OCR Text |
Show 1899.] NEW EXOTIC ARANEIDEA. 523 circular; the lateral marginal impressions at the caput rather strong, the anterior margin slightly curvitruneate ; upper convexity moderate. Colour dull yellowish brown, paler on each side of tbe fore part of tbe thorax, and the ocular area is suffused with dark brown - it is clothed with coarse grey hairs, mixed with some long bristly reddish-brown ones on the caput. Eges occupying the whole width of the fore part of the caput, in two transverse curved rows, their convexity directed forwards; the anterior row is shortest but not greatly so and is rather more curved than the posterior. The fore-centrals are distinctly largest of the eight, and separated by rather less than a diameter ; the fore-laterals are separated by about half that space from the fore-centrals ; the former are on a strong tubercle. The eyes of the hiuder row are about equally separated by nearly 2 diameters, they are about equal in size but much smaller than those of the anterior row. The central quadrangle is nearly a square, the fore-side being rather the longest. The hiud-laterals are also seated on a strong tubercle. The height of the clypeus is about equal to the diameter of the fore-central eyes. Legs long, moderately strong, 2-1-4-3; those of the second pair are only slightly longer than the first, and the third and fourth pairs much shorter than the first and second ; they are armed with long, but not numerous spines ; a tolerably dense scopula beneath the tarsi and metatarsi, and a compact claw-tuft beneath the terminal claws. The colour of the legs is yellow-brown, the metatarsi and tarsi much darker. Palpi moderately long and similar to the legs in colour; on the upperside of the fore-extremity of the humeral joints are some short strong spines ; the cubital is about half tbe length of the radial joint and somewhat clavate ; these joints are furnished with long bristles, one or two being of a more spinous nature; at the fore-extremity on the outer side is a moderately long, stoutish and tapering, somewhat bent at its base, blackish-brown prominent apophysis whose extremity forms a short curved hook-like point; close behind and below this apophysis there is a dense tuft of longish, bent hairs. The digital joint is large, long and oval, more than double the length of the radial joint, dark yellow-brown, and clothed with coarse hairs. The palpal organs are compact but rather complex, and contained in an oval cavity near tbe middle of the joint; and among others a strong, curved, pale whitish corneous process or spine issues from near the middle on the inner side, and curving round by the inner margin of the joint terminates just beyond their extremity. Falces powerful, prominent, gibbous and granulose in front, and with some strong teeth on each side of the fang-groove ; colour deep black-brown, with strong prominent bristles in front. Maxillce short, broad, broadest at their extremity and slightly inclined towards the labium ; on the inner side at their extremity is a dense group of divergent bristly hairs ; colour deep brown. Labium broader than high, its height rather less than half the |