Mr. J. Blackball on newly discovered species of Araneidea. 23 



Genus Neriene, Blackw. 



Neriene agrestis. 



Length of the female ^th of an inch ; length of the cephalo- 

 thorax ^V ) breadth ^V J breadth of the abdomen ^^ > le"S<^^ ^^ ^ 

 posterior leg i ; length of a leg of the third pair ^. 



Legs hairy ; the fourth pair is the longest, the first pan- rather 

 surpasses the second, and the third pair is the shortest ; each 

 tarsus is terminated by three claws ; the two superior ones are 

 curved and slightly pectinated, and the inferior one is inflected 

 near its base : cephalo-thorax oval, convex, glossy, with an mden- 

 tation in the medial line : fakes conical, convex in front, near 

 to the base, armed with teeth on the inner surface, and slightly 

 inclined towards the sternum, which is broad, rather convex, 

 glossy, and heart-shaped : maxillse enlarged where the palpi are 

 inserted, and inclined towards the lip, which is short, broad, 

 semicircular, and prominent at the apex. These parts, with the 

 palpi, are of a brown colour ; the lip, sternum, and anterior 

 part of the cephalo-thorax, where the eyes are situated, being 

 the darkest, and the legs and palpi, which are much the palest, 

 having a yellowish or pale reddish tinge. The four intermediate 

 eyes describe a trapezoid whose anterior side is the shortest, and 

 those of each lateral pair are seated obliquely on a minute 

 tubercle and are contiguous ; the anterior eyes of the trapezoid 

 are the smallest of the eight. Abdomen oviform, glossy, spa- 

 ringly clothed with hairs, convex above, projecting over the base 

 of the cephalo-thorax ; it is of a dark brown colour tinged with 

 olive, the medial line of the upper part, in some individuals, being 

 the palest ; the sexual organs have a dark reddish brown tint ; 

 and the colour of the branchial opercula is yellowish brown. 



The male is much smaller than the female, but it resembles 

 her in colour. The cubital and radial joints of the palpi are 

 short ; the latter, which is the larger, projects two very minute 

 apophyses from its extremity ; one, situated in front, is crescent- 

 shaped, the cusps being acute ; and the other, which is shorter 

 and more obtuse, occurs on the under side ; the digital joint has 

 a short oval form ; it is convex and hairy externally, concave 

 within, comprising the palpal organs ; they are moderately deve- 

 loped, prominent, complex in structure, with a small, curved, 

 black spine at their extremity, whose point terminates in a pro- 

 minent, semitransparent membrane, and are of a red-brown 

 colour. 



This species, which is closely allied to Neriene fusca, occurs 

 among herbage and under stones in pastures near woods at Oak- 

 land. The sexes are adult in autumn. 



