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Show 1880.] OF THE GENUS ARGYRODES. 323 The abdomen has its upperside drawn out or elevated into a long tapering or conical form, and very slightly curved, the apex being subacute. It is of a yellow-brownish hue, the underside suffused vrith black-brown ; a dark, central, blackish stripe tapering to a line occupies the upperside, and ends in a short transverse spot or blotch close to the apex ; on each side of this central stripe is a more or less broad and tolerably even-edged, silvery longitudinal band ; and in some examples there are irregular traces of silvery markings on the sides of the abdomen. It is probable that the darker portions of the abdomen will be found in well-preserved examples to be of a deeper hue than that here mentioned, all the examples I have examined having a somewhat faded appearance in the abdomen. Examples of this very distinct species were contained in Professor Traill's Amazons collection. It is possible that this may be the male of Argyrodes lugens, Cambr., inasmuch as all the examples of that Spider were females, and all of the present are males, and all were mixed together in the collection. There is, however, no such similarity of form, either in the abdomen or its pattern, as would lead one to conclude without great doubt that both belong to one species. I have therefore thought it best to describe them at present as distinct from each other, leaving it to future observations to decide whether they be identical or not. ARGYRODES SAMOENSIS, sp. n. (Plate XXVIII. fig. 3.) Adult male, length ^ of an inch ; female rather larger. This Spider is also nearly allied to Argyrodes epeirce, Sim., but is quite distinct from it, differing both in the pattern on the abdomen and in the form of the caput. In the present Spider the two lobes of the caput are equally robust, and are shorter than in A. epeirce; the extremity of the anterior lobe is rather enlarged and very obtuse, clothed (as in other species) with hairs directed backwards and meeting those directed forwards from the posterior lobe over the cleft between the two ; the cleft in the present species is broader, but less deep, than in A. epeirce. A comparison, however, of fig. 3 (Plate XXVIII.) with the figure given of A. epeirce (fig. 3 a, Plate XXVIII.) will show at once these structural differences between the two species. The colour of the cephalothorax and legs is yellow-brown ; and the palpi are similar, excepting that the digital joints are of a deep reddish black-brown hue. In respect of the palpi and palpal organs there is a strong similarity to A. epeirce and others, though the structures of the palpal organs, when examined carefully, show some differences. The legs (relative length 1, 2, 4, 3)-first two pairs long and slender, but not excessively so, and clothed with fine hairs only. The falces, similar in colour to the cephalothorax, are rather shorter than those of A. epeirce. The abdomen is less elevated than in that species, and the profile-line of the upperside is more strongly and regularly curved. It |