Epeira tubulosa. PL XXVII, fig. 262.
Epeira tubulosa, Walck., Hist. Nat. des Insect. Apt., t. ii, p. 86.
— Blackw., Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., second, series, vol. x,
p. 249.
Singa hamata, Koch, Die Arachn., Band iii, p. 42, tab. 88, figs. 197, 198.
,1^7 » — Koch, Uebers. des Arachn. Syst., erstes Heft., p. 6.
— melanocephala, Koch, Die Arachn., Band iii, p. 44, tab. 88, fig. 199.
Htulus 7, Lister, Hist. Animal. Angl. De Aran., p. 40, tab. 1, fig. 7.
Length of the female, 3th 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, |jths.
The cephalo-thorax is convex, glossy, compressed before, rounded on the sides, and has
an indentation in the medial lin e ; the falces are conical, vertical, and armed with teeth on
the inner surface; the maxillae are short, powerful, and enlarged and rounded at the extremity;
the lip is semicircular, but somewhat pointed; and the sternum is heart-shaped, with small
eminences on the sides, opposite to the legs. These parts are of a dark-brown colour, the
falces, maxillae, and the extremity of the lip, which are the palest, having a tinge of red. The
four intermediate eyes form a trapezoid whose posterior side is the shortest, and those of each
lateral pair are placed obliquely on a small tubercle, but are not in contact; the anterior eyes
of the trapezoid are the largest of the eight, and are seated on a protuberance. The legs are
robust, provided with hairs and a few spines, and of a yellowish-brown hue, with obscure
annuli of a deeper shade at the joints; each tarsus is terminated by the customary number of
claws of the usual structure. The palpi resemble the legs in colour. The abdomen is of an
oblong oviform figure, thinly clothed with hairs, glossy, convex above, and projects over the
base of the cephalo-thorax; the upper part is of a dark-brown colour, the extremities being
the darkest; a yellowish-white line, intersected at right angles by several yellowish-white
streaks, extends along the middle, and a longitudinal one of the same hue passes above
each side; the sides are of a yellowish-white colour marked with oblique, brown streaks;
and the under part, which has a brownish-black tint, is bounded laterally by a yellowish-
white line.
The sexes are similar in colour, but the male, which is the smaller, is somewhat darker
and less distinctly marked than the female. The cubital and radial joints of its palpi are
short; the digital joint is oval, and of a dark-brown hue; it is convex and hairy externally,
concave within, comprising the palpal organs, which are highly developed, complicated in
structure, and of a brown-black colour.
According to Lister, Epeira tuiulosa, which appears to be a very local species, is sometimes
found in great abundance in moist situations. In June the female constructs one or
two lenticular cocoons of white silk, in which she deposits her eggs, of a pale-yellow colour.
An adult female was taken in 1856, by the Rev. 0 . P. Cambridge, near Blandford, in
Dorsetshire.
Epeira calva. PI. XXVII, fig. 263.
Epeira calva, Blackw., Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., second series, vol, x, p. 9 9 ;
and vol. xiv, p. 33.
Length of the female, Jth of an inch ; length of the cephalo-thorax, Ath, breadth, ^th;
breadth of the abdomen, # h ; length of an anterior leg, Jth; length of a leg of the third
pair, gth.
The four intermediate eyes, which are seated on a black prominence, describe a quadrilateral
figure whose anterior side is slightly the shortest, and those of each lateral pair are
placed obliquely on a small, black tubercle and are almost in contact; the posterior eyes of
the quadrilateral figure are the largest, and the anterior ones the smallest of the eight. The
cephalo-thorax is compressed before, rounded on the sides, elevated and convex in the
cephalic region, depressed behind, glossy, and of a very dark-brown colour, with a broad,
yellowish-brown band in the middle, which decreases in breadth to its posterior extremity,
where it has a yellowish-white tint. The falces are powerful, conical, vertical, armed with
teeth on the inner surface, and of a reddish-brown colour, the base being the darkest. The
maxill® are short, straight, and enlarged and rounded at the extremity; the lip is semicircular,
but somewhat pointed. These parts are of a very dark-brown hue, their extremities
being faintly tinged with red. The sternum is heart-shaped, with small prominences on the
sides, opposite to the legs, and its colour is brownish-black. The legs are moderately long,
provided with hairs and a few fine spines, and of a yellowish-brown colour, the femora being
marked with brown, longitudinal streaks; each tarsus is terminated by the customary number
of claws of the usual structure. The palpi are short and of a yellowish-brown hue, the radial
and digital joints being the darkest. The abdomen is oviform, glossy, convex above, and
projects greatly over the base of the cephalo-thorax; the upper part is of a pale, yellowish-
brown colour, and is marked with four minute, brown spots, which form a quadrilateral figure
whose anterior side is the shortest; an irregular, dark-hrown line extends from the anterior
extremity, above each side, more than two thirds of its length, and contiguous to the exterior
margin of these lines, which are most conspicuous at their extremities, there is a parallel band
of yellowish-white; the sides are of a dark-hrown colour, freckled with paler brown, and the
under part, which has a brownish-black hue, is bounded laterally by a yellowish-white band
extending beyond the spinners; the sexual organs are almost concealed by a scale-like process
situated on each side of them.
An immature female of this interesting Epeira was received in October, 1853, from the