OCR Text |
Show 622 REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE ON [Nov. 18, divided. Each tarsus has a not very dense scopula beneath it, least dense on those of tbe third and fourth pairs. Falces strong, projecting, and armed with some strong, curved claws at the fore extremity, just in front of the base of the fang. Maxillae cylindrical, divergent ; the inner corner of the anterior extremity very slightly prominent. Labium short, slightly hollow-truncate at the apex, which is but little less wide than the base. Sternum oval, rather broadest behind. Spinners two only ; moderate in length and strength, two-jointed, and upturned. DIPLOTHELE WALSHI, sp. n. (Plate XLIIL fig. 1.) Length of an immature female, rather over 4 lines. The colour of the cephalothorax and falces is pale yellow-brown, the normal converging indentations marked by darker lines ; the thoracic indentation is moderate in depth, curved, the convexity of the curve directed backwards ; the surface is furnished with hairs and slender bristles. The profile line of the caput is slightly curved behind the ocular protuberance, but runs off pretty evenly and gradually to the hinder margin. The posterior side of the ocular protuberance is abrupt, the anterior rather less so. The fore lateral eyes are largest of the eight, next are the fore centrals, and the hind centrals are the smallest; these last are contiguous to the hind laterals, and with them are of a shining white colour ; the fore laterals are pearly, the fore centrals dark grey. The latter are placed on a largish black patch, the rest are more or less widely edged with a similar colour. The fore laterals are seated on the anterior slope of the protuberance and look straight forward ; between them are a few strong black recurved bristles. The legs (together with the palpi, which are leg-like and similarly furnished) are of a yellow hue, as also are the maxillae, labium, and sternum ; towards the hinder extremity of the upperside of the tarsus of each of the first two pairs of legs and of the palpi is a group of three or four black, clavate, or racquet-shaped hairs. The falces are furnished with numerous hairs aud strong bristles, besides the rdteau of curved spines at their fore extremity on the upperside. The fang is strong, curved, and of moderate length. The abdomen is oval, of a dull clay-yellow colour, marked on the upper part and sides with broken transverse black fasciae of varied width and clearness of definition, those on the anterior half being the strongest and best defined ; it is clothed above with hairs and a few slender bristles, underneath with hairs only. The spinners are two only in number and two-jointed, unless the small but distinct portion at the extremity, on which the spinnerets (or spinning-tubes) are placed, be taken to form a third joint. An immature female of this very interesting and remarkable Spider was sent to me from Orissa, Calcutta, by Dr. Walsh (of the Calcutta General Hospital). The possession of only two spinners differentiates it from all others of the Theraphosidce known to me, and by this, as well as by other important characters, such as the possession of spines |