86 Transactions* — Zoology. 



The male is much smaller than the female, being hardly 2 mm. in 

 length. The cephalothorax does not differ much from that of the latter, but 

 the abdomen is remarkable as it bears a somewhat close resemblance to the 

 undeveloped form of a very young female ; it is short, broad, and almost 

 squarely truncated at either end ; the depression at the base is slightly 

 concave, and the prominences on either side are rounded and abortive. At 

 the posterior end there are six wide, deep, transverse wrinkles extending over 

 about one-third of the abdomen, which terminates with prominent, obtuse 

 tubercles ; the lateral marginal wrinkles are also well developed. In colour 

 the abdomen is a yellowish-brown, mottled with a darker tint. The legs 

 have a bright yellow colour, tinged with reddish-brown ; they are furnished 

 with hairs, and a very few fine hair-like bristles. The palpi are short, 

 resemble the legs in colour, and have a few fine hairs. The femoral joint 

 does not greatly exceed the cubital in length ; at the base and outer side of 

 the latter there is a rather prominent semi-bulb ; the radial joint is darker, 

 shorter, and projects on the outer side a short curved apophysis ; imme- 

 diately above it the base of the hairy convexity is produced into a similar 

 but more curved bright reddish-brown apophysis ; the digital joint is oval, 

 convex, and hairy externally, the convex sides directed towards each other ; 

 concave within, comprising the palpal organs, which are not very complex ; 

 on the outer side, projecting from beneath the upper folds, there is a broad, 

 flattish, twin apophysis directed downwards, the extremities are truncated, 

 dark, and serrated ; projecting forwards from beneath this apophysis is a 

 finely-pointed dark process ; partially in front of this one is a stronger 

 dark serrated process, directed downwards. 



Although this interesting species, from the relative length of the legs 

 and the lesser interval between the lateral eyes, appears to be more closely 

 allied to Koch's Epeira higginsii and E. feredayi than to Vinson's A. scor- 

 pionoides, I have thought it preferable to follow Vinson. In reference to its 

 long flexible tail he says it is " susceptible d'abaissement et d'elevation, et 

 se recourbe egalement vers le dos ou vers le ventre ;" this power obtains in 

 the N.Z. species. It generally affects shady places, usually spinning its 

 small vertical web beneath the boughs of trees. I have observed the females 

 constructing cocoons from October to August ; they are composed of light- 

 brown silk of a loose felty texture. The female, when fabricating the 

 somewhat cylindroid cocoons, spins a strong horizontal line across the 

 upper surface of the web, to which she suspends a thin pedicle 10 mm. or 

 more in length ; this rope-like structure is then enlarged into the first 

 cocoon, about 8mm. in length and 3|mm. in diameter; between this 

 cocoon and the next there is a short node ; this process is repeated until 

 there are sometimes as many as nine cocoons, the entire length being about 



