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Show 402 REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE ON NEW DRASSIDES. [June 2, The terminal tarsal claws are two in number, minute, and without any claw-tuft beneath them. The palpi are strong, rather long, of a dull blackish colour, and on the inner side of the three last joints (cubital, radial, and digital) there are several longish strong spines pointing inwards ; when the palpi and fore legs are drawn back in an attitude of defence, these spines form a sort of chevaux-de-frise over the fore part of the caput, and are very conspicuous. The falces are rather long, strong, and a little inclined backwards towards the labium ; they are of a yellow-brown colour, and furnished with strong bristly hairs. The maxilla are rather long, strong, slightly dilated at their extremities, inclined towards the labium, and broadly and transversely impressed across the middle. The labium is broader at the base than at the apex, which is rounded ; the colour of this part, as well as of the maxillae, is a pale dull 37ellow-brown. The sternum is elongate-oval, sharp-pointed behind, truncate in front, and of a darker colour than the maxillae and labium. The abdomen is joined to the cephalothorax by a distinct pedicle or short wasp-like waist; it is of an oblong-oval form, strongly constricted over the middle of the upperside, the constriction marked by a yellowish band clothed with whitish hairs ; the fore half of the upperside is divided longitudinally by a broad yellowish band, the remainder, as well as the hinder half, is dark blackish brown, the whole clothed with scaly hairs reflecting similar metallic tints to those on the cephalothorax ; on each side of the fore part is an ill-defined oblique stripe or patch of a yellowish colour, clothed with whitish hairs; the underside is pale yellowish, but darker near the spinners, and also clothed with iridescent hairs. The spinners are small, those of the inferior pair being the strongest; close above the anal tubercle is a small compact tuft of white hairs. The genital aperture is small, inconspicuous, and very simple in form. Two immature females of this beautiful and most interesting little Spider were found at Hyeres, in France, in May 1873, and kindly given me by Mr. J. T. Moggridge, who has since found four other examples (all females), one only being adult, at Mentone ; these also Mr. Moggridge has kindly sent to me. The immature examples have a paler hue and a more brilliantly purple and golden tinge than the adult; the spines on the fore legs and palpi are exceedingly characteristic. Genus P H R U R O L I T H U S , C. Koch. P H R U R O L I T H U S GRACILIPES (Blackw.). (Plate LII. fig. 27.) Drassus gracilipes, Bl. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., Oct. 1863. Drassus romanus, L. Koch, Die. Arachn.-Fam. der Drassiden, p. 225 (1866). An immature male of this Spider, from near Lisbon, was described as a Drassus by Mr. Blackwall (loc. cit. supra), and an immature female by Dr. L. Koch, three years later, from Rome, as a Phrurolithus. |