1872.] SPIDERS OF PALESTINE AND SYRIA. 305 



pattern on the upperside is present ; some oblique lines of blackish 

 red-brown spots traverse the sides, which are wrinkled ; the under- 

 side is of a dull brown colour, and devoid of any characteristic mark- 

 ings ; the spiracular plates are red-brown margined with yellow. 



The female is larger than the male, and much paler and less con- 

 spicuously marked, but resembles it in its general characters; it 

 appears liable to vary more in this ( $ I ) sex than in the other, some 

 varieties of the former closely resembling rather dark examples of T. 

 audax (Koch) : the females, however, of many Thomisi are exceed- 

 ingly difficult to distinguish from each other ; and it may be that 

 more than one species is included among those examples which at 

 present I suppose may be varieties of T. tristrami ; but in the absence 

 of the males it is impossible to determine this satisfactorily. 



This species appeared to be more abundant than any other one of 

 the genus met with in Palestine and Syria ; the females were found 

 under stones, the males running on the ground and upon plants and 

 shrubs at Jerusalem, Jericho, Nazareth, Damascus, the Lebanon, 

 and various other localities. I have taken the liberty of naming it 

 after the Rev. H. B. Tristram, whose name, in connexion with the 

 zoology of Palestine and Syria, is too well known to need any 

 comment. 



Thomisus gr^cus?, Koch, Die Arachn. xii. p. 68, pi. 412. 

 fig. 1002. 



An adult female, which I believe to be of this species, was found 

 near Jericho. 



Thomisus confluens, Koch, Die Arachn. xii. p. 67, pi. 412. 

 fig. 1001. 



Adult females of this Spider were found at Jerusalem, and on the 

 plains of the Jordan, near Jericho. 



Thomisus rigidus, sp. nov. 



Female adult, length nearly 2 lines. 



In colour and general appearance this Spider very closely resem- 

 bles both T. versutus (Bl.) and T. trux (id.), and it is of the same 

 size ; the dark lateral band on the cephalothorax, however, of those 

 species is less distinct in the present, the whole of the sides of the 

 cephalothorax being dark-coloured, except a slight mottling with 

 yellow — more resembling, in this respect, T. simplex (Cambr.) ; but 

 from all these it may be distinguished readily, both by the yellow, 

 brown, and white marbled legs, and especially by the abdomen and 

 cephalothorax being furnished with short, stout, erect, clavate bristly 

 hairs : in this character it approaches T. claveatus (Walck.) ; it is, 

 however, a larger Spider than that, and differs greatly in colour and 

 markings ; and the clavate hairs appear to be rather less abruptly 

 clubbed at their extremities. 



Adult and immature examples were found on the plains of the 

 Jordan. 



Proc. Zool. Soc 1872, No. XX. 



