286 REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE ON NEW ARANEIDEA. [Mar. 4, 



Fig. 1 1 c is almost exactly identical with the type ; it is from one 

 of the examples included by Mr. Blackwall, /. c, in his list of S.E. 

 African Spiders as G. frontata, Bl., from which it is clearly distinct 

 (vide G. frontata, Bl., ant eh, p. 283). An example from E. Africa 

 (in my collection) is intermediate between the last-mentioned one 

 and the figure given (/. c.) by Karsch of G. petersu, in which the only 

 difference is the (apparently) stouter and more curved intermediate 

 spines, and the less narrow abdomen. My example differs from my 

 fig. 1 1 in being less narrow, but still not quite so broad, proportio- 

 nally, from back to front as represented in Karsch's figure. I have 

 also another example, from the Zambesi river, in which the abdomen 

 is narrowest of all, and the length of the intermediate spines exceeds 

 that of all the other examples and figures I have yet seen, their 

 strength and direction being those of the typical G.formosa. This 

 example comes perhaps the nearest to G. milvoides, Butl. 



The locality of G. transversa, C. L. Koch, is not given by that 

 author ; but I should strongly suspect it to be African, especially as 

 it is figured with transverse pale bands across the abdomen, which, 

 in well-preserved examples of G. formosa, Vins., are well marked and 

 characteristic. 



It is possible that Q. fornicata, C. L. Koch, may be of this same 

 species ; but as it comes from a widely distant locality (Java), it is safer 

 at present to conclude it to be distinct. At any rate, never having 

 seen an example from Java, I am unable myself to give any opinion 

 upon it. 



I have hesitated to include G. nana, Butl., among the synonyms 

 of G.formosa, Vins., though it would not surprise me if it should 

 some day be found to be identical. 



Gasteracantha importuna, sp. n.? (Plate XXVII. fig. 12.) 



Length of the transverse diameter of an adult female, exclusive of 

 the spines, 6 lines ; length of the longitudinal diameter 3 lines. 



In this Spider the large lateral spines are not quite so long as in the 

 last ; but they are stronger, straighter, and have a more backward 

 direction. The colours are like those of that species ; but the ex- 

 ample described is in a similarly bad state of preservation so far as 

 colours are concerned. The extremities of the large spines have a 

 strong steel-blue metallic hue. 



It is only with great hesitation that I have described this Spider as 

 distinct from G. molesta. I should not be at all surprised at a series 

 of examples from the same locality some day proving it to be iden- 

 tical with that Spider, and possibly also with G. formosa, Vins. 



Hah. West coast of Africa. 



Gasteracantha molesta, sp. n. (Plate XXVII. fig. 13.) 



Length of the transverse diameter of an adult female, exclusive of 

 the spines, 7| lines ; length of the longitudinal diameter a little over 

 3 lines. 



This Spider is evidently allied closely to G.formosa, Vins. ; but 

 the large lateral spines are much less tapering than in any of the 



