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Show 1890.] NEW ARANEIDEA. 623 at the extremities of the falces, but no spiny armature on the legs, the position of the eyes, and the form of the claw-tufts, it may be readily distinguished. A nest accompanied the Spider, but was unfortunately too much damaged to enable m e to do more than to note that it was a round cylindrical hole, lined with white silk and covered with a hinged lid or door somewhat between the cork and wafer types in character. Genus DENDRICON, Cambr. P. Z. S. 1889, p. 250. Pseudidiops, Simon, Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. 1889, ser. 6, torn. ix. pp. 182, 215, pi. i. fig. 3. In characterizing this genus (/. c. supra) the only materials available were a few fragments of the Spider, but as these comprised a fore leg, a falx, the labium, and one of the maxillae, it appeared to me sufficient to establish the genus upon. Subsequent examination of a perfect specimen, as well as the characters given by M . Simon (I. c. supra), have justified this opinion. A conjecture, however, hazarded as to the affinity of this genus to Moggridgea, Cambr. (based on the character and position of its trapdoor nest and some points of structures), is not borne out. The position of the eyes, in the perfect specimen which has since come under m y notice, shows that it is more nearly allied to Ldiops, Perty. There seems little doubt but that it is identical with the Spider described by M . Simon from Cayenne. DENDRICON RASTRATUM, Cambr. (Plate LIII. fig. 2.) A n adult female. The cephalothorax and falces are of a pitchy black colour. The legs rather paler, with an olive tinge. The abdomen is of a deep purplish brown. Spinners four; those of the inferior pair are small and cylindrical, the superior ones short, two-jointed, upturned, not visible when looked down at from above. The relative length of the legs is 4, 1, 3, 2, or 4, 1, 2, 3. The caput just at the occipital junction is strongly prominent. The eyes are in two widely separated groups, two very near together occupying a small prominence at the middle of the fore extremity of the caput, the remaining six in a transverse oval figure at some distance behind; four of these six form a curved transverse line, the convexity of the curve directed backwards, and a little way in front are the other two, being the largest of the eight, and separated (apparently) by rather less than a diameter's interval. The two central eyes of the curved row are widely separated, and each is about (or perhaps less than) a diameter's distance from the end eye on its side. Another example, examined at the same time as the one above described, may possibly turn out to be of a different species, though without further examination (which I am at present unable to make) I hesitate to describe it as distinct. In this specimen the general hue was yellow-brown, the proportionate length and breadth of the cephalothorax seemed slightly different, the eyes were more 42* |
