152 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



either side by a yellow ribbon, which passes around the orange yellow spinnerets. The 

 epigynum has a narrow atriolum (Plate IV., Ic, Id, le), with a strong brownish black corneous 

 scapus, chailfleled along the lower side and spooned at the tip, resembling that of Epeira 

 Benjamina and E. arabesca. 



MALE: Plate V., Figs. 4a-c. Fourteen mm. long, but varying much in length, one speci- 

 men being but little more than half this measurement. The cephalothorax is a long oval, 

 6 mm. long, 5 mm. wide ; the fosse a lengthened longitudinal slit ; the corselet flat upon the 

 top; the corselet grooves and cephalic suture very indistinct; the juncture of the caput 

 almost obliterated, the head narrowing to the face ; very little pubescence ; the skin yellow- 

 ish brown, smooth, glossy, with yellow stripes around the margins and longitudinal stripes 

 upon the summit faintly, after the fashion of the female. The legs are long, very stout at 

 the femora and tibia-I and II, but much thinner at the tarsus and metatarsus; tibia-I is 

 somewhat thickened at the apex, and provided with a number of short, black clasping 

 teeth, flanked by strong rows of black spines. The femur of leg-II has a number of black 

 shortened spines underneath the apical part; the tibia is thickened at the base, curved, 

 thickened again at the apex, and provided the entire length with numerous black clasping 

 spines, which are much more numerous towards the apex, where they are clustered together 

 in quadruple rows ; strong, long black spines arm the base, and extend along either side. 

 All the legs are provided with yellowish brown spines and yellowish bristles ; the leg arma- 

 ture of the male of this species is extremely formidable. The abdomen is a long oval, 

 marked upon the dorsum somewhat as is the female, but with the herring bone pattern 

 more interrupted ; the palps are represented as to shape and color by Plate V., Figs. 4a-c. 

 Strong, blunt, curved coxal spurs mark the first legs at their articulation with the trochan- 

 ter, and a long conical spur marks the middle of coxa-IV in a similar position. Length, 

 1, 2, 4, 3, as follows : 24.5, 21.75, 20.5, 13.5 mm. 



This species has points of resemblance to E. arabesca, but is decidedly different in many 

 respects. The coloring and shape of the cephalothorax alone at once distinguish it ; in Ara- 

 besca this is high, peaked in the centre, abruptly sloping to the base and to the face, whereas 

 in E. vertebrata the corselet is rather flat on top, and very gradually depressed to the base 

 and the face^ The dorsal pattern upon the abdomen is quite different, although presenting 

 points of resemblance. The characteristics of the male are different, and the size of Verte- 

 brata is much greater than of Arabesca. 



The dark forms of this species (Plate IV., Fig. 1) resemble in the markings of the 

 abdomen the lighter variety. The abdomen, however, in the specimens possessed by me 

 appears to be of a more uniform oval shape throughout. The colors of the abdomen are 

 black, with yellow markings. On either side are two broad broken bands of circular and 

 irregular waving figures, which meet in front and at the apex. The cephalothorax and 

 the legs are of a dark reddish brown, or even blackish. The bands on the cephalothorax 

 are also quite black, as are the tips of the female. This may be the normal color of the 

 female after depositing the cocoon, but I have so many specimens that are marked in this 

 way that it seems well to note the differences. 



DISTRIBUTION : A number of specimens of both sexes and various ages have been 

 received from California (Mrs. Eigenmann, Dr. Davidson, Dr. Blaisdell). From the "Alba- 

 tros" expeditions (Mr. C. H. Townsend) I have examples from Clarion Island, Lower 

 California, and Galapagos Islands. At San Diego the species is abundant and is distributed 

 to some extent northward along the Pacific Coast. It may be a subtropical species. I 

 have raised several from imported eggs to maturity in Philadelphia. 



No. 1 1. Epeira Ithaca (new species). Plate IV., Figs. 3, 3a-d. 



FEMALE : Total length, 10 mm. ; abdomen, 7 mm. long, 5 mm. wide at broadest part ; 

 cephalothorax, 5 mm. long, 3 mm. wide. The colors for the fore part of the body are 

 orange yellow and yellow ; of the abdomen, yellow and brown. The colors of the male are 

 similar. 



