330 
EPEIRIDiE. 
inner surface; the maxillae are straight, short, strong, and rounded at the extremity ; the lip 
is semicircular, but slightly pointed at the apex ; and the sternum, which is heart-shaped, is 
sparingly clothed with hoary hairs, and has small prominences on the sides, opposite to the 
legs. These parts have a reddish-brown colour, the falces being much the darkest, and the 
extremities of the maxillae and lip much the palest. The legs are long, robust, provided 
with hairs and spines, and of a reddish-yellow colour, with dark-brown annuli, those at the 
anterior extremity of the femora being the broadest; the first pair is the longest, then the 
second, and the third pair is the shortest; the tarsi are terminated by the customary number 
of claws of the usual structure. The palpi resemble the legs in colour, and have a curved, 
pectinated claw at their extremity. The abdomen is oviform, thinly clothed with hairs, 
convex above, and projects over the base of the cephalo-thorax; the upper part is of a 
brownish-yellow colour, freckled with brownish-black; a large, leaf-like, brownish-black mark, 
which tapers to the spinners, and whose sinuous, lateral margins are finely bordered with 
yellowish-white, extends along the middle; the anterior part of this mark comprises a black 
spot of a triangular form, which is bordered with yellowish-white, and whose vertex is 
directed forwards; the posterior part of the mark comprises a brownish-yellow cross, the 
longitudinal portion of which tapers towards the spinners, and includes an irregular, longi¬ 
tudinal, brownish-black line; the transverse portion of the cross is somewhat curved, and its 
extremities do not usually break the continuity of the leaf-like mark, whose posterior part is 
crossed by a few obscure, brownish-yellow bars; a broad, dark-brown band, mottled with 
brownish-yellow, and dentated at its superior margin, extends along each side; the under 
part has a brown-black hue, with a curved, yellowish line on each side ; the sexual organs 
have in connexion with their anterior margin a strong, obtuse process, which is directed 
obliquely backwards and downwards; their colour is dark, reddish-brown, and that of the 
branchial opercula is red-brown. 
The male is smaller, much less robust, darker coloured, and has longer legs than the 
female. Its palpi are short, and of a reddish-yellow colour, with the exception of the digital 
joint, which has a brown hue; the cubital joint has at its extremity, in front, two long, curved 
bristles, directed forwards ; the radial is larger than the cubital joint, and projects a strong 
process from its outer side, which is gibbous near the base, and amply provided with long 
hairs; the digital joint is somewhat oval, having a curved process at its base, directed out¬ 
wards ; it is convex and hairy externally, concave within, comprising the palpal organs, 
which are highly developed and complicated in structure; at their base there is a short, 
strong, prominent, bifid process, divided nearly to its base, where there is a large, obtuse 
protuberance on the inner side; both divisions of the bifid process are nearly equal in length, 
and curve strongly towards the inner side, the superior one, which is the stronger, having a 
pointed projection on its outer side ; lower down, a prominent, depressed, brownish-yellow 
process occurs, which is somewhat enlarged and rounded at its extremity, and near whose 
summit, on the inner side, the obtuse end of a strong process, curved round the extremity 
of the organs, terminates; the colour of the palpal organs is dark, reddish-brown, with 
reddish-yellow intermixed. The convex sides of the digital joints are directed towards each 
other. 
Though Epeira patagiata, Epeira sericata, and Epeira apoclisa, are very closely allied 
species, and inhabit similar localities, and though their colours and the designs formed by 
