OCR Text |
Show 1877.] REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE ON NEW ARANEIDEA. 563 described, excepting in being much smaller, have more recently sent to me from Ceylon by Mr. G. H. K. Thwaites. Fam. CRYPTOTHELIDES. Gen. CRYPTOTHELE, L. Koch. CRYPTOTHELE CEYLONICA, sp. n. (Plate LVI. fig. 4.) Adult female, length If line. Cephalothorax oval behind, but constricted laterally at the caput; it is generally flattened, and its sides much depressed ; its upper surface is roughened and clothed with coarse bent bristles and hairs ; these are mainly disposed in two curved lines along the middle, enclosing the thoracic junction in an elongated oval figure. The colour of the cephalothorax is a uniform yellowish brown ; and the height of the clypeus (which retreats considerably) is just equal to the length of the falces. The eyes are seated on black spots in three transverse rows-2,2,4, at the slightly produced upper extremity of the caput. Those of the foremost row are of tolerable size and the largest of the eight; these are separated by an interval of an eye's diameter ; those of the middle row are next in size, and are contiguous to each other ; this row is separated from the first by about the diameter of one of the eyes of the foremost row. The hinder row is curved, the convexity of the curve directed backwards; its eyes (four in number) are of about equal size, but much smaller than the rest; those of the central pair of this row are separated by an interval of an eye's diameter, and form a line scarcely differing in length from that of the middle row; the hind laterals are each separated from the hind central next to it by an interval of about double the length of that which divides the central pair from each other, and equal to that which separates these last from those of the middle row. The legs are short, strong, and differ but little in length; those of the fourth pair are slightly the longest; and the difference between those of the second and third pair3 is very little, the third pair being perhaps the shortest. They are similar to the cephalothorax in colour ; and the several joints (at least the tibias, genua, and femora) are of a gouty or somewhat nodose form, and furnished with coarse tuberculose spines, curved spine-like bristles of uniform thickness throughout their length, and hairs ; each tarsus ends with three claws. Some portions of the legs appeared to be darker than the rest; but this was caused, I think, by extraneous matter clogged up among the bristles. The palpi are short, similar to the legs in colour, and furnished with short, coarse bristles and hairs. The falces are short, not very strong, subconical, considerably directed backwards, and a little paler in colour than the cephalothorax. The maxillee are short, and rather weak, slightly curved, and much inclined towards the labium, over which they fit closely, with their extremities almost meeting ; their colour is like that of the falces. 36* |