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Show 5 7 0 MR. H. R. HOGG ON [Dec. 12, such as Pircita Sund., Trochosa C. Koch, Arctosa C. Koch, Tarenhda C. Koch, Potamia C. Koch, &c., have been abandoned by later writers. M. Simon (Hist. Nat. des Araign. vol. ii. pp. 317 et seqq., 1898) separates the main group into those species following Lycosa Latreille, but further divides it into a number of sub-types and those following Pardosa C. Koch. The former comprises species which have the front aspect of the cephalothorax moderately sloping at the sides and a lip longer than broad; the latter those with the front aspect squarer with more perpendicular sides, the lip broader than, or at least as broad as, long, and having as a subsidiary character the tarsal joint of the fourth pair of legs longer than the patella cum tibia of the same. Some years ago, following these lines, I constituted a new genus, which I called Venator (Proc. Royal Soc. Victoria, vol. xiii. pt. 1, 1900), for some species with a more extremely widened type of frontal aspect, but with the lip clearly broader than long and the tarsal joint of iv. not so long as tibia cum patella iv. However, the more specimens I examine the more the only tangible characteristics show themselves to be interchanged, and I look on these two genera as no more distinctly definable than M. Simon's above mentioned other varieties of Lycosa (loc. cit. pp. 346-349). M. Simon further makes a division between those species with two teeth on the inner margin of the falx-sheath and those with three. The bulk of the Australian species have three, but (in Horn Exped. part ii. p. 349, 1896) I described L. cowlei which had five large equal-sized teeth on same, and no other specially marked characteristic distinguishing it from the rest of the genus. Out of about 60 specimens in the present collection there are 12 species of Lycosa, of which no fewer than 9 are new, and one new Dolomedes. These I have described below. Synopsis of Species, In all. Three large equal sized-teetli on inner margin of falx-sheath. Front row of eyes shorter than middle row. a. Eyes of front row of equal width. Under side of abdomen wholly black. Clypeus wider than the diameter of eyes of front row ...................... b. Diameter of median eyes of front row" larger than laterals. a 1. Clypeus wider than the diameter of the front median eyes. a2. No distinguishable pattern on under side of abdomen. Abdomen underneath pale yellow-brown. Tibial joint of palp longer than patellar. Cephalothorax equal in length to patella cum tibia iv .. b2. A shield-shaped or triangular field on under side of abdomen. a'A. A fawn-coloured shield on a dark brown ground. Cephalothorax shorter than patella cum tibia iv. J3. A black shield on yellow-brown ground. Median eyes of front row barely their diameter from eyes of second row .................................... L. tasmanica, sp. nov. L. arenaris, sp. nov. L. molyneuxi, sp. nov. L. Stirlingce, sp. nov. |
