190 M. T. Thorell on Aranea lobata. 



The most important synonyms of this remarkable species, 

 which is spread over the whole of Southern Europe, from 

 Spain in the West to Southern Eussia in the East, Southern 

 Siberia, Northern Africa (Egypt, Algeria*), and which has 

 even been observed in the Cape Verde Islands and in Senegal, 

 should be as follows : — 



Argiope lohata (Pall.) 1772. 

 Var. a, ^yvq forma principalis, 



Sjm. Aranea lohata^ Pallas, Spicil. Zool. i. fasc. 9. p. 46, tab. 3. figg. 14 et 

 15 (1772). 



, Pallas, Naturgesch. merkw. Thiere, i. 9te Sainml. p. 71, 



pi. 3. figg. 14 et 15 (1777). 



, Fabr. Spec. Insect, p. 536 (1781). 



•, Gmel. Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. 13. 1. 1. pi. 5, p. 2955 (1789?). 



sericea, Oliv. Encycl. M^th. iv. pp. 188 et 198 (1789). 



Epeira sericea, Latreille, Gen. Crust, et Ins. i. p. 107 (1806). 



, Hahn, Die Araclin. i. p. 8, fig. 4 (1831). 



Walck., Hist. Nat. d. Ins. Apt. ii. p. 116 (1841). 



margaritacea, Risso, Hist. Nat. d. princip. Product, de I'Europe 



m^rid. v. p. 40 (1826). 

 Argyope sericea, Sav. et And. in Descr. de I'Egypte, ed. 2. xxii. p. 334, 



pi. 2. fig. 6 (1827). 



Var. yS. 



Aranea argetitea, Gmel. Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. 13. t. i. pi. 5, p. 2959 



(1789?). 

 Segestria dentata, Risso, Hist. Nat. d. princ. Prod, de I'Eiirope n\6v. 



V. p. 161 (1827). 

 Epeira dentata, Walck. Hist. Nat. d. Ins. Apt. ii. p. 118 (1841). 

 Argyopes prcelautus, Koch, Die Araclin. v. p. 37, fig. 359 (1839). 



In conclusion, I would say a few words respecting the 

 generic name Argiope^ which is usually written Argyope or 

 Argyopes. Both in the passage in the ^ Description de 

 I'Egypte,' where the genus is characterized by Audouin 

 (t. xxii. p. 328, in ed. 2), and in the index to the same part 

 (p. 466), the Latin name employed is Argiope ; but in French 

 it is Argyope (" Genre ARaYOPE, Argiope,^'' just as Audouin 

 writes elsewhere " Genre Tegenaire, Tegenaria^^ " Genre 

 Pholque, PholcuSj^ '^ Genre Faucheur, Fhalangium^'' &c.). 

 Later, in describing the species, he has used this latter form 

 of the word, not only for the French, but also for the Latin 

 name. However, as Audouin first^ and in characterizing the 

 genus ^ wrote Argiope^ and as this is moreover the only correct 

 orthography (the name is in fact formed from ^Kfyyvoirrj^ nom. 

 prop. myth, femin. gen.), it should be retained through the 



* Probably also over the eastern maritime countries of tbe Mediteira- 

 nean. In S5rria occurs an allied form, Argiope splendidajSaiX. & Aud., 

 which is possibly not specifically distinct from A. lobata. 



