142 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



and E. patagiata. There are certainly strong resemblances between the three ; and it is 

 easy with immature specimens to confound the one with the other, indeed, it is often 

 difficult to separate them ; but in the case of well matured specimens this difficulty is not 

 so great. Strix is marked from Sclopetaria by the more even oval of its abdomen, which 

 also tends to be flat upon the dorsum ; by the shorter and stouter legs, which also have no 

 median annul! ; by the general glossy appearance upon all parts of the body, in which even 

 the abdomen shares ; by the shorter pubescence ; by the less distinctly marked line of whitish 

 gray hairs around the margin of the caput and along the front of the face. The head of 

 Strix is also a little more rounded than that of Sclopetaria and Patagiata, and the face is 

 not quite so narrow. The rear eyes of the lateral pairs are set a little farther up upon the 

 head than in Sclopetaria, but do not greatly differ in this respect from Patagiata. The 

 dorsal folium of the abdomen is usually unbroken from the ^>ase to the apex, whereas in 

 Sclopetaria there is a distinct separation into two figures, or parts of one figure, at a point 

 about one-third the distance between the base and the apex. A decided difference also 

 appears in the epigyna, the scapus of Strix being much shorter and smaller than that of 

 Sclopetaria, and the general structure in other respects differing. The scapus on the 

 epigynum of Strix more closely resembles that of Sclopetaria than that of Patagiata. (See 

 and compare Plate I., Figs. 9, 10, 11.) All the above marks which distinguish Strix from 

 Sclopetaria equally separate it from Patagiata. The latter is distinguished from Sclopetaria 

 in the geographical province of Philadelphia by its smaller size, but specimens of Patagiata 

 from the Pacific Coast are quite as large ; see also the characteristics referred to in the above 

 description. But it may be most readily distinguished in mature species by the shape of 

 the epigynum. 



No. 4. Epeira pratensis HENTZ. Plate I., Figs. 6, 6a, 6b. 



1847. Epeira pratenis, HENTZ J. B. S., v., p. 475, pi. 31, Fig. 11. 



1875. Epeira pratensis, HENTZ Sp. U. S., p. 115, pi. 13, Fig. 11. 



1884. Epeira pratmsis, EMEKTON . . . N. E. Ep., p. 310, pi. 33, 15; 36, 9. 



1892. Epeira prattnsis, KEYSERLING . . Spinn. Amerk., p. 184, tab. ix., 136. 



FEMALE: Total length, 10 mm.; cephalothorax, 5 mm. long, 3 mm. wide; abdomen, 

 8 mm. long, 5 mm. wide ; facial width, 1.4 mm. This species varies much in size, the above 

 being one of the largest specimens. 



CEPHALOTHORAX : A long oval, highest in front of the fosse, which is a deep longitu- 

 dinal slit, and thence shelving to the base, which is truncated ; head depressed, quadrate ; 

 cephalic suture well marked ; corselet grooves distinct but not deep ; colors yellowish brown, 

 with darker brown band along margins of corselet, and a yet darker one on middle of 

 caput; skin glossy, slightly pubescent, but the head is well covered with stout gray hairs, 

 with a few long white bristles over the side eyes. The sternum is black, glossy, with pro- 

 nounced cones in front of the coxse, a few black hairs, longer than broad, the edges scal- 

 loped and the point attenuated. Labium longer than broad, dark brown at the base, 

 lighter upon the subtriangular tip. Maxillae dark brown, rather longer than wide, inclined 

 towards each other, and obtusely triangular. 



EYES : Ocular quad on a rounded prominence much more decided in front, the rear 

 eyes, indeed, lying at the base thereof; the front wider than rear, and the sides longer 

 than the width ; MF separated a little more than one diameter, and slightly larger than 

 MR, which are separated by about a radius ; side eyes contingent on a slight tubercle ; SF 

 larger than SR ; MF removed from SF by about 1.3 their area, and from the clypeus about 

 two diameters ; front row slightly recurved, the rear row longer and procurved. 



I, i:<;s : 1, 2, 4, 3, as follows: 14.3, 13.1, 12.5, 8.3 mm. They are stout, brownish yellow, 

 with dark annul! at tips of joints, strongly armed with brownish spines, gray bristles and 

 hairs ; palps colored and armed as legs. Mandibles conical, dark brown, arched at the base, 

 where they are on a plane with the face, smooth and glossy. 



ABDOMEN: Ovate, widest at base, arched upon dorsum to spinnerets, which are under- 

 neath the apical wall ; covered with yellowish gray pubescence. Color yellowish brown. 



