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



intermediate spine on its side, and a little divergent from each other. 

 The anterior spines are the shortest and weakest ; and each divides the 

 outer side of the abdomen pretty exactly. The anterior and pos- 

 terior spines have a browner hue than the other two ; and all have a 

 longitudinal yellow stripe underneath. 



The abdomen is of a yellow, or yellow-brownish, colour on the 

 upperside. The sigillse are small ; those on the anterior margin are 

 normal in number, 10, but those on the hinder part are 8 only. The 

 underside is black, spotted and reticulated with yellow. 



The cephalothorax is dark brown, thinly clothed with fine hoary 

 hairs. The legs are dull yellowish brown, obscurely marked and an- 

 nulated with a deeper hue. 



This Spider is not, I think, identical either with G. lepelletieri, 

 Guerin & Walck., or with Plectana pratextata, Dol., as surmised by 

 Mr. Butler, Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. May 1873, pp. 155 & 172. The 

 proportions of the length and breadth of tbe abdomen of the former 

 are quite different; and, judging from examples in my possession of 

 the latter (from Amboina and Sumatra), the form of the intermediate 

 spines is distinct. 



Gasteracantha helva, Bl., has never before been figured ; so that 

 the figure given here, from Mr. Blackwall's type specimens in my 

 possession, will perhaps be of assistance to arachnologists in the 

 determination of the species. 



Hab. East Indies. 



Gasteracantha propinq.ua, sp. n. (Plate XXVII. fig. 16.) 



Adult female : length of the widest transverse diameter, exclusive 

 of the spines, nearly 4 lines ; longitudinal diameter 2| lines. 



This species is nearly allied both to Gasteracantha blackwalli, 

 Keys. (Madagascar), and G. sororna, Butl. (Madras), but differs 

 in several material respects from both. Among other differences, 

 the anterior spines in the former are placed further forwards, and 

 the posterior spines in the latter are considerably shorter. 



The cephalothorax is brown-black, with a yellow-brown patch on 

 each side of the four central eyes ; and is clothed sparingly with coarse 

 hoary hairs. The legs are brownish yellow ; the tibise, tarsi, 

 and metatarsi darkest, and (apparently) with still darker mark- 

 ings. The abdomen is subtriangular, hollow-truncate in front ; it 

 is of a clear yellow-brown hue, the spines deep black-brown with 

 steel-blue (but not very strong) metallic reflections. The sigilla 

 are small, 10 on the fore margin, and 8 on the hinder margin ; 

 the two central ones of these last are very minute and close together. 

 The anterior spines are the shortest and weakest, and each, as nearly 

 as possible, equally divides the side on which it is placed ; the inter- 

 mediate ones are long, strong, equal to the side of the abdomen in 

 length, almost equally tapering throughout, and project outwards 

 and a little backwards ; the posterior spines are long, but nut so long 

 as the intermediate ones, and very much less strong, but much longer 

 and stronger than the anteriors, and divergent. The underside of 



