DESCRIPTION OF GENERA AND SPECIES. 243 



upon the inside of femora-III, female, appears to be wanting. The palpus (Fig. 4a) has the 

 radial joint at leiist three times longer than the cubital, and nearly twice as long as the 

 digital. 



DISTRIBUTION : This beautiful species is one of the most abundant in the neighborhood 

 of Philadelphia, and is widely distributed throughout the United States. My collections 

 show that it inhabits the Atlantic Coast throughout, and the Mississippi Valley. I have 

 collected it as far to the southwest as Texas. I have no collections from the Pacific Coast, 

 but it will probably be found thereon. If we accept the examples placed in the synonyma 

 as quite identical with A. venusta, the species is distributed throughout Central America 

 and the northern States of South America. 



No. 95. Argyroepeira argyra (\VALCKENAER). Plate XXIV, Figs. 2, 3. 



1842. Tetragnatlia argyra, WALCKENAKR, Ins. Apt., ii., p. 219, pi. 19, Fig. 1. 



1873. Linyphia ornata, TACZANOWSKI . Horse Soc. Ent. Ross., p. 11. 



1880. Mela argyra, KEYSERLING .... Neue Spinnen a. Amer., i., p. 543. 



1893. Argyroepeira argyra, KEYSERLING, Sinnen Amerikas, p. 343, xviii., 253. 



FEMALE : Total length, 7.5 to 8 mm. ; cephalothorax, 3 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide ; abdo- 

 men, 6 mm. long, 3 mm. wide. The specimens in my possession are much changed by 

 alcohol, but the living colors appear to be greenish yellow, brown, and metallic white, 

 resembling those of A. venusta. 



CEPHALOTHORAX: Oval, somewhat flattened; a deep triangular fosse; corselet grooves 

 not distinct ; cephalic suture pronounced ; caput elevated, lowly arched ; yellowish brown 

 (in alcohol), scarcely pubescent. Sternum cordate (Fig. 2a), as wide as long; cones distinct; 

 raised in the middle, especially opposite the labium; brown, covered with long, black, 

 curved bristles. Labium compressed at the shank, widened at the subtriangular tip; half as 

 long (or less) as the maxillie, which are compressed below, and widened at the tip, and 

 decidedly longer than wide. 



EYES: Fig. 26. Ocular quad longer than wide, wider behind, eyes about equal; MF 

 separated about one diameter, MR 1.5. MF separated from SF about 1.5 the alignment of 

 MF; SF propinquate, about equal in size, but smaller than those of the quad, and on slight 

 tubercles; clypeus nearly the alignment of MF high; front row recurved, rear row very 

 slightly procurved. 



LEGS : Order, 1, 2, 4, 3, as follows : 23.1, 17.9, 14.5, 8.9 mm. ; they are not stout, gradu- 

 ally diminish to the tarsus, the joints long, except the patella;, which are relatively short; 

 they have few spines, but are freely clothed with long bristles, almost plumose beneath ; 

 color in alcohol yellowish, witli slight tinge of green; in life the latter color probably pre- 

 dominates. 



ABDOMEN : Cylindrical, thicker at the base, which overhangs the cephalothorax. The 

 dorsal folium is margined by a broad band of silver, which covers the base and extends in 

 wedge shaped bands along the sides; indeed, the ground color might be described as silver, 

 and the pattern (see Fig. 2) said to be outlined by interrupted longitudinal fillets of 

 brown. The venter is blackish brown, with silvery marginal bands; the epigynum (2c) is 

 large, conical, projecting forward, thickly clothed with hair. 



MALE: Fig. 3. In general form and colors closely resembles the female, which it 

 almost equals in length, the largest specimens being 7 mm. long. The digital bulb (3a, 3b) 

 is large, globose, longer than the radial and cubital joints together, the latter being about 

 one-half longer than the former. 



DISTRIBUTION: Southern California, from which numerous specimens have been obtained 

 from Dr. Blaisdell. Outside the United States the species inhabits Mexico, the Antilles, 

 Central America, and probably Soutli America, in the northern provinces. It is one of the 

 most beautiful of our indigenous spider fauna. I have no account of its spinning and 

 cocooning habits, but these will probably be found to resemble closely those of its con- 

 gener A. venusta, which I have fully described. 



