*
Salticus frontalis. PI. Ill, fig. 27-
Salticus frontalis, Blackw., Annals and Mag. o f Nat. Hist., second series, vol. vii,
p. 402.
— rufifrons, Blackw., Research, in Zool., p. 420.
— maculatus, Wider, Museum Senckenb., Band i, p. 278, taf. 18, fig. 10.
Attus frontalis, Walck., Hist. Nat. des Insect. Apt., tom. i, p. 415.
— — Koch, Die Arachn., Band xiv, p. 44, tab. 474, figs. 1304, 1305.
Length of the female, gth of an inch ; length of the cephalo-thorax, ,^th, breadth, ^th ;
breadth of the abdomen, T'5th ; length of a posterior leg, gth ; length of a leg of the second
pair, jth.
The legs are robust, hairy, and of a yellowish-brown colour ; the fourth pair is the
longest, then the third, and the second pair is the shortest; on the under side of the tibiæ and
metatarsi there are some sessile spines, those on the first and second pairs being the most
conspicuous ; and each tarsus is terminated by two slender, curved, plain claws. The palpi,'
which resemble the legs in colour, have a short, dark, longitudinal streak on the anterior part
of the radial joint. The cephalo-thorax is nearly quadrilateral ; it slopes abruptly behind,
projects a little beyond the falces, in front, and is clothed with hairs, which are densest on the
anterior part ; its colour is yellowish-brown, the region of the eyes and the lateral margins
being blackish, and the eyes are encircled by red hairs. The falces are small, conical, vertical,
armed with a few teeth on the inner surface, and, with the maxillæ, are of a yellowish-brown
colour, tinged with red. The lip is triangular, pointed at the apex, and of a brown hue, with
yellowish-brown margins ; and the sternum, which is oval, is provided with long, dark-
coloured hairs, and has a yellowish-brown tint. The abdomen is oviform, hairy, rather
. depressed, and projects over the base of the cephalo-thorax; it is of a yellowish-brown colour,
with numerous, irregular, black streaks on the sides and upper part ; a series of black marks,
somewhat of a triangular form, occupies the medial line, and two longitudinal rows of black
spots extend along the under part. The sexual organs have a reddish tint, with two small,
circular spots of a darker hue; and the colour of the branchial opercula is pale-brown, tinged
with yellow.
The male is smaller and darker coloured than the female. Its cephalo-thorax has a brown
hue, the lateral margins being almost black, and is clothed with orange-brown hairs, which
are densest on the anterior part. The falces are of a dark-brown colour, with red-brown extremities
; and the maxillæ, sternum, and lip have a brown hue, the last being the darkest.
The anterior legs are powerful and black, with the exception of the tarsi, which are white, and
in longitudinal extent are equal to the third pair ; the third and fourth pairs have a reddish-
brown hue, and the colour of the second pair is the same, except that the under part of the femora,
tibiæ, and metatarsi, is black, and the tarsi have a yellowish-white tint. The humeral joint
of the palpi is clavate, and of a brownish-black hue, with some strong bristles at its extremity ;
the cubital and radial joints are short, and of a pale, yellowish-brown colour, the latter having a
dark, red-brown spot in front; both are supplied with coarse, white hairs on the upper side, those
on the radial joint being the longer; the digital joint is of a reddish-brown hue, and has some
long, coarse, white hairs on the upper part, towards the inner sid e ; it is of an oval form,
convex and hairy externally, concave within, comprising the palpal organs, which are highly
developed and very prominent, extending to the articulation of the cubital with the radial
jo int; they have a slender, blackish spine, curved into a circular form, at their extremity, and
are of a pale-flesh colour. In a state of repose the palpi mask the falces, and the coarse,
white hairs with which they are provided form an obtuse, curvilinear angle, whose vertex is
directed downwards. The abdomen is slenderer and less distinctly marked than that of the
female, and its colour is darker.
Specimens of this spider, which is partial to well-wooded districts, have been procured
in Denbighshire, Caernarvonshire, Yorkshire, and Lancashire. In June the female constructs
an oval cell of white silk, of a slight texture, usually attached to the inferior surface of stones
or withered leaves, in which she deposits about sixteen spherical eggs, of a pale-yellow colour,
connected by fine lines of silk.
Salticus obscurus. Pi. I ll, fig. 28.
Salticus obscurus, Blackw., Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., second series, vol. vi,
p. 336.
*— — Blackw., Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., second series, vol. vii,
p. 402.
Length of the male, gth of an inch ; length of the cephalo-thorax, ^th, breadth, 5‘6th ;
breadth of the abdomen, ^th ; length of a posterior leg, àth ; length of a leg of the third
pair, „til.
The legs are short, robust, and of a reddish-brown colour, the metatarsi and tarsi being
the palest ; the fourth pair is rather the longest, then the first, and the third pair is the
shortest ; the femora, genua, and tibiæ of the anterior pair of legs are remarkably powerful,
the first being very convex on the. upper part, and the last densely covered with hairs on
their inferior surface ; each tarsus is terminated by two curved claws. The palpi are short,
and similar in colour to the legs. The radial joint is smaller than the cubital, and projects a
pointed apophysis from its extremity, on the outer side ; the digital joint is large, oval, convex,
and hairy externally, concave within, comprising the palpal organs, which are highly deve*
loped, very prominent at the base, provided with a black spine curved into a circular form at
their extremity, on the outer side, and are of a red-brown colour. The cephalo-thorax is large,
sparingly clothed with white hairs, nearly quadrilateral, and projects a little beyond the base
of the falces, which are small, conical, and vertical ; the sternum is oval. These parts, with
the maxillæ and lip, are of a dark, reddish-brown hue. The abdomen is oviform, convex above,
projecting over the base of the cephalo-thorax ;. it is of a very dark, reddish-brown colour, a
few white hairs being distributed oVe? its Upper surface, and on each side of the medial line,