1008 REY. 0, P. CAMBRIDGE ON NEW { Dee. 15, 
striction and the spinners; immediately behind the constriction 
is a broad transverse band of somewhat iridescent greenish scales. 
The coriaceous plate connected with the sheath of the pedicle is 
mixed black and reddish, the sheath portion being covered with 
coarse granulations. The underside is deep black-brown. 
Hab. Ceylon. 
Gen. noy. Frruna (fam. Gasteracanthide). 
Cephalothorax as broad as long, upper surface rather flattened, 
profile forming a gradual, very slightly convex slope from the hinder 
extremity to the eyes. Caput broad, squarely truncate before. 
Height of clypeus about one-third that of the facial space. 
Normal grooves and indentations fairly marked, but not excessive. 
Eyes small, not differing much in size; in the usual three 
Epeirid groups, forming a transverse straight line across the 
whole width of the fore extremity of the caput; each group 
seated on a strongish tubercular prominence. The central group. 
of 4 eyes forms a square; those of each lateral pair are near 
together, but not contiguous. 
Legs short, not very strong, subequal in length, apparently 
4,1, 2, 3, furnished with hairs only, the femora of the first and 
second pairs granulose. 
Falces tolerably long and strong, conical, directed backwards. 
Mazille and labium: these were difficult to be seen, owing to 
the specimen having been dried and pinned and the underparts 
concealed by the folding over of the legs, but they appear to be 
much like those of Epeira. 
Sternum heart-shaped. 
Abdomen diamond-shaped, the anterior angle truncated, and the 
exterior ones each prelonged into a long, strong, cylindrical, 
granulose lateral spine-like projection, directed -rather backwards, 
and enlarged or clavate at the extremity, which ends in a group of 
six or seven small conical prominences. The length of each of 
these spiny projections exceeds the width of the abdomen. The 
whole surface of the abdomen is chitinous (like Gasteracantha), 
granulose, and marked with numerous sigilliform markings, in 
number and position as indicated in the figure; at the centre of 
the upperside is a round shiny boss-like prominence; and the 
margins of the abdomen are furnished with short tuberculiform 
spines or prominences, of which the longest and most spine-like 
are one on each side not far in front of the long lateral pro- 
jections ; between the hinder extremity of the upperside of the 
abdomen and the spinners are several strong transverse ridges, 
resembling diminishing repetitions of the upperside, the inter- 
mediate spines between that and the first ridge being marked, 
like the upperside, with sigilliform markings. The spinners 
are continued in a circular sheath about the middle of the 
underside. 
