THOMISUS. 
77 
in front, depressed behind, and without an indentation in the medial line; the falces are 
short, strong, subconical, and vertical; the maxillae are powerful, convex near the base, and 
inclined towards the lip, which is somewhat oval; and the sternum is heart-shaped: the legs 
are provided with a few hairs and some strong spines, two parallel rows of the latter being 
conspicuous on the inferior surface of the tibiae and metatarsi of the first and second pairs, which 
are much longer and more robust than the third and fourth pairs ; the first pair is the longest, 
then the second, and the third pair is the shortest; each tarsus is terminated by two curved, 
pectinated claws : the palpi are short, and have a small, curved, pectinated claw at their 
extremity. These parts have a yellowish-green colour, the maxillae and lip being the 
yellowest. The eyes are disposed on the anterior part of the cephalo-thorax in two trans¬ 
verse, curved rows, forming a crescent whose convexity is directed forwards ; the eyes of each 
lateral pair, which are seated on a tubercle, are larger than the intermediate ones, those of 
the anterior row being the largest of the eight. The abdomen is oviform, broader in the 
middle than at the extremities, convex above, projecting over the base of the cephalo-thorax ; 
it is of a pale, dull-yellow colour, with a large, oval, dark-brown band extending along 
the middle of the upper part, whose margin, which is the darkest, presents an irregular 
outline ; the sexual organs have the appearance of two minute, brownish-black spots; and 
the colour of the branchial opercula is pale-yellow. 
The male is smaller and slenderer than the female, but its legs are longer than hers, an 
anterior one measuring half an inch. It also differs from her in colour, the cephalo-thorax 
having a reddish-brown hue, with narrow, black, lateral margins, and a deep shade of brown 
about the region of the eyes. The falces have a pale, reddish-brown tint, with a minute, 
dark-brown spot near their base, in front. The colour of the maxillae, lip, and sternum is 
yellowish-brown. The legs have a reddish-brown hue, with dark-brown annuli, tinged with 
red, at the extremity of the femora, genua, tibiae, metatarsi, and tarsi; sometimes the femora 
have a tinge of green, and are marked with small, red-brown spots, particularly on the under 
side. The palpi have a yellowish-brown tint, with the exception of the digital joint, which is 
of a dark-brown colour; the cubital and radial joints are short, the latter projecting two 
apophyses from its extremity, one situated underneath, and the other, which is bifid at its 
extremity, on the outer side; the digital joint is oval, pointed at the end, convex and hairy 
externally, concave within, comprising the palpal organs, which are moderately developed, 
with a slender, black spine, curved from the outer side round the base, inner side, and 
extremity, and are of a reddish-brown colour. The dark-brown band on the upper part of 
the abdomen has a pale, dull-yellow line extending along the middle of its anterior half, and 
there are several transverse ones of a similar hue on its posterior half; a brownish-black 
band passes along each side, and the space between the branchial opercula has a red-brown 
tint. 
Adult males and immature females of this species were received from Mr. R. H. 
Meade, in December, 1853, which had been captured by Mr. Francis Walker, in that and 
the preceding year, at Piercefield, near Chepstow, in Monmouthshire; and in the autumn of 
1854, Mr. Meade met with numerous immature individuals among bushes of box, growing on 
the chalk-hills of Buckinghamshire. 
