captured in Rio Janeiro. 429 



rounded at the extremity; and the lip, which is longer than 

 broad, is truncated and hollowed at the apex. These organs 

 have a yellowish-brown hue. The sternum is oval, with small 

 prominences on the sides, opposite to the legs, and is of a pale 

 yellowish-white colour, with minute brown spots on the lateral 

 margins. The abdomen is oviform, convex above, and clothed 

 with hoary hairs; a broad pale grey band, minutely spotted 

 with dark brown, extends from the anterior extremity of the 

 upper part about two-thirds of its length along the middle ; the 

 lateral margins of this band, and the space comprised between 

 its extremity and the spinners, have a dark brown hue ; the sides 

 and under part are of a yellowish-grey colour, spotted with dark 

 brown, the spots on the latter being few in number, minute, and 

 obscure ; a dark brown longitudinal streak occurs on the upper 

 surface of the superior spinners, and the colour of the sexual 

 organs is reddish brown. 



I have given the specific name affinis to this spider provision- 

 ally, as it appears to be very closely allied to Clubiona fasciata, 

 and may perhaps be the female of that species. It is true 

 that it differs from it remarkably in the relative length of its 

 legs ; but a careful examination of the anterior pair has induced 

 a suspicion that the antecedents of those limbs may have been 

 simultaneously detached at the coxae before the spider had arrived 

 at maturity. Now, if such were the case, it is evident, from 

 known physiological facts, that, on being reproduced, they must 

 be defective in development, though, as in the present instance, 

 they might be symmetrical in structure. 



Family Theridiidje. 



Genus Theridion, Walck. 



Theridion coniferum. 



Length of the female ^^ths of an inch ; length of the cephalo- 

 thorax y^ ; breadth ~ ; breadth of the abdomen -L ; length of 

 an anterior leg || ; length of a leg of the third pair J. 



The abdomen is somewhat oviform, with a large, pointed, 

 conical protuberance near the middle of the upper part ; it is 

 sparingly clothed with hairs, of a yellowish-white colour, ob- 

 scurely marked with minute spots of a paler hue on the upper 

 part, and the sexual organs are prominent and of a red-brown 

 colour. The cephalothorax is short, broad, oval, convex, and 

 glossy, with an indentation in the medial line ; it is of a yel- 

 lowish-white hue, with a faint orange-coloured band extending 

 along the middle. The falces are slender, conical, prominent, 

 and are terminated by a small, curved, red fang ; the maxilla3 

 are obliquely truncated at the extremity, on the outer side, and 



