1880.] OF THE GENUS ARGYRODES. 337 



The cephalothorax, legs, palpi, falces, and other anterior parts are 

 yellow-brown, the legs and palpi being ratiier the Ugh test in colour. 



The eyes of the liind central pair are further from each other 

 than each is from the hind lateral eye on its side ; those of the 

 anterior row are as nearly as j)ossible equidistant from each other. 



The legs are long and slender, those of the first pair (judging by 

 the femora, which are all that remained of them) of great length. 

 Their armature consists, as usual, of fine hairs onlj-. 



T\iQ palpi are moderately long ; the digital joints are rather large, 

 oval, and dark yellowish brown ; the palpal organs are moderately 

 complex, but compact ; the cubital joint is curved and clavate, and 

 longer than the radial. 



The abdomen is long, narrow, and slightly tapering to the apex, 

 which is bluff and rounded ; and on each side a little before the apex 

 is a sm.all obtusely angular prominence. The general colour of the 

 abdomen is yellowish brown, marked above and on the sides with 

 silvery spots and suffusions ; along the middle of the upperside is a 

 long tapering deep-blackish-brown marking, whose posterior ex- 

 tremity, narrowed to a line, reaches very nearly to the apex. The 

 most conspicuous of the silvery markings on the sides form two 

 somewhat irregular oblique lines, the hinder one of which ends in a 

 single spot a little way above and behind the spinners. The area 

 from the spinners to the apex is dark brown ; and a little way below 

 the apex are two silvery spots in a transverse line. In the form of 

 the abdomen there is, as will be observed, a striking difference 

 between this species and A. affinis. 



A single example of the adult male of this very distinct Spider 

 was contained in a small collection of Spiders from the north-east of 

 Madagascar, kindly given me by Mr. R. H. Meade. 



Argyrodes minax is also nearly allied to A. ululans, Cambr. (an 

 Amazons species) ; but in this latter the transverse cleft of the caput 

 is much deeper, and the form of the segments into which the 

 clypeus is divided is different ; the form also of the abdomen i§ 

 quite dissimilar. 



Argyrodes affinis, sp. n. (Plate XXX. figs. 16, 16 6, 16 c, 

 16 e). 



Adult male, length to the apex of the abdomen 2^ lines, and to the 

 spinners I5. 



This species is allied to Argyrodes ohtusa and A. atnplifrons, from 

 both of which it may easily be distinguished by the greater eleva- 

 tion of the hinder part of the ocular area, as well as by the much 

 wider separation of the hind central pair of eyes, and greater width 

 of the upperside of the caput, the prominence of the lower lobe of 

 which is not so bold nor so extended. The abdomen is also of a 

 different form, and its pattern different. The figures detailing these 

 characters will show at once the differences here noted. 



lih^ cephalothorax is of a yellow-brown colour; the hinder part 

 of the ocular area is a little raised, giving in profile a slightly angular 

 form to the occiput. 



22* 



