South Indian Arachnology. 235 



Herennia (Thor.)> 1877. 

 39. Herennia ornatissima (Dol.). 



A single ? found at the centre of her web in brio-lit sun- 

 shine on a tree-trunk. No stabilimentum. 



Locality. Yercaud, Shevaroy Hills (4500 feet). I have 

 not seen it elsewhere. 



Argiope (Sav.), 1827. 



Argiope lobata (Pallas) has been reported from Bellary by 

 Simon and A. arcuata (Sim.) from Bangalore by Staunton, 

 but I have seen neither of these as yet. 



40. Argiope anasuja (Thor.) (PL III. figs. '6, 4; PI. IV. 

 fig. 5) is by far the commonest species round Madras and in 

 South India generally. The web, often suspended between 

 adjoining branches, is a large orb-shaped one with a very charac- 

 teristic stabilimentum in the form of four white zigzag lines 

 making a St. Andrew's cross. The cross is not always com- 

 plete, sometimes only one of the four lines being present. This 

 stabilimentum usually begins with the top left part of the X or 

 the whole left stroke of the x , then the top of the right stroke 

 may be added, but the finished product is the regular X with 

 the four parts all present. These white lines lie as continua- 

 tions of the directions in which the spider holds its legs, cf. 

 Pocock, p. 221, and serve as distinct supports to the spider. 



The cocoon measures between 4 and 5 cm. in length. It 

 is long, irregular, resembling a curled up withered leaf, 

 cylindrical, tapering to each end, but swollen in the centre 

 by the compact mass of yellow eggs enclosed. It is grey- 

 green and when opened a single egg-case contained 840 eggs, 

 another 186 young spiders. 



The specimen shown in the photos was picked off by a 

 mynah (Acridotheres tristis), corresponding to our starling, 

 the torn web, cocoon, and the small commensal Argyrodes all 

 being left. In this instance the circular part of the web 

 was 10 inches in diameter and the white cross (stabilimentum) 

 2*5 inches along each stroke of the X . 



A. anasuja is the smallest species mentioned by Pocock 

 (p. 226). He gives no good way of distinguishing readily 

 between the species A. pulchella, A. undulata, A. anasuja, 

 and A. taprobaniea, which are all closely allied forms. As 

 several varieties of each species are known, a fact already 

 pointed out by Gravely, and as Pocock in his key deals only 

 with the ? , the various species will be much more easily 

 determined once the $ are described systematically. 



