1872.] SPIDERS OF PALESTINE AND SYRIA. 295 



above, p. 285, upon the genus of this Spider. The form of the palpi 

 and palpal organs of the male differ decidedly from the very pecu- 

 liar and constant form of those parts in all the species of Pachy- 

 gnatha I have ever seen ; in this respect it resembles many species of 

 the genus Theridion. The general form of the cephalothorax, the 

 position of the eyes, and the large size and form of the falces appear 

 to connect it with the former ; but it must be remembered that none 

 of these characters are, either by themselves or probably together, of 

 generic importance ; while in the form of the maxillse and labium it 

 is decidedly different from Theridion, to which it was referred by M. 

 Lucas, and somewhat so from Pachygnatha. Mr. Blackwall, who 

 was acquainted only with the female, placed it in the genus Epe'ira, 

 to some species of which the female bears certainly very great 

 general resemblance ; but the maxillse and labium do not agree 

 with Epe'ira, and, as far as I have observed, it does not spin a geo- 

 metric web. Mr. Blackwall also calls attention to a striking differ- 

 ence from Epe'ira in respect of the lengths of the legs. I am in- 

 clined to think that it will eventually be necessary to form a genus 

 for it, between Theridion and Pachygnatha. 



I have received examples of both sexes from Jersey and Serk ; 

 and have also myself found it under stones among the ruins of 

 the baths of Caracalla at Rome, as well as at Cairo, Egypt. 



Fam. Epeirides. 

 Genus Tetragnatha (Latr.). 

 Tetragnatha molesta, sp. nov. 



Male adult. 



In form, size, general structure, and colour this species very 

 nearly resembles T. extensa, Walck., for which it might be mis- 

 taken until the falces were carefully examined ; these, in the pre- 

 sent species, have each, in addition to two parallel longitudinal 

 rows of teeth along their inner sides, two larger teeth at their 

 upper extremity : one, towards the outer side close to the inser- 

 tion of the fang, is strong, somewhat flattened from some points 

 of view, and has an enlargement or rudimentary tooth near the 

 middle ; the other, towards the inner side, is also equally strong 

 and flattened, but has no enlargement near the middle ; the teeth 

 of the two inner parallel rows enlarge as they come near the ex- 

 tremity, except the last tooth on the upperside, which is small 

 and situated close beneath the large one above mentioned as towards 

 the inner extremity ; the fang of each of the falces has a strongish 

 compression on its inside near the insertion ; and the compression is 

 followed by a rudimentary tooth or enlargement. 



The cephalothorax differs from that of T. extensa in having a 

 broad, central, longitudinal, brown band running backwards from the 

 eyes (where its breadth equals that of the hinder row) to the hind 

 margin, where it is almost pointed ; this band is composed of seve- 

 ral almost confluent brown bars or stripes ; the rest of the cephalo- 



