OCR Text |
Show 1882.] SPIDERS F R O M M A D A G A S C A R . 767 falces large and powerful, the movable claw curved and tapering a fine point; palpi short, but with rather long, subcylindrical, slightly incurved, pointed, hairy terminal article; legs as usual short and hairy, with the femora somewhat flattened ; sternum pentagonal, scutiform. Abdomen transverse, unequally hexagonal, the angles mammoid, terminating in short acute spines, somewhat ascending ; the form of the abdomen, irrespectively of the angles, forms a truncated cone rather wider than long; the anterior margin is convex in the centre and projects at the anterior angles in the form of an obtuse tubercle in front of the anterior spines ; the dorsal surface is nearly flat, slightly convex, granulose-punctate, with the impressed spots represented by rather large shallow depressions ; the ventral surface is strongly granulose, shelving, and deeply pitted at the sides, convex and transversely plicated in the centre. Entire length, including the posterior pair of spines, 4 millim. ; width of abdomen, including spines, at widest part, 5| millim., at posterior lateral spines 4 millim. Two examples : Central Madagascar. It is possible that this may be the male of some species described from the female ; but if so, the form of the abdomen differs so much as to preclude a cabinet-naturalist from determining to which species it should be assigned. U L O B O RIDi;. ULOBORUS, Latreille. 7. U L O B O R U S V E L U T I N U S , sp. n. (Plate LVII. figs. 6, 6 a, 6 b.) Cephalothorax, sternum, and coxal joints of legs dull black, covered with white pilosity ; when dry the cephalothorax is brown with a white dorsal spot ; remainder of legs whitish, the femora indistinctly barred with red-brov\n, the tibiae partly red-brown, the hairy clothing partly tipped with black ; tarsi yellowish, with black terminal articles ; abdomen dull velvety-black, with four whitish dots in an arched series across the front, a broad transverse oblong yellowish patch on each side before the middle, two minute white specks in the dorsal region between the latter, and two small white spots towards the posterior extremity, ventral surface greyish. Cephalothorax bell-shaped, shelving, slightly depressed behind the caput ; eyes arranged much as usuall, but the posterior lateral eyes as large as the posterior central pair : abdomen oval, shelving obliquely in front and behind ; viewed laterally it is cuneiform with the short anterior margin arched ; the edge of the transverse ridge is depressed in the middle, leaving two obtuse humps, one on either side; ventral surface deeply and transversely depressed behind the spinnerets, convex and irregularly plicated behind this depression; legs 1, 4, 2, 3, the anterior pair long, the femoral and tibial articles thick and slightly compressed, the tibiae fringed towards the distal extremity with hair, tarsi slender ; remaining legs comparatively weak, cylindrical. Entire length 5 millim. East coast of Madagascar. 1 See Simon, Hist. Nat. des Araignees, p. 244. PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1882, No. LI. 51 |