1872.] SPIDERS OF PALESTINE AND SYRIA. 263 



than that between each and the fore lateral on its side, but equal to 

 that between the eyes of each lateral pair respectively ; the eyes also 

 of the hind central pair are nearer to each other than each is to the 

 hind lateral on its side. The legs are paler than the rest, having 

 somewhat of a greenish yellow-brown hue, the tarsi being much the 

 palest. The palpi are short and strong ; the radial joint (though, 

 being immature, it was not fully developed, having apparently one 

 more change of integument to undergo) was large and very spreading 

 in front, showing symptoms of a strong but undeveloped prominence 

 at its fore extremity rather on the inner side ; the digital joint is 

 very large and of a broad oval form ; the palpal bulb was very large, 

 prominent, and tumid. 



An immature female resembled the male, and possessed calamistra 

 and a supernumerary spinning-organ ; the male had the latter but not 

 the former. I have never observed the former on the metatarsi of 

 any adult male examples of those species of Spiders of which the 

 females, whether adult or immature, invariably possess them ; but I 

 have occasionally seen them on immature males of one or two 

 species. 



Two males and one female (all immature) were found at Jerusalem 

 among the debris of an old wall. 



Amaurobius distinctus, sp. nov. 



Male adult, length 2| lines; female adult 3^. 



This remarkably distinct species, although closely allied to A. sim- 

 plex, may be at once distinguished by two longitudinal rows of pure 

 white spots on the upperside of the abdomen, the ground-colour of 

 which is jet-black ; these rows consist each of 6-6 spots, and they 

 converge towards each other a little as they approach the spin- 

 ners ; the four foremost of the spots are the largest and occupy the 

 fore half of the upperside of the abdomen, forming a large and 

 nearly square area ; the spots which succeed are smaller, and diminish 

 gradually in size towards the spinners. The cephalot hor ax is of a 

 dull yellow-brown colour, narrowly margined with black. The eyes 

 are very similarly situated to those of A. simplex, but those of the 

 lateral pairs are rather nearer to each other. The legs are mode- 

 rately long and strong, and are furnished with hairs and a few spines, 

 of which latter the chief consist of a row beneath the metatarsi of 

 the first pair, short and tooth-like ; the colour of the legs is a dull 

 brownish yellow deepening at the extremities of the joints, and thus 

 giving them a kind of indistinctly annulate look. The falces are 

 rattier long, strong, similar to the cephalothorax in colour, slightly 

 hollowed on their inner sides, and impressed near their extremities 

 in front. The males of this species have a supernumerary spinning- 

 organ but no calamistra; the females have both. 



The palpi are short, strong, and similar in colour to the legs ; the 

 radial joint has some strong irregular prominences at its fore extre- 

 mity ; and the digital, which is large and of a somewhat oblong-oval 

 form, has a strong, rather angular, sharp-pointed prominence at its 

 base on the outer side ; the palpal organs are highly developed and 



