212 Mr. J. Blackwall un new Species of Spiders. 



tact with some white membrane; their colour is red-brown in- 

 termixed with brownish-yellow. 



An adult male and female, and specimens of immature females, 

 of Theridion grossum have been transmitted to me by Mrs. Louisa 

 E. Collings from the island of Serk, in which locality they were 

 captured. 



Genus Latrodectus, Walck. 

 Latrodectus Erebus. 



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

 thorax i, breadth ^ ; breadth of the abdomen -f^j length of an 

 anterior leg -x^; length of a leg of the third pair 4-t- 



The Latrodectus Erebus of authors was considered by M.Duges 

 to be the adult female of Latrodectus malriiiynatus (Annales des 

 Sciences Naturelles, secoude serie, Zoologie, tome vi. p. 169); 

 and his opinion appears to be well founded. Adult living spe- 

 cimens of this species/captured in the island of Porto Santo, in 

 1865, and forwarded to me by the Barao do Castello de Paiva, 

 were received in vigorous health, and fed freely on the insects 

 with which they were supplied; but they could not be induced 

 by any means I could devise to inflict a wound with their short 

 and weak fangs on my forearm, or on any other part to which 

 they were applied. The failure of this experiment is to be re- 

 gretted ; for, had it been brought to a successful issue, it would 

 have served to test the accuracy of the belief entertained in 

 Italy and in the Canary Islands that the bite of Latrodectus 

 malmignatus produces very alarming symptoms, which frequently 

 terminate fatally. 



The cocoon of this spider is balloon-shaped, of a very compact 

 texture, and of a pale dull-yellowish colour ; it measures f inch 

 in length, \ inch in diameter in its broadest part, and comprises 

 between two and three hundred eggs. The young, on com- 

 pleting their first ccdysis, have the abdomen marked with white 

 spots. 



Tribe Senoculina. 



Family Dysderid^. 



Genus Segestria, Latr. 



Segestria perfida. 



A female of this species, which had to undergo its final ecdysis, 

 was taken in Exeter, on a vine growing against a wall having a 

 south aspect, in May 1865, by Mr. Edward Parfitt, by whom it 

 was presented to me. 



Segestria perfida was included in the ' History of the Spiders 

 of Great Britain and Ireland,' part second, page 373, solely on 

 the authority of Dr. Leach, who has recorded an instance of its 



