No. 1.] ATTIDyE OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 93 



all the joints excepting the tarsus. On the third leg a similar 

 band extends to the extremity of the tibia, and the femur has 

 at the extremit}^, on the upper side, a three-cornered black spot. 

 The fourth leg has blackish bands running along both anterior 

 and posterior sides, and has the tarsus and metatarsus dai*k- 

 ened. 



We have one female from the eastern part of Guatemala. 



MESSUA, GEN. NOV. 



Eather small spiders, with the cephalic plate occupying 

 more than one-half of the cephalothorax, and the first legs 

 thickened and darkened. 



The cephalothorax is rather high. The cephalic part is 

 slightly convex and is inclined forward in front of the second 

 row of eyes. The thoracic part falls, distinctly', from the dorsal 

 eyes, being rounded in the first third, and then sloping more 

 steeply. The cephalothorax is plainly widest at the dorsal 

 ej''es, narrowing toward the ends. The sides slant inward a 

 little in the cephalic part, and are vertical at and behind the 

 dorsal eyes. 



The quadrangle of the eyes is plainly wider behind than 

 in front and occupies more than one-half of the cephalothorax. 

 The width in front is scarcely greater than the length, but 

 behind it is one-fourth wider than long. The anterior eyes are 

 close together in a straight row, the middle being barely twice 

 as large as the lateral. The second row is very much nearer 

 the first than the thisd row. The third row is as wide as the 

 cephalothorax. 



This genus belongs to the Homalattus Group, and agrees 

 closely Avith Zygoballus in most particulars, although its appear- 

 ance is different. The sides of the cephalothorax do not make 

 nearly so sharp an angle at the dorsal eyes as in most species of 

 that genus. The most marked difference between the two 

 genera is in the contour of the thoracic slope. In Messua it 

 rounds off a little in the first third and then falls more steeply, 

 while in Zy(/oballus there is one abrupt slant from the dorsal 



