ioi 



Steatoda. A kind of squeaking, or stridulating noiso, is said 

 to be made, by tbe rubbing of the cophalo-thorax against the 

 horny edges of tho abdominal sockot. I have never, however, 

 heard it myself. 



One species only is as yet known in Great Britain, and occurs 

 occasionally in Dorsetshire. 



ASAGENA THALER ATA. 



Pualangium piiALERATUM, Panzer., Faun, Ins. Gorni., 78, 21. 

 Theridion signatum, Blackw., Spid. Groat Brit, and Ircl. p. 205, 



pi. xiv., fig 135. 

 Asaqena serratipes, C. L. Koch, Dio Arachu. vi., p. 98, Taf. 

 204, fig. 502, 503. 



The length of the male is l-5th of an inch, and tho female is 

 somewhat larger. 



This is so conspicuously markod a spider that it cannot well be 

 mistaken for any other known British species. Tho cophalo- 

 thorax is of a deep blackish red-brown colour, and, besides tho 

 granulose surface, it has some short spines on the lateral margins. 

 The legs are strong, rod-brown, with some portions (chiefly the 

 fore-half of the tibiso, and tho fore extremity of the femora) dark 

 brown, or nearly black. The under sides of the femora and tibiae, 

 of those of the first and second pairs, are furnished with short 

 spine-like denticulations. 



Tho abdomen is brownish-black; its fore-extremity on tho 

 upper side, has a curved, sometimes bisected, golden yellow, trans- 

 vorse stripe, directly behind tho middle of which is a small, somo- 

 what linear spot ; another short, curved, transverse, rathor obliquo 

 spot of a similar colour occurs, on each side, about the middle ; and 

 another, elongated, contral spot at the hinder extremity. Somo 

 little variety exists, in difforent examples, in the number, size, 

 and form, of these yellow markings. The palpi are short, and 

 of a dark rod-brown colour ; the radial joint is largo and dilated 

 in front; tho digital joint very large, and the palpal organs 

 complex with strong, prominent processes near their extremity. 

 .Found, though very rarely, among heathor, and under stonos 



