OCR Text |
Show 282 REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE ON N E W ARANEIDEA. [Mar. 4, not identical; it is, however, much smaller, and differs both in length, strength, and direction of the spines as well as in colour. Hab. Australia. GASTERACANTHA CANESTRINII, sp. n. (Plate XXVL fig. 2.) Female, immature?: longitudinal diameter, exclusive of spines, scarcely 2 lines, transverse diameter 2|. Spines four, one at each end of the abdomen, the fore and hind outlines of which they carry on to sharp points. These two lateral spines are larger, and very much stronger than the other two, which are at the posterior extremity of the abdomen, and their points a little divergent from each other. The abdomen is of a dull blackish-brown hue; the sigilla normal in size, number, and position, and slightly tinged with reddish brown. The cephalothorax is large, but of normal form ; its colour, as well as that of the falces, legs, palpi, and abdominal spines, is a dull brownish yellow. From its only known near allies (G. quadridens, C. L. Koch, and G. pallida ejusd.) it may be known at once by the much greater length and strength of the two lateral spines. A single example (received through Frederick Bond, Esq.) from Antigua. GASTERACANTHA RIMATA, sp. n. (Plate XXVL fig. 3.) Length of the transverse diameter of an immature female, exclusive of the spines, 21 lines, that of the longitudinal diameter being lj line. This Spider is allied to Gasteracantha geminata, C. L. Koch, but may be distinguished at once by the two lateral spines (on each side) being of different lengths, and diverging from each other; the posterior (or intermediate) spine is the longest and strongest. In G. geminata the lateral spines adhere to each other for some distance, until the sharpening off of the points begins; they are also of equal size, and the anterior spine scarcely differs from the other in length. The posterior spines in the present Spider are also proportionally stronger. Several examples, all immature, were received from Ceylon among numerous other Spiders kindly sent to me by Mr. G. II. K. Thwaites. GASTERACANTHA PAVESI, n. sp. (Plate XXVL fig. 4.) Length of the transverse diameter of the adult female, exclusive of the spines, 7 lines ; longitudinal diameter 4 lines. There will be no difficulty in distinguishing this Spider from all others known to me ; it forms, in fact, the type of quite a new group, whose characteristics are the wide separation between the anterior and intermediate spines, and the close proximity of the latter to the posterior ones, which last are also most abnormally separated. The anterior spines are small, directed straight forwards from the central portion of the very convex fore margin of the abdomen, the interval |