captured in Rio Janeiro. 433 



above, and projects greatly over the base of the cephalothorax ; 

 the upper part is soot-coloured, a broad space in the anterior 

 region having a brown hue ; two pale yellow lines, whose bifid 

 extremities are widely divergent, meet in an angle in front, and 

 project within the angle a short streak of the same hue on each 

 side of the medial line ; to these streaks succeed two series of 

 spots disposed in pairs, and exterior to each of these series there 

 is a row of spots, the anterior one of which is the largest and 

 somewhat curved, having its convexity directed outwards; a 

 minute spot occurs near the extremity of the stronger branch of 

 the bifid termination of each frontal line, and a series of oblong 

 oblique spots extends along the upper part of each side ; all the 

 spots have a pale yellow hue ; the colour of the under part is 

 pale yellow, with the exception of a broad space in the middle, 

 which has a brownish-black hue; the sexual organs are pro- 

 minent, but not highly developed; connected with their ante- 

 rior margin there is a small brownish-yellow process, which is 

 curved backwards and recurved at its extremity ; their colour is 

 reddish-brown, and that of the branchial opercula is brownish- 

 yellow. 



Epeira fiimida. 



Length of the male y%ths of an inch ; length of the cephalo- 

 thorax ^ ; breadth J ; breadth of the abdomen ^ ; length of an 

 anterior leg ^ ; length of a leg of the third pair ^. 



The legs are long, provided with hairs and spines, and have a 

 brownish-yellow hue, the femora and extremity of the joints 

 being the brownest ; the first pair is the longest, then the second, 

 and the third pair is the shortest ; the tarsi are terminated by 

 claws of the usual number and structure. The palpi are short, 

 and resemble the legs in colour ; the cubital joint has several 

 long bristles directed forwards from its extremity; the radial 

 joint has a large protuberance on its outer side, fringed with 

 hairs ; the digital joint is oval, with a process at its base, curved 

 outwards, whose obtuse extremity is glossy ; it is convex and 

 hairy externally, concave within, comprising the palpal organs, 

 which are highly developed, protuberant, complex in structure, 

 with an obtuse prominent process at their base, having a pro- 

 jection near its base, on the inner side, w^hose dark extremity is 

 bifid ; they are terminated by the dark-coloured points of several 

 strong processes, and their predominant colour is pale dull yel- 

 low faintly tinged with red-brown. The convex sides of the 

 digital joints are directed towards each other. The eyes are 

 seated on black spots on the anterior part of the cephalothorax ; 

 the four intermediate ones nearly form a square ; the two ante- 

 rior ones are placed on a prominence, and are rather wider apart 



Ann. i^ Mag. N. Hist, Ser. 3. VoLx. 29 



