from the East of Central Africa. 341 



red ; the falces are the darkest, and the extremity of the maxillae 

 and apex of the lip have a brownish-yellow hue. The sternum 

 is nearly circular ; the legs are long, robust, and provided with 

 hairs and spines ; their relative length could not be ascertained, 

 as the second pair was missing ; but the third pair is a little 

 longer than the fourth, which somewhat surpasses the first pair; 

 each tarsus is terminated by two plain, curved claws, and below 

 them there is a scopula; the palpi are short, and the digital 

 joint, which is provided with spines, has a curved, minutely 

 pectinated claw at its extremity. These parts are of a red-brown 

 colour ; the sternum is the palest, and the metatarsal joint of 

 the legs and the digital joint of the palpi are the darkest-coloured. 

 The abdomen is of a depressed oviform figure, and the anterior 

 extremity, which is fringed with fine bristles, and has the ap- 

 pearance of having been cut directly across, projects very little 

 over the base of the cephalothorax ; it is clothed with hoary 

 hairs having a yellowish tint, and is of a dull brownish-yellow 

 colour, obscurely freckled with brown, particularly on the upper 

 part and sides ; the sexual organs are moderately developed, 

 and have a triangular reddish-brown process connected with 

 each lateral margin, whose vertices nearly meet, a small semi- 

 circular one of the same hue directed forwards from the posterior 

 margin, and a larger semicircular process of a reddish-yellow 

 colour, directed backwards from the anterior margin. 



The collection contained two adult females of this species. 



Family Theridiid^e. 



Genus Latrodectus, Walck. 



Latroolectus ductus. 



Length of the female f-ths of an inch ; length of the cephalo- 

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

 anterior leg £ ; length of a leg of the third pair ■£-. 



The abdomen is very convex above, thinly clothed with hairs, 

 and projects over the base of the cephalothorax; it is of a 

 brownish-black colour, with an oblong mark extending upwards 

 from the spinners, and three curved transverse bands of a deep 

 orange-colour on the upper part; the first of these bands is the 

 shortest, and is situated in front, the second is longer, and the 

 third, which is much the longest, and curved very obliquely, 

 increases in breadth towards its extremities, whose pointed ter- 

 mination is in contact with the posterior extremity of the oblong 

 orange-coloured mark above the spinners ; the sexual organs are 

 well developed, and of a dark-brown hue, tinged with red, that 

 of the branchial opercula being red-brown. Immature females 

 are of a pale-yellow hue where adults are orange-coloured. The 



