246 Indian Araclmoidea. [No. 4, 



TETRAGNATHA, Walck. 

 A large number of the Indian species belonging to this genus are 

 distinguished by a long, narrow and subcylindrical body, closely re- 

 sembling in this respect, as well as in the bright colouring, the European 

 Tetrag. externa, Linne. Count Keyserling gave a review of most of the 

 known species of Tetragnatha (Zool. Bot. Gesellesch., Wien, 1868, XV", 

 p. 835 etc.). He enumerates 15 species, accompanied by detailed de- 

 scriptions ; most of them are European or American. The review is, 

 however, not to be considered a complete one, for there are numerous 

 other species described by A. Adams (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 2nd ser., 

 vol. vii), by Doleschall, Blackwall, and others. The only question 

 regarding these species to decide would be, whether tbey really are 

 TetragnathcB, or whether they belong to any of the allied genera. 

 Blackwall described lately an Indian species, Tet. decor ata in Ann. 

 Mag. Nat. Hist., 1864, 3rd ser., vol. xiv, p. 44. 



Tetragnatha irridescens, BM. Pi. XVIII. Fig. 3. 



2 Cephalothorax about one-third longer than broad, having the 

 ocular portion considerably narrowed posteriorly ; the thoracic oval, 

 with curved sides and slightly more contracted at the base, depressed 

 about the centre towards which numerous dark brown lines converge ; 

 the general colour is light, almost fleshy brown, and the whole surface 

 covered with very short whitish hairs. 



The eyes are placed near the anterior truncate edge of the thorax in 

 two almost parallel rows, very slightly curved forward ; those of the 

 anterior middle pair are a little more prominent than others, and the 

 anterior lateral eyes are the smallest, the remaining being of pretty 

 nearly equal size. 



The falces are long, subcylindrical, somewhat depressed, light brown 

 with strong dark brown claws, lying in grooves with serrated edges. 



The lip is short, semicircular with the edge somewhat bent outward ; 

 the maxillas are about three times as long as the lip, and half the 

 length of the falces, somewhat dilated and curved outwards at their 

 ends ; the palpi are filiform inserted above at the base of the maxilla? 

 which are, however, not thickened at this place. 



The sternum is heart-shaped, elongated, posteriorly pointed, slightly 

 convex, smooth and indented at the places of insertion of the coxaj. 



