trapezoid, which are somewhat wider apart, and are seated on a less prominent protuberance
of the cephalo-thorax, together with slight modifications in the structure and development of
the. palpal organs of the male, serve, independently of colour, to distinguish it from the
former, with which it has probably been confounded. L inyphia terricola is common among
moss growing in woods in many parts of England and Wales; it occurs also in Scotland
and Ireland, and the sexes arrive at maturity in July and August.
The length of the male of this species given by M. Koch in the text is incorrect, but the
line representing it in the plate rectifies the error.
M. Walckenaer has added L inyphia terricola to the synonyma of his lin y p h ia bucculenta
0 Hist. Nat. des Insect. Apt.’ t. iv, p. 485), which is a very different species, and is identical
with the L inyphia socialis of Professor Sundevall, the name Linyphia bucculenta having been
conferred by the Swedish naturalist on the species denominated Linyphia reticulata by
M. Walckenaer.
Lin y p h ia Me a d i i . PI. XVI, fig. 154.
Linyphia Meadii, Blackw., Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., second series, vol. xi, p. 17.
à —■ Blackw., Ibid., p. 119.
Length of the female, |th of an inch ; length of the cephalo-thorax, ^th, breadth, ^th ;
breadth of the abdomen, ^th ; length of an anterior leg, -}th ; length of a leg of the third
pair, Èth.
The cephalo-thorax is oval, convex, glossy, with slight furrows on the sides converging
towards an indentation in the medial line ; the falces are powerful, conical, nearly vertical,
divergent at the extremity, and armed with teeth on the inner surface ; the maxillæ are
straight, with the exterior angle, at the extremity, curvilinear ; the legs and palpi are provided
with hairs and fine spines. These parts are of a light yellow-brown colour, the legs and
palpi being rather the palest. The lip is semicircular and prominent at the apex ; and the
sternum is short, broad, and heart-shaped. These parts are browner than the cephalo-
thorax, the margins of the sternum being the darkest. The first pair of legs is the longest,
the second pair rather surpasses the fourth, and the third pair is the shortest ; each tarsus is
terminated by three claws ; the two superior ones are curved and slightly pectinated, and the
inferior one is inflected near its base. The eyes are seated on black spots ; the four intermediate
ones describe a trapezoid whose anterior side is the shortest, and those of each
lateral pair are placed obliquely on a small tubercle and are nearly contiguous ; the anterior
eyes of the trapezoid are the smallest of the eight. The abdomen is oviform, thinly clothed
with hairs, convex above, and projects over the base of the cephalo-thorax ; it is of a dull,
olive-green colour, with a series of obscure, pale yellowish-brown, oblique streaks on each
side of the medial line of the upper part, and a band of the same hue extending along each
side ; a large, prominent, red-brown process, connected with the anterior margin of the
sexual organs, is directed backwards ; and the colour of the branchial opercula is pale-
yellow.
The sexes are similar in colour, but the abdomen of the male is slenderer than that of
the female, and its maxillae are slightly inclined towards the lip. The cubital and radial
joints of its palpi are short, the latter being most produced at its extremity, on the inner side ;
the digital joint is somewhat oval, with a large lobe on the outer side ; it is convex and hairy
externally, concave within, comprising the palpal organs, which are highly developed, prominent,
complex in structure, with a large process at their base consisting of three parts; the
superior one, which is curved at its extremity, is in contact with the radial joint, on the outer
side, and the other two are directed downwards, the one which is situated nearer to the
inner side, and is the slenderer and more curved, having a projection on the outside of its
curvature and another within, nearer to its base I a short, prominent, curved process, whose
point is in contact with a small’;! semitransparent membrane, occurs at the extremity of these
organs, and their colour red-brown of various shades. The convex sides of the digits
joints are directed towards each other.
Early in May, 1852, adult individuals of both sexes of lin y p h ia M eadii were taken by
Mr. R. H. Meade, under a stone in a pasture at Low Moor, near Bradford.
Li \ Y ph i a Cl a y to n iæ . PI. XVI, fig. 155.
Linyphia Claytoniæ, Blackw., Linn. Trans., vol. xviii, p. 664.
_ _ Blackw., Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., second series, vol. ix,
p. 19.
i 51: ^ __- Walck., Hist. Nat. des Insect. Apt., tom. iv, p. 499.
_ anlhradna, Blackw., Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., second senes, vol. xi,
p. 18.
, — Blackw., Ibid., p. 119.
Length of the female, jth of an inch ; length of the cephalo-thorax, Ath, breadth, nth ;
breadth of the abdomen, ^th ; length of an anterior leg, 1th; length of a leg of the third
pair, Istbs.
The legs are long, slender, provided with hairs and a few fine spines, and, with the
palpi, have a. bright, yellowish-red hue. The first pair of legs is the longest, then the
second, and the third pair is the shortest ; each tarsus is terminated by three claws ; the two
superior ones are curved and slightly pectinated, and the inferior one is inflected near its
base. The cephalo-thorax is oval, convex, glossy, with an indentation jn the medial me;
the falces are powerful, conical, armed with a few teeth on the inner surface, and inclined
towards the sternum, which is heart-shaped, convex, and glossy; the maxillæ are straight,
with the exterior angle, at the extremity, curvilinear; and the lip, which is semicircuar,
is prominent at the apex. These parts are of a very dark-brown colour. The four intermediate
eyes describe a trapezoid whose anterior side is the shortest, and those o eac
lateral pair are seated obliquely on a tubercle, and are nearly contiguous ; the anterior eyes
of the trapezoid are the smallest of the eight. The abdomen is oviform, and of a glossy