OCR Text |
Show 446 REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE ON SIBERIAN SPIDERS. [May 6, also are the maxillae, labium, and sternum, neither of which appeared to present any thing remarkable in form. The abdomen is black, clothed tolerably thickly with palish hairs ; it is of an oval form and projects pretty strongly over the base of the cephalothorax ; about the middle of the upperside are four strongish pits or circular depressions, forming a quadrangle, whose fore side is tbe shortest; behind these, towards the spinners, are several transverse, pale, curved lines, indicated by wrinkles or folds in the skin, and forming a longitudinal series corresponding to the angular lines or chevrons so often observed on the same part of the abdomen. The spinners are small and almost concealed by a strong surrounding rim or elevated fold of a semicorne-ous- looking nature ; the spiracular plates are pale yellow. The female is larger than the male, but resembles it in colours, general structure, and character ; but the clypeus is lower. The falces have several dark denticulations on their fore side, but not so many or so strongly developed as the male; they want the strong tooth on the middle of the inner side, but have some smaller sharp ones in the ordinary position towards the extremity on the inner side. The form of the sexual apperture is peculiar, vide figure (10 e). Both sexes, adult, were found iu the Siberian collection received from M. Taczanowski, with whose name I have great pleasure in connecting this fine and striking species. ERIGONE (NERIENE) WAGCE, sp. n. (Plate XLI. fig. 11.) Adult male, length 1 line. This very interesting Spider will be recognized at once as a near ally to E. apicata (Bl.), having, like that species, a very characteristic eminence behind the ocular area ; in this present instance, however, there will be no difficulty in distinguishing the two species at a glance. The eminence in the present species is much stronger and higher ; it is of a somewhat subconical form and is directed forwards ; and at its base behind is a strong notch or transverse indentation from its summit, which is obliquely truncated : it is continued by a long, strong, curved, slightly sinuous, tapering spine, apparently composed of two smaller spine-like bristles closely united; in one example the two were separated for a little distance from their extremities. The ocular area is prominent and has a somewhat noselike prominence below, upon which the fore central eyes are seated; this causes the clypeus to retreat strongly directly below the eyes, but it is a little prominent at its lower margin ; the height of the clypeus exceeds half that of the facial space. The colour of the cephalothorax is yellowish brown, margined with black, and the normal grooves and indentations are dusky. The eyes form a transverse and rather obtuse oval figure ; they are not very unequal in size ; those of the hind central pair are further from each other than each is from the hind lateral on its side; those of each lateral pair are contiguous to each other, and placed slightly obliquely ; the fore laterals are the largest of the eight, and each is very nearly contiguous to the fore central on its side, the fore centrals also being not quite contiguous to each other. |