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Show 1874.] REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE ON N E W DRASSIDES. 393 are oval, slightly oblique, about equal in size to those of the hind central pair, and each is contiguous to the fore central eye on its side ; the interval between the eyes of each lateral pair is equal to half the diameter of one of them. All the eyes are pearly white, except those of the fore central pair, which are dark. The height of the clypeus is rather less than the diameter of one of the fore central eyes and is equal to about one fourth of that of the facial space ; the interval between each fore central eye and the hind central opposite to it is equal to the diameter of the former. The legs are strong, especially in the femoral joints, and moderately long; their relative length appeared to be 4, 1,2, 3; but the difference is not great; they are of a yellow-brown colour, not quite so dark as the cephalothorax ; they are furnished, but not thickly, with hairs and spines, and beneath the two terminal claws on each tarsus is a small tuft of squamose or papilliform hairs. The palpi are moderately strong, but not very long; the cubital joint is short; the radial is about equal in length, but is gradually produced on its outer side into a long tapering process, somewhat bluntly but angularly enlarged beneath towards its extremity, which terminates with a sharply curved spinous point; the angular enlargement gives it the appearance, in some positions, of being somewhat bifid at its extremity. The digital joint is large, and of a pointed oval form; its length equals that of the cubital and radial joints together (including the apophysis of the latter). The falces are moderate in length, nearly vertical, and rather slender; these with the maxillae, labium, and sternum, which are all of normal structure, are of a yellow-brown colour, rather paler than that of the cephalothorax. The abdomen is of moderate size, and of an oblong-oval rather flattened form ; on the fore half of the upperside is a large, yellow-brown, somewhat oval, shining, coriaceous patch, occupying nearly its whole width ; this patch is pointed behind, and through its semitrans-parent substance may be seen the usual elongate, longitudinal, central, fusiform, dark black-brown stripe or bar; the hinder part of the upperside of the abdomen is of a pale dusky yellow-white colour, with a large black-brown patch, from the sides of which issue the ends of the normal oblique stripes or chevrons, the angles of which are lost in the black-brown patch ; the sides are black-brown, and the underside dusky yellowish white. The spinners are rather long, brownish black, of nearly equal length, those of the inferior pair being the strongest and rather the longest. An adult male of this very distinct Drassus was found by myself under a stone near Alexandria, Egypt, in April 1864. DRASSUS ALEXANDRINUS, sp.n. (Plate LI. fig. 18.) Adult male, length 4 lines. This species is very nearly allied to D. agyptius (postea, p. 394) ; it is, however, rather larger, and differs in the form of the palpal organs, while it resembles it closely in general form, structure, and colours ; it differs also from D. lapidicolens (Walck.) in the same PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1874, No. XXVI. 26 |
