The sexes, .though similar in colour, present marked differences in structure. The male,
besides being smaller than the female, has the anterior extremity of its cephalo-thorax. more
pointed, and the tibiae of its second pair of legs stronger and more amply provided with
spines than she has. The coxae of its anterior pair of legs have a curved process at their
extremity, on the under side, and those of the second pair have a conical, pointed, process
at their base. Its palpi are short; two long bristles project from the extremity of the cubital
joint, in front, and the radial joint has an obtuse, light-coloured apophysis on its outer side,
which has a small protuberance at its base, and a dark-coloured one on its inner sid e; the
digital joint is of a slender, elongated, oval form, with a black process at its base, which is
curved outwards, and enlarged at its extremity; it is convex and hairy externally, slightly
concave within, and the palpal organs, which are connected with this concavity, are very
highly developed, remarkably prominent, and complicated in structure; they have a strong,
curved, pointed process at their extremity, and their colour is a mixture of black, yellowish-
brown, and reddish-brown. The convex sides of the digital joints are directed towards
each other.
Specimens of this showy species have been received from Staffordshire, Shropshire,
Northamptonshire, Middlesex, and Devonshire, but it does not appear to have been observed
in the north of England or Wales.
E peira s ig n at a .
Epeira signata, Blackw., A n n a ls a n d M ag . o f N a t. H is t., second serie s, vol. vi,
p. 341.
"• v,-- “-. — B lackw., Ib id ., vol. x , p . 182.
Length of an immature male, &ths of an inch; length of the cephalo-thorax, ^th,
breadth, Ath; breadth of the abdomen, ^th; length of an anterior leg, ^ths ; length of a leg
of the third pair, ^ths.
The four intermediate eyes form a square, and each lateral pair is seated obliquely on a
small tubercle. The cephalo-thorax is convex, compressed before, rounded on the sides,
abundantly supplied with white hairs, particularly on the anterior part, and has an indentation
in the medial lin e ; it is of a dark,.red-brown colour, which is most intense on the sides, and a
conspicuous, yellowish-white spot occurs in the angle formed by the furrows which serve to
distinguish the head from the thorax. The falces are conical, vertical, armed with teeth on
the inner surface, and of a red-brown colour, which is darkest at the base, in front. The
maxillae are short, straight, and rounded at the extremity. The lip is nearly semicircular, but
somewhat pointed; and the sternum is heart-shaped. These parts are of a dark, red-brown
colour, with the exception of the extremities of the maxillae and lip, which are much paler.
The legs are robust, provided with hairs and spines, and are of a pale, reddish-brown hue,
with streaks, spots, and annuli of a' deeper shade; the tarsi are terminated by three claws of
the usual structure, belovy which there are several smaller ones. The palpi are short, and
resemble the legs in colour. The abdomen is short, broad, sparingly clothed with hairs,
convex above, projecting over the base of the cephalo-thorax; the upper part is of a dark,
red-brown colour, freckled with numerous minute spots of a lighter hue, and near the
anterior extremity, on each side of the medial line, there is a large, yellowish-white sp o t; the
sides are paler than the back, and along the middle of the under part a broad, dark, reddish-
brown band, extends, which comprises two curved, yellowish-white lines, whose concavities
are directed towards each other; the colour of the branchial opercula is dark, reddish-brown.
The specimen from which the above description was made had the digital joint of the palpi
very tumid, but the palpal organs were not developed, clearly demonstrating that it had to
undergo its final change of integument before it arrived at maturity.
This distinctly marked spider was taken at Broadstairs, in Kent, in the month of
September, by Mr. F. Walker, and occupies a place in his cabinet.
Epeira ijmbratica. PI. X X IV , fig. 241.
Epeira umbratica, W a lck ., H is t. N a t. des In s e c t. A p t., tom . ii, p . 66.
— — S u n d ., V e t. A c ad . H a n d l., 1832, p . 238.
— H a h n , D ie A ra c h n ., B a n d ii, p . 2 4 , ta b . 4 6 , fig. 112.
— Koch, U e h e rs des A ra ch n . S y st., erste s H e ft, p . 2.
— — B la ckw., L in n . T ra n s ., vol. xix, p. 127.
— — K o ch , D ie A ra ch n ., B an d xi, p. 128, ta b . 3 8 9 , figs. 9 3 0 , 931.
— — Bla ckw ., A n n a ls a n d M ag . o f N a t. H is t., second series, vol. x,
p. 182.
— umbraticola, L a tr ., G e n . C ru s t, e t In s e c t., tom . i, p . 105.
Titulns 9, L is te r, H is t. An im al. A n g l. D e A ran ., p. 4 4 , ta b . 1, fig. 9.
Length of the female, ^ths of an inch; length of the cephalo-thorax, ith, breadth, gth ;
breadth of the abdomen, ^ths; length of an anterior leg, ^ths; length of a leg of the third
pair, ^ths.
The abdomen is somewhat oviform, greatly depressed, thinly clothed with hairs, and
projects over the base of the cephalo-thorax; on the upper part there is a large, oval space, of
a very dark-brown colour, which tapers to the spinners, and whose sinuous lateral margins are
almost black; within the oval space, on each side of the medial line, there is a longitudinal
series of five or six indentations, and exterior to it, but following its sinuosities, there is an
obscure, whitish line ; the sides, which have a brown tint, are palest at their superior margin;
a few dull-yellow spots form a curve above the spinners; and the under part has a brownish-
black hue, with a yellowish, curved spot on each side of the medial line; a depressed, oval
process, directed backwards, is connected with the anterior part of the sexual organs, which,
with the branchial opercula, are of a dark-brown colour. The cephalo-thorax is slightly
convex, compressed before, broadly truncated in front, rounded on the sides, sparingly clothed