numerous black spots, and meet at the spinners; the superior spinners are long, hairy, and
triarticulate; the second joint is black, and the terminal joint, which tapers to its extremity,
and has the spinning-tubes disposed on its inferior surface, is of a reddish-brown colour; the
branchial opercula have a dull-yellow hue. The body and limbs of this species are provided
with numerous compound, sessile hairs.
The male is smaller, paler, and less distinctly marked than the female, and the relative
length of its legs is different, the first pair being longer than the fourth; their absolute length
also is greater, an anterior one measuring 1 inch and ^ths. The palpi are of a yellowish-
brown colour, with the exception of the radial and digital joints, which have a reddish-brown
tint; the radial joint is longer than the cubital, and has two apophyses at its extremity;
one, situated on the outer side, is large, black, and obtuse, and the other, situated underneath,
is acute and of a red-brown h u e ; the digital joint is long, hairy, convex above, at the
base, but cylindrical and pointed at the en d ; the palpal organs are connected with a cavity
on the under side of the basal convexity, and are moderately developed, prominent, rather
complicated in structure, with a strong, black, pointed process projecting boldly from their
base, a prominent scale-like process at the inner side of the upper part, and a long, slender,
curved, black spine originating near their extremity, on the inner side, and directed obliquely
upwards towards the outer sid e ; their colour is red-brown.
In the autumn of 1843, Miss Gertrude Buller Elphinstone found this fine species, which
ranks among our largest indigenous spiders, in dwelling-houses and conservatories at Enfield,
in Middlesex. Subsequently, Miss Ellen Clayton has obtained specimens o f it at Oxford.
When in captivity, Tegenaria atrica constructs a horizontal sheet o f web, with a short
tube at one o f the margins, which serves it for a retreat.
Several months after the publication of the description o f this species in the ‘ Annals
and Magazine of Natural History,’ vol. xiii., p. 179, the tenth volume o f * Die Arachni-
den’ was received, when the fact was ascertained that it had been previously described in
that work; such being the case, the specific name atrica, conferred upon it by M. Koch,
must take precedence of that of seeva, which will follow as a synonym.
Tegenaria civilis. PI. XII, fig. 107.
Tegenaria civilis, Walck., Hist. Nat. des Insect. Apt., tom. ii, p. 7, pi. 16, fig. 1.
— — Koch, Die Arachn., Band viii, p. 37, tab. *264, figs., 618, 619.
• — Blackw., Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., second series, vol. viii,
p. 334.
— domestica, Koch, Uebers. des Arachn. Syst., erstes Heft, p. 13.
Agelena civilis, Sund., Yet. Acad. Handl., 1831, p. 127.
Titulus 17, Lister, Hist. Animal. Angl., De Aran., p. 59, tab. i, fig. 17.
Length of the female, #öths of an in ch ; length of the cephalo-thorax, ^ths, breadth, ith ;
breadth o f the abdomen, 1th; length of a posterior leg, fths ; length of a leg of the third
pair, fths.
The four intermediate eyes form a trapezoid, the two constituting its anterior side,
which is rather the shortest, being the smallest o f the eigh t; the eyes of each lateral pair
are placed obliquely on a small tubercle, but are not contiguous. The cephalo-thorax is
compressed before, rounded on the sides, convex, hairy, and slightly g lo ssy ; it has a pale,
reddish-brown t in t ; but the lateral margins and a broad band extending along each side are
soot-coloured. The falces are powerful, conical, vertical, and are provided with two rows of
teeth, and some long, reddish hairs on the inner surface; the maxillae are strong; the lip is
rather longer than broad, and its extremity is slightly notched. These organs are o f a
reddish-brown colour; the falces,are the darkest, and the extremities of the maxillae and lip
have a yellowish-brown tint. The sternum is heart-shaped; it is of a reddish-brown hue,
with faint, soot-coloured annuli on the sides, opposite to the legs. The legs and palpi are
long, slender, supplied with hairs and sessile spines, and are of a reddish-brown colour ; the
metatarsi and tarsi of the former, and the radial and digital joints of the latter, being the
darkest; the thighs and tibiae are marked with several obscure, soot-coloured annuli, those
on the former being the most conspicuous. The fourth pair of legs is the longest, then the
first, and the third pair is the shortest; each tarsus is terminated by three claws ; the two
superior ones are curved and pectinated, and the inferior one is inflected near its base, on
each side of which there are two fine teeth. The palpi have a curved, pectinated claw at
their extremity. The abdomen is oviform, thickly' covered with- hairs, convex above, projecting
over the base of the cephalo-thorax ; it is of a yellowish-brown hue, with a series of
triangular, soot-coloured spots, the anterior one o f which is the largest, extending along the
middle of the upper part; the sides are marked with oblique rows of soot-coloured spots,
more or less confluent, and on the under part there are three imperfectly defined, longitudinal,
soot-coloured bands ;. the spinners have a yellowish-brown tint; the two superior ones
are the longest, are triarticulate, and have the spinning-tubes disposed on the inferior surface
of the terminal joint; the sexual organs, which are minute, have a red-brown hue; and the
colour of the branchial opercula is yellowish-white. This spider has sometimes a pale,
reddish-brown tint, and the soot-coloured marks are subject to slight modifications o f form
and size. Like some other species o f the family Agelenidce, Tegenaria civilis has numerous
compound, sessile hairs on its body and limbs.
The male bears a near resemblance to the female, and the relative length of its legs is
the same, but the thighs are of a dark, reddish-brown colour, with only a faint appearance
of annuli. The cubital and radial joints of the palpi are short, and the latter, which is the
larger, projects a strong, black, pointed, corneous apophysis from its extremity, on the outer
side ; the digital joint is long, hairy, convex above, at the base, but cylindrical and pointed
at the end; the palpal organs are connected with a cavity on the under side o f the basal
convexity, and are moderately developed, rather complicated in structure, with a strong,
black, curved spine near their extremity, and a prominent, pointed, semi-transparent process
on the outer side, below which, and almost contiguous to it, there is a process whose
extremity is crescent-shaped; their colour is red-brown.
The habits and economy of this common spider are very similar to those o f Tegenaria
domestica, for which it has frequently been mistaken, even naturalists of high authority
having included references to Lister’s description and figure of it among the synonyma of
that species. During the summer and autumn, the female constructs several lenticular