324 REV. O. p. CAMBRIDGE ON SPIDERS [Apr. 20, 



may be described as of a deep rich black-brown colour, marked with 

 four very large somewhat triangular patches of a bright silvery hue ; 

 or, in those examples where the silvery areas preponderate, these 

 areas may be taken as the ground-colour on which are very plainly 

 and distinctly marked a broad, even-edged, longitudinal, deep-black- 

 brown central band from the fore extremity of the upperside to the 

 apex, another less broad from the apex to the spinners, and 

 a third as nearly as possible bisects each side, running from the 

 spinners into the band on the upperside; all these bands merge in 

 the general black-brown hue of the underside of the abdomen. In 

 front of the spinners (on the underside) are the two usual silvery 

 spots in a transverse line. It is probable that a series of examples 

 would show some slight imperfection in the continuity of these ab- 

 dominal bands, though from the three examples examined (one male 

 and two females) I should expect to find the abdominal pattern 

 above described a tolerably constant and strong specific character. 

 From the above three examples there does not appear to be very 

 much, if any, difference in colours or pattern between the two sexes. 

 A male and two females of this Spider were received several years 

 ago from the Rev. J. Whitmee, by whom they were found in the 

 Samoa Islands. 



Argyrodes nephil^. (Plate XXVIII. figs. 4, 4 a, 4 b, e, 4 c, 

 4 d, 4f.) 



Argyrodes nephilce, Tacz. Hor. Soc. Ent. Ross. ix. p. 51, 



Adult male, lengtlx -^ of an inch ; female rather larger. 



The cephalothorax of this brilliant little Spider is of a dark blackish 

 brown ; that of the female is of ordinary form ; but that of the male 

 has the caput considerably elevated and produced forwards, where 

 it is divided into two lobes by a deep transverse cleft or fissure ; the 

 inferior lobe is much the smallest. The exact form of this part of the 

 caput is represented as nearly as possible in fig. 4, Plate XXVIII. ; no 

 lengthened description of thischarateristic portion of structure would 

 avail to distinguish it so accurately from other species nearly^ allied. \ 



The eyes of the fore central pair are the largest of the eight, 

 and are placed in a transverse line on each side, at the fore ex- 

 tremity of the caput ; behind these and lower down, at a little distance 

 behind the base of the cleft, are the hind-central eyes, while at about 

 the same distance lower down again, and almost in a line with the 

 others on each side, are the lateral pairs, the eyes of each of which 

 are contiguous to each other. 



The le(/s are long, but not excessively so, slender, furnished with 

 hairs only, of a dull yellowish hue ; the anterior portions of the 

 femora and tibiae (of those of the female at least) suffused with dark 

 brown. In the only adult male I have seen, tlie legs were uni- 

 colorous. 



Tlie abdomen is short, but elevated into a very high conical form, its 

 height being distinctly greater than its length ; in some examples the 

 height is greater than in others, and the apex of the cone sharper. It 

 is cf a glistening silvery metallic hue ; from the middle of the anterior 



