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Show 1897.] MR. R. I. POCOCK ON ETHIOPIAN SPIDERS. 727 than most of the genera of Ctenizinse. It has, moreover, only a pair of submedian sternal sigilla, like, for example, Pachylomerus. And in the second place, though Eriodon possesses the nearly square maxilla, its sternal impressions or sigilla are quite different from those of Actlnopus, numbering 4 pairs placed about halfway between the centre and the margin, increasing iu size from before backwards, the anterior pair, representing apparently those that define the labium in Stasimopus, and corresponding to the palp, being small, close to the middle line and behind the base of the labium; whereas in Actlnopus the sternal sigilla are indistinct, their inner extremities more or less running together to form a central depression on the sternum. Setting aside for the moment, however, the question as to the relationship between these two genera, it will, I think, be quite safe to remove Stasimopus from their vicinity and leave it in the subfamily Ctenlzince. Subfamily CTENIZINSE. Genus STASIMOPUS, Simon, Hist. Nat. Araignees, i. p. 81 (1892). This genus was based upon the species described by C. Koch as Actlnopus caffrus from S. Africa (Die Arachn. ix. p. 98). It contains the following three forms :- Stasimopus caffrus, C. Koch, Die Arachniden, ix. p. 98, fig. 751 (described as Actlnopus caffrus from the Cape of Good Hope). Stasimopus rufidens, Ausserer, Verh. z.-b. Ges. Wien, 1871, p. 160 (described as Cyrtocarenum rufidens from Natal). Stasimopus natalensis, 0. P. Cambridge, P. Z. S. 1889, p. 35, pl. ii. fig. 1 (described as Pachylomerus natalensis from Natal). Unfortunately the figures published by C. Koch and Mr. Cambridge are so discrepant that no one would suppose them to represent the same genus, the width of the carapace in caffrus being only equal to the length of the cephalic area, whereas in natalensis and the specimens of the genus known to m e the width is nearly as great as the length. Nevertheless there is, I think, bnt little doubt that the two are congeneric, very possibly co-specific. Moreover, on geographical grounds it seems probable that rufidens is also co-specific with natalensis, and there is nothing iu the descriptions to discredit such a belief. It may consequently be assumed, at all events provisionally, that this is the case. STASIMOPUS RUEIDENS (Ausserer). ? Syn. Actlnopus caffrus, C. Koch, loc. cit. '„ Cyrtocarenum rufidens, Ausserer, loc. cit. „ Pachylomerus natcdensis, Cambridge, loc. cit. The British Museum possesses a single adult $ of this species, |
