POLTYS. 235 



spines also with basal portion stout, but not so abruptly narrowed 

 as in the case of the median spines. 



Length of abdomen 3 mm., width 4-5. 



Loc. Himalayas: Jaunsar, Thadyar, 2600 ft. (Oldhani). 



265. Gasteracantha lencomelsena, DoleschaU, Verh. Nat. Vereen. 



Nederland. Indie, v, no. 5, p. 42, t. xi, fig. 8, 1859 (Plectana leuco- 

 melas) ; Thorell, Ann. Mus. Genova, xxv, p. 232, 1887 : annamita, 

 Simon, Act. Soc. L. Bord. xl, p. 148, 1886. 



Colour : carapace and mandibles black ; legs yellow, with black 

 bands ; sternum yellow, with posterior black spot ; upper side of 

 abdomen whitish or yellow, with median black Y-shaped mark and 

 a large black patch at base of spines, the patches sometimes 

 uniting with the ends of the arms and with the stem of the Y to 

 form transverse bars of black. Abdomen about one-third wider 

 than long, not laterally attenuate, parallel-sided ; the spines small, 

 acuminate, the median and posterior subequal and much larger 

 than the anterior. 



Length of abdomen 5 mm., width 7. 



Loc. Burma: Rangoon, Tharrawaddy, Tenasserim, &c. (Oates, 

 Fea). Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Indo-Malaysia. 



266. Gasteracantha brevispina, Dokschall, Nat. Tijdschr. Nederland. 



Indie, xiii, p. 423, 1857 (Plectana) ; Thorell, Ann. Mus. Genova, 

 xxviii, p. 63, 1890 : canningensis, Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxviii, 

 p. 248, t. xviii, fig. 1, 1869 (Gastracantha). 



About the same size and much the same form as G. leucomelwna ; 

 head reddish laterally and rising in the middle into a conical 

 prominence much more pronounced than in the preceding species. 

 Abdomen a little wider than long, very variable in colour, some- 

 times the black, sometimes the yellow predominating ; usually there 

 is a large triangular black patch on each side and a pair of large 

 yellow ocelliform spots near the middle ; spines shorter, conical, 

 the lateral and median not evenly acuminate, being very stout at 

 the base and abruptly narrowed at the apex, somewhat as in 

 G. ungidfera. 



Length of abdomen 5'5 mm., width 7. 



Loc. Ceylon. India : Madras (Jambunathan) ; Uran (Aitken), 

 Karachi (Simon), Dehra Dun (OMham), Calcutta (Stoliczka). 

 Burma: Moulmein, Tenasserim (Oates, Fea). Andaman and 

 Nicobar Islands. Indo- and Austro-Malaysia. 



Genus POLTYS, C. Koch. 



Poltys, C. Koch, Arachn. x, p. 97, 1843 ; Simon, Hist. Nat. Araign. i, 

 p. 892, 1895. 



Carapace with cephalic region prominent, conical in front, 

 ocular quadrangle square or a little wider in front; lateral eyes 

 widely separated, the posterior remote from the rest. Legs of 



