smaller ones on the inner surface. The maxillae are somewhat inclined towards the lip. The
legs have a yellowish-red hue, the haunches and thighs being the reddest. The radial joint
of the palpi is larger than the cubital, is somewhat produced at its extremity, in front,
and has some long, slender bristles on the outer side; the digital joint is of an elongated oval
form, convex and hairy externally, concave within, comprising the palpal organs, which are
highly developed, complicated in structure, with a pointed, corneous process directed
obliquely downwards and outwards, and a spiral spine, enveloped in membrane, at their
extremity; their colour is dark reddish-brown. The abdomen is nearly cylindrical, projecting
a little over the base of the cephalo-thorax; it is glossy, and of a dark-brown hue, with an
irregular, white spot on each side of its anterior extremity.
Since the publication of the description of this spider, under the specific name of
sylvatica, in the eighteenth volume of the ‘Transactions of the Linnean Society/ the
suspicion of its identity with the Linyphia pratensis of M. Wider, there expressed, has been
converted into absolute certainty by consulting M. Reuss’s memoir entitled “ Arachniden/’
contained in the first volume of the ‘ Museum Senckenbergianum / consequently, the appellation
sylvatica must rank as a synonym. It will be seen that this opinion has been adopted
by M. Walckenaer, on referring to his ‘ Hist. Nat. des Insect. Ap t./ tom. iv, p. 499.
This species is common in England and Wales, and in the spring of 1849 an immature
male, which had to undergo its final change of integument, was received from Mr. J.
Hardy, who captured it in Berwickshire. Its snare is usually constructed among rank
herbage growing in and near woods, and it pairs in May and June.
Linyphia fuliginea. PL XY, fig. 142.
Linyphia fuliginea, Blackw., Loud, and Edinb. Phil. Mag., third series, vol. iii,
p. 349.
-— — Blackw., Research, in Zool., p. 401.
— — Blackw., Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., second series, vol. viii,
p. 450.
Length of the female, 5th of an inch ; length of the cephalo-thorax, ^th, breadth, 35th ;
breadth of the abdomen, rêth ; length of an anterior leg, ^ths ; length of a leg of the third
pair, Jth.
This spider, though very similar to Linyphia pratensis, is quite distinct from that species.
Its cephalo-thorax is compressed before, rounded on the sides, convex, glossy, with a large
indentation in the medial line ; the falces are long, powerful, conical, armed with teeth on the
inner surface, and inclined towards the sternum,, which is heart-shaped; the maxillæ are
strong, straight, convex underneath, with the exterior angle, at the extremity, curvilinear ; the
lip is semicircular and prominent at the apex. These parts are of a very dark-brown colour,
approaching to black, the cephalo-thorax being the palest. The four intermediate eyes form
a trapezoid whose anterior side is the shortest; the posterior eyes of the trapezoid are the
largest, and the anterior ones the smallest of the eight. The legs are long, slender, provided
with hairs and erect spines, and of a yellowish-brown hue faintly tinged with green; each
tarsus is terminated by three claws; the two superior ones are curved and pectinated, and
the inferior one is inflected near its base. The palpi resemble the legs in colour, and have a
slightly curved claw at their extremity. The abdomen is oviform, thinly clothed with hairs,
glossy, very convex above, projecting over the base of the cephalo-thorax; along the middle
of the upper part there extends an obscurely dentated, dark-brown band, bordered with white,
and encompassed by a dark-brown band, below which, and surrounding the whole, is a white
band, whose continuity is more or less interrupted; all below the last-named band, including
the branchial opercula, is of a dark-brown hue, approaching to black; the external orifices of
the sexual organs are exceedingly minute, and a small, semicircular process is connected with
their inferior margin.
The sexes differ from each other in various particulars. The male is smaller and slenderer
than the female, its cephalo-thorax is longer, its maxillae are somewhat enlarged at the
extremity, and its legs have a light red-brown tint. The palpi resemble the legs in colour,
with the exception of the radial and digital joints, which have a brownish-black h u e ; the
cubital and radial joints are short, the latter being much the stronger, particularly at its
extremity; the digital joint is of an oblong-oval form, convex and hairy externally, concave
within, comprising the palpal organs, which are highly developed, complicated in structure,
with a process directed upwards, which extends beyond the base of the joint, and a long,
filiform, prominent spine enveloped in a delicate membrane, and curved upwards and.somewhat
outwards in a circular form; their colour is brownish-black tinged with red. The
convex sides of the digital joints are directed towards each other. The abdomen is nearly
cylindrical, glossy, and of a brownish-black hue, with a white spot on each side of its anterior
extremity.
L inyphia fulig in ea is found in various parts of North Wales and Lancashire; it pairs in
June, and constructs a snare of moderate dimensions among the grass of meadows and
pastures. The male closely resembles the male of Linyphia pratensis, but may be distinguished
from it by its inferior size, and by the structure of its palpal organs.
Linyphia rubea. PI. XV, fig. 143.
Linyphia rubea, Blackw., Linn. Trans., vol. xviii, p. 661.
— — Blackw., Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., second series, vol. viii,
p. 450.
Length of the female, êths of an inch ; length of the cephalo-thorax, ^th, breadth, ^st ;
breadth of the abdomen, ^th ; length of an anterior leg, ?th ; length of a leg of the third
pair, yth.