| OCR Text |
Show 1876. | REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE ON EGYPTIAN SPIDERS. 571 of tortoise-shell-marked appearance. The unequal distribution of the white spots faintly indicates a longitudinal central dentated band, which decreases in width as it approaches the spinners ; and the black spots are chiefly arranged in a longitudinal line on each side of this band. The sides are marked with a strongish curved black bar towards the fore extremity, between which and the spinners are two or three oblique black markings, sometimes consisting of a mere spot or two, sometimes of a short continuous line. The underside has a large somewhat oblong transverse patch in the middle, which (lying between its ends) appears to continue the curved lateral bars. The cephalothorax is of a somewhat orange-yellow colour, strongly margined with dusky black, and with a similarly coloured longitudinal central bar from the eyes to the indentation where the caput and thorax unite. The clypeus equals two thirds of the facial space in height; it is prominent and divided longitudinally by a blackish bar. The four central eyes form as nearly as possible a square; and those of each lateral pair are contiguous to each other, and obliquely placed on a tubercle ; the intervals between the eyes of the foremost row appear to be as nearly as possible equal, while the interval between the fore central pair is greater than that between each and the fore lateral eye next to it. The legs are long and slender, their relative length 1, 2, 4, 3, those of the first pair being considerably the longest ; they are yellow (sometimes dull orange), the fore extremities of the joints being more or less extensively marked with dark reddish brown ; their armature consists of hairs and bristles only, the latter being rather conspicuous on the tibiae and metatarsi. The maxilla and labium are of normal form and similar to the cephalothorax in colour; the former have a largish dusky black patch on the outer side ; and in some examples all the labium except the apex is of a similar colour. The falces are not very long nor strong; they are similar to the cephalothorax in colour, and marked longitudinally with blackish along their inner sides in front. The sternum is of a glossy blackish brown colour. Several females, adult and immature, were found on low plants near Alexandria. Gen. MIMETUS, Hentz (Ctenophora, Bl.). MlMETUS MONTICOLUS. Ctenophora monticola, Bl. Ann. & Mag. N. H. June 1870 ; Cambr. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 287. A single female of this Spider was found on a prickly-pear plant near Cairo in January 1864, and is identical with those found in a similar situation at Beirut in the following year. |
