1872.] SPIDERS OF PALESTINE AND SYRIA. 285 



a portion of it ; the digitals are small, and their convex sides are 

 turned to each other : the palpal organs are neither prominent nor 

 complex, and are not easy to be distinguished as separate from the 

 digital joint without very careful inspection with a strong lens ; 

 they have a small closely adhering and circularly curved filiform 

 black spine at their extremity on the outer side. The falces are 

 small, and there is a widish interval between them at their base ; 

 they are also prominent near their bases in front, where there are 

 some longitudinal rows of small tubercles or spiny granulations very 

 analogous to the denticulations on the falces of Eric/one longi- 

 palpis (Sund.). The maxillce are strong, greatly curved, and inclined 

 over the labium, so that their extremities are almost in contact with 

 each other. The labium is short, of a subtriangular form, the apex 

 being blunt- pointed ; the sternum has its surface marked with im- 

 pressed, shallow, round punctures or impressions. All these parts 

 are rather darker-coloured than the cephalothorax. 



The abdomen is small, of an oval form, and moderately convex 

 above ; it is jet-black above, with four small yellowish-white spots in- 

 cluding the whole area of the fore part ; these spots are of a some- 

 what transversely linear form, and the two foremost of them are 

 necessarily much nearer together tljan.the two hinder ones ; between 

 these and the spinners are three smaller spots of the same colour, and 

 arranged longitudinally in the central line ; these last are less con- 

 spicuous in the male than in the female, in which latter sex there 

 is also another small but similar spot on either side of the extremity 

 of the line formed by the three spots just before mentioned. 



The female has not the prolongation, noticed above in regard to 

 the male, at the hinder extremity of the cephalothorax, nor the 

 peculiar corneous kind of socket beneath the fore part of the ab- 

 domen. 



An adult male and female were found among herbage on the 

 plains of the Jordan. In those peculiarities of thorax and abdomen 

 in the male just noticed, this species resembles Theridion mandi- 

 bulare (Luc.) = Epeira diversa (Blackw.), a Spider whose position 

 appears doubtful, and perhaps ought to form the type of a distinct 

 genus, but which I have for the present placed in the genus Pa- 

 chygnatha {vide post, p. 294). 



Theridion conspicuum, sp. nov. (Plate XIII. fig. 11.) 



Male adult, length 2 lines. 



This species belongs to the group which includes T. 4-puncta- 

 tum, T. gut latum, T. stictum, and others, bordering closely upon 

 Latkrodectus. 



The cephalothorax is short, broad, and slightly produced behind, 

 and there is a deep circular indentation at the junction of the caput 

 and thorax ; the former is chiefly distinguished from the thorax by 

 its rather raised and prominent fore part where the eyes are seated. 

 The colour of the cephalothorax is a deep rich red-brown ; and its 

 surface is marked with fine impressed dots or punctures, and has 



