434 Mr. R. I. Pocock on Arachnida from the 



Nephila senegalensis (Walckenaer). 



Epeira senegalensis, Walckenaer, Ins. Apt. ii. p. 94 (1837), $ . 

 ^/^etVfl ^w6r?/2', Lucas, in Thomson's Arch. Ent. ii. p. 36; Brito Ca- 

 pello, Jorn. Math. Sci. Lisboa, 1866, p. 7, pi. ii. Ak- 3 {Nephila), $ . 

 Epeira armillipes, Doumerc, Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. 1864, p. 231, pi. v. 



%. 1, $. 

 Nephila Grayii, Blackwall, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) xvi. p. 96 (1865). 

 Nephila senegalensis, Simon, Ann. Soc. Ent. France, 1885, p. 371, c? . 



This species appears to be spread tliroughout the whole of 

 Africa from Senegal and Somaliland southwards to the 

 borders of Cape Colony, and is represented over this area 

 by several more or less well-marked " forms," which, pending 

 the discovery of the male sex in each case, I propose to 

 regard as subspecies or local races. 



The following subspecies are represented in the Museum 

 collection from the region of the great African lakes : — 



Subspecies KeyserUngii, Blackwall. 



Nephila Keyserlingii, Blackwall, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) xvi. p. 843 

 (1865). 



Loc. Zomba, 3000-9000 feet {H. II. Johnston) ; Lake 

 Nyasa [Universities' j\Iission). 



Blackwall's species was based upon specimens procured in 

 the valley of the Shir^. The examples in the Museum 

 collection agree exactly with the description published by 

 that author. 



Subspecies hymencea^ Gerstacker. 



Nephila hymencea, Gerstacker, Von der Decken's Reisen in Ost- 

 Afrika, iii. pt. 2, p. 497, pi. xviii. tig. 11. 



Loc. Kondowe, near Karonga, N. Nyasaland, 2000 feet 

 [A. Whyte). 



Very closely allied to Keyserlingii, and perhaps identical 

 with it ; but the representatives of hymencea that I have seen 

 may be distinguished from the others by the black patch on 

 the sternum being divided by a narrow longitudinal yellow 

 stripe, exactly as Gerstacker describes. 



Subspecies hragantina, Brit. Capello. 



Nephila hragantina, Brit. Capello, Mem. Ac. Sci. Lisboa, (3) iv. pt. 1 ; 



Descripgao de Algunas Arachnideos, &c. p. 11, pi. ii. fig. 4 



(1867). 



Loc. Kinyamkolo, Lake Tanganyika {W. H. Nutt). 

 Described from Braganza, in Angola. 



