1872.] SPIDERS OF PALESTINE AND SYRIA. 269 



furnished only with hairs. The palpi are strong and moderately 

 long ; the radial and cubital joints are about equal in length ; the 

 former is the strongest, and is enlarged and somewhat tumid on its 

 outer extremity, from which there issues a slender spiny apophysis ; 

 this is so nearly adhering to the base of the digital joint as to make 

 it difficult of observation : the digital (as well as the radial) joint is 

 strongly tinged with dark blackish brown ; it is large, hut of ordi- 

 nary form, and terminates with a slightly curved claw : the papal 

 organs are well developed but not very complex. 



The falces are short, strong, and furnished towards their extre- 

 mities on the upper (or front) side with a small group of about five 

 short, strongish, prominent, black, tooth-like spines. 



The abdomen is coriaceous on the upperside, where it is of an 

 exceedingly polished and glossy jet-black colour, and entirely desti- 

 tute of hairs ; a broad oblique yellowish band runs from the hinder 

 region of each side up to the fore extremity of the abdomen, which 

 is likewise encircled by it ; the underside is of a dark chocolate- 

 brown colour, with a broad central longitudinal pale yellow band 

 of a somewhat elongate triangular form, which occupies its greater 

 area; the spiracular plates are of a yellow orange-brown, and the 

 spinners pale yellow. An adult female differed only in the less con- 

 spicuous nature of the tooth-like spines on the falces, and in the 

 abdomen being strongly constricted towards its fore extremity over 

 the upperside. 



An adult male and female of this interesting little Spider were 

 found on the surface of a piece of rock, on the plains of Jordan near 

 Jericho. Although allied both to Luchesis and Enyo, it was im- 

 possible to include it under either of those generic appellations. 



PaljEStina expolita, sp. nov. (Plate XIII. fig. 6.) 



Male adult, length 1 line. 



This species differs from P. dentifera in the colour of the cepha- 

 lothorax, falces, sternum, labium, and maxillae being deep brown, 

 with a largish patch of a suffused blackish hue at the hinder point of 

 junction between the caput and thorax ; the clypeus also has on it 

 a few strongish bristly hairs ; and the lateral constriction is greater. 



The eyes are of a more uniform size, and those of each lateral 

 pair are rather nearer to each other ; the falces have some similar 

 tooth-like spines in front near their extremities, but of these in the 

 present species there were, in most examples, no more than two 

 at all conspicuous. The whole Spider is rather shorter than the 

 former, principally perhaps from the abdomen projecting more over 

 the base of the cephalothorax. 



The abdomen is jet-black above, and equally polished and glossy 

 above with P. dentifera ; the upperside has the appearance of 

 being covered by a distinct coriaceous case or shell. 



The leys are of a yellowish-brown colour, suffused with deep 

 black-brown : the radial and cubital joints of the palpi are yellow- 

 brown in colour ; and the former is produced at its outer extremity, 

 where it has two to three small and not easily distinguishable points 



