, 0-300 ft. { cr- 5 ), Chalakudi 

 (juv.), Forest Tramway, 0-300 ft. (& 2), and Parambikulam, 

 1700-3200 ft. in Cochin State, South India; ToUygunge near 

 Calcutta in Bengal ( 5 ). 



This species, as already recorded by Sherriffs (1919, p. 233), 

 rests with its legs stretched out oti a twig beside its web. In this 



'{ 



