OCR Text |
Show 1875.] NEW SPECIES OF ERIGONE. 327 the tibiae of the first pair are rather incrassated on the underside not far from the fore extremity, and at this part the hairs are longer, stronger, and more numerous than elsewhere; the undersides of the femora of the first pair of legs are also furnished with short, very slightly curved semispinous bristles; these characteristics of the first pair are repeated, though in a much less marked degree, in the legs of the second pair. The colour of the legs is a clear yellow. The palpi are similar to the legs in colour; they are short, but rather strong, and the cubital joint is curved: the radial is very short, but has its fore extremity on the inner side produced into a long, strong, slightly curved apophysis, whose extremity points outwards ; from beneath the outer side of this apophysis spring two prominent corneous projections whose independent sharp points meet in a somewhat scissor-like form: the outer side of the radial joint is also produced into a short, prominent, obtusely pointed apophysis, whose extremity is furnished with a few very short divergent bristles ; and below this near the underside of the radial joint is another slightly curved corneous projection, apparently connected with the two others, whose points meet as above mentioned. The structure of this joint is very peculiar, and by no means easy to observe or describe correctly ; but the particulars given, together with the figures, will, it is believed, serve to distinguish it readily from any other yet described. The digital joint is of good size, obtuse at its fore extremity, and furnished with coarse hairs. The palpal organs are prominent and rather complex, with a strong, curved, pointed corneous process towards their fore extremity. The falces are moderately long and tolerably strong, being rather prominent near the middle in front, when looked at in profile; they are each furnished with two or three teeth close together near their extremity on the inner side, there being also another a little above them and rather more in front. The maxilla and labium are similar in colour to the legs, and present no unusual feature. The abdomen is oval, tolerably convex above, glossy, but of a dull leaden black colour, sparingly clothed with hairs, and does not project very much over the base of the cephalothorax. The female differs from the male in the relative length of the legs, which are 4, 1, 2, 3, instead of 1,4, 2, 3, those of the first pair entirely wanting the distinctive characters of those of the male, while a few very slender erect spines are observable on their upper-sides ; the abdomen is of a yellowish brown hue slightly suffused with blackish behind and towards the underside; it is also more densely clothed with hairs than that of the male, and (in spirit of wine) there are several pale transverse curved lines in a longitudinal series visible on the hinder part above the spinners ; the form of the genital aperture is characteristic. It is possible that this may not be the female of the male above described, though it agrees sufficiently well with it in general characters. An adult example of each sex was sent to me by M . Eugene Simon, by whom they were found at Troyes, France, in 1871. |