EPEIRA. 
347 
Epeira ceropegia. PI. XXV, fig. 250. 
Epeira ceropegia, Walck., Hist. Nat. des Insect. Apt., tom. ii, p. 51. 
— — Blackw., Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., second series, vol. xiv, 
p. 33. 
— sclopetaria, Hahn, Die Arachn., Band ii, p. 46, tab. 57, fig. 131. 
Miranda ceropegia, Koch, Uebers. des Arachn. Syst., erstes Heft, p. 4. 
— — Koch, Die Arachn., Band v, p. 51, tab. 158, fig. 370. 
Length of the male, T 3 B ths of an inch ; length of the cephalo-thorax, f B ths, breadth, ^th; 
breadth of the abdomen, |th ; length of an anterior leg, fths ; length of a leg of the third 
pair, 4ths. 
The four intermediate eyes, which are seated on a prominence, form a square, and those 
of each lateral pair are placed obliquely on a tubercle, and are almost in contact. The 
cephalo-thorax is convex, glossy, sparingly supplied with hoary hairs, compressed before, 
rounded on the sides, and has a large indentation in the medial line ; the falces are conical, 
vertical, and armed with teeth on the inner surface; the maxillae are short, powerful, rounded 
at the extremity, and have a small, conical process on the outer side, immediately before the 
insertion of the palpi; and the lip is semicircular, but somewhat pointed. These parts are of 
a dark reddish-brown colour, the cephalic region and the extremities of the maxillae and lip 
being the palest. The sternum is heart-shaped, thinly clothed with hoary hairs, and of a 
dark-brown tint. The legs are long, provided with hairs and spines, and of a reddish-brown 
hue, with obscure annuli of a deeper shade on the tibiae and metatarsi; the tibiae of the second 
pair are enlarged and convex towards the extremity, on the inner side, where there are several 
strong, prominent spines, and a slightly curved, conical process occurs at the extremity of the 
coxae of the anterior pair, on the under side; the tarsi are terminated by three claws of the 
usual structure, and below them there are several smaller ones. The palpi are short, and of 
a yellowish-brown colour, with the exception of the digital joint, which has a dark-brown tint; 
the cubital joint is rather prominent at the extremity, in front, whence project two long, 
curved bristles; the radial is much stronger than the cubital joint, and is provided with two 
apophyses, one of which, on the outer side, is large, obtuse, and protuberant at its base, and 
the other, situated underneath, is smaller and darker coloured; the digital joint is somewhat 
of an oval form, with a strong, obtuse process at the base curved outwards ; it is convex and 
hairy externally, concave within, comprising the palpal organs, which are very highly deve¬ 
loped, very prominent, and complicated in structure, with several curved, pointed processes 
at their extremity, and are of a dark-brown hue tinged with red. The convex sides of the 
digital joints are directed towards each other. The abdomen is oviform, thinly clothed with 
longish, hoary hairs, convex above, and projects over the base of the cephalo-thorax ; it is of 
an olive-brown colour, with a yellow T ish-w r hite, dentated band, which tapers towards the 
spinners, extending along the middle of the upper part, and comprising a narrow, fusiform, 
olive-brown band freckled with yellowish-white; on each side there is an irregular, longi- 
