and a new genus of Araneidea. 337 



and vertical : maxillse short, powerful, straight, enlarged and 

 rounded at the extremity : lip oval, obtuse at the apex : sternum 

 oval. These parts are of a dark reddish brown colour, the 

 cephalo-thorax being sparingly clad with white hairs. The in- 

 termediate eyes of the anterior row are greatly larger and the 

 intermediate eye of each lateral row is much smaller than the 

 rest. Legs short, robust, of a reddish brown colour, the meta- 

 tarsi and tarsi being the palest ; the fourth pair is rather the 

 longest, then the first, and the third pair is the shortest; the 

 ' femora, genua and tibiae of the anterior pair of legs are remark- 

 ably powerful, the first being very convex on the upper part, and 

 the last densely covered with hairs on their inferior surface. 

 Each tarsus is terminated by two curved claws, below which is 

 a small scopula or brush. Palpi short, and similar in colour to 

 the legs ; the radial joint is smaller than the cubital ; the digital 

 joint is large, oval, convex and hairy externally, concave within, 

 comprising the palpal organs, which are highly developed, very 

 prominent at the base, provided with a black spine curved into 

 a circular form at their extremity, on the outer side, and are of 

 a red-brown colour. Abdomen oviform, convex above, project- 

 ing a little over the base of the cephalo-thorax ; it is of a very 

 dark reddish brown colour, having a few white hairs distributed 

 over its upper surface, and on each side of the medial line, at its 

 anterior extremity, there is a short longitudinal streak composed 

 of white hairs, which is not very conspicuous. 



I have described this spider from a specimen in the cabinet 

 of Francis Walker, Esq., of Arno^s Grove, Southgate, Middlesex, 

 in which locality it was taken in May 1848. 



Family Thomisid^. 



Genus Thomisus, Walck. 



2 . Thomisus formosus . 



Length of the female jth of an inch ; length of the cephalo- 

 thorax jQ ; breadth -^^ ; breadth of the abdomen j'^ ; length of 

 an anterior leg /^ ; length of a leg of the third pair y^^. 



Eyes disposed on the anterior part of the cephalo-thorax in 

 two transverse curved rows, forming a crescent whose convexity is 

 directed forwards ; the lateral eyes of both rows, which are seated 

 on tubercles, are larger than the rest, those of the anterior row 

 being the largest of the eight. Cephalo-thorax large, slightly 

 compressed before, broadly truncated in front, convex and glossy : 

 falces short, cuneiform, vertical : maxillae convex near the base, 

 pointed at the extremity, and inclined towards the lip, which is 

 rather long and triangular : sternum heart-shaped : the first and 

 second pairs of legs, which are much longer and more powerful 



