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Show 1873.] GENERA A N D SPECIES O F A R A N E I D E A . 127 eluding the prominent ocular portion, is concealed by the enormous development of the corneous covering of the abdomen ; but when viewed laterally the caput is seen protruding slightly forwards from beneath the fore margin, like the head of a tortoise; owing to the prominence of the caput, the clypeus is very retreating, and the falces are set far back. The eyes are rather large, and not very unequal in size; they are grouped at the upper extremity of the prominence : as in Phoroncidia, four form a central square, near on either side of which is a lateral pair, the foremost eye of each pair being almost contiguous to the fore central eye on its side. The colour of the cephalothorax and falces is yellow-brown, that of the maxilla7*, labium, and sternum yellow, the maxillae being marked with dark brown near their bases. The legs are rather strong, but short, and when at rest folded inwards and entirely concealed by the abdomen ; those of the fourth pair are longer than those of the first, and those of the third pair are the shortest; they are all of a yellow colour, and are furnished with hairs. The palpi are short, slender, and similar to the legs in colour. The maxillee are very nearly like those of Phoroncidia, but are not quite so strong, rather longer, and more curved over the labium. The abdomen is nearly round when looked at from above ; but the centre of the fore margin is slightly and obtusely prominent. The surface is corneous, and of a silvery yellowish colour; it is covered with slight shallow but general depressions, giving it an undulating appearance ; the lowest part of each depression is indicated by a largish, nearly round or oval, smooth, shining, red-brown, flat scalelike spot, margined with black. The general surface is broken up into small roundish somewhat tuberculous markings, and is covered sparingly with short prominent hairs ; the sides and fore part are also speckled with small red-brown points ; and the hinder part is transversely rugulose, and marked by some short transverse red-brown dashes. The scale-like spots above mentioned form a single marginal row, with a central quadrangle whose fore side is much the shortest. The underside is yellow, spotted and marked with red-brown; and the spinners occupy the extremity of a large truncated yellow-brown cone, beneath the hinder part of the abdomen. A single adult female of this very remarkable little Spider was sent me from Ceylon in 1871 by Mr. Thwaites ; it seems to bear the same relation to Phoroncidia in the family Theridiides as Eurysoma does to Gasteracantha in the family Epe'irides. STEGOSOMA NASUTUM, sp. nov. (Plate XIV. fig. 11.) Male adult, length f line; female, 1 line. This species is nearly allied to S. testudo; but the surface of the abdomen is more uneven or undulating (having several strongish protuberances on its upperside, the strongest protuberance being in the centre), while in general form it resembles it very closely ; the fore margin, however, instead of being prominent at the centre, is even with the rest; but the hinder extremity is very slightly prominent. |
