No. 1.] ATTID^-E OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 35 



bulge out so widely on the sides. It lacks, too, something of 

 the burl}^ look of that species, being rather more lightly and 

 gracefullj' built. 



The whole body is black. Across the cephalothorax is a 

 wide zig-zag white band, which is never found in morsitans, 

 a point running back behind each of the dorsal eyes and one 

 running forward between them. On the middle of the ab- 

 domen is a large triangular white spot, behind this is a pair of 

 oblique white bars, and still further back a pair of white dots ; 

 around the front is a white band, and on the sides are two 

 oblique white bars, all exactlj'' as in morsitans. The palpi are 

 rufus, with rather long, black hairs, whereas in morsitans the 

 hairs are short and of a brown color. The legs are rufus, barred 

 with black, like some specimens of morsitans, although in that 

 species they are more commonly black. In both Howardii and 

 morsitans the first leg has, on the inner side, long black hairs 

 on the femur, the tibia, and the distal part of the metatarsus, 

 while the patella has a long brush of snowy- wdiite hairs. The 

 falces are short, stout, vertical and iridescent, but are bP^ 

 rather than green, as in morsitans. 



Phidippus mexicanus also has the three white spots on a 

 black abdomen, but this species is so very much larger and 

 hairier than Howardii, that there can be no confusion between 

 them. 



We have a single male, sent to us from Reynosa, Mexico, 

 by Mr. C. H. Tyler Townsend. 



PARDESSUS, GEN. NOV. 



Rather large, handsome spiders, with distinct patterns. 



The cephalothorax is rather high, with the upper surface 

 level, or slightly convex. The cephalic part is slightly in- 

 clined ; the thoracic falls little or not at all in the anterior 

 half, and then slopes, not very abruptly, to the posterior margin. 

 The thoracic plate is bluntly narrowed behind. The sides 

 widen out gradually from the anterior end to the middle of 

 the thoracic part, and then contract a little. They slant out- 



