OCR Text |
Show 1881.1 REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE ON NEW ARANEIDEA. 773 the horns is continued by a strong one ; and there are others also, less strong, issuing from the ocular area and clypeus. The eyes of the lateral pairs are considerably larger than the rest, the fore laterals being, apparently, rather the largest; the interval between those of the fore central pair is distinctly greater than that between each and the fore lateral next to it, while that between the hind centrals is considerably less than that between each and the hind lateral next to it. The legs are yellow-brown, somewhat suffused with a more dusky hue ; the genual, tibial, and metatarsal joints marked longitudinally with a white stripe. The tarsi are equal in length and strength to the metatarsi, and cylindrical in form. The palpi are similar in colour to the legs, short, strong; radial joint short, digital tapering, and furnished with short strong spines. The falces are short, strong, straight, vertical, subconical ; similar in colour to the cephalothorax, and furnished with a few prominent spine-like bristles in front. The maxilla, labium, and sternum are similar to the legs in colour. The abdomen is of a dull yellowish hue tinged with brown ; two tubercles form a transverse row towards the anterior margin ; from each issues a strong dark vertical spine, two finer spines also form another transverse row in front below the anterior margin ; and the surface of the upper side generally is furnished with short and still finer pale spines. The spinners are small and short. An example of the female, which had not attained maturity, was contained in the collection received from the Amazons. The cephalothorax of a considerably larger specimen (wanting the abdomen and some of the legs) differed in the larger size of the tubercles and granu-losities, and was of a much deeper hue. This was probably an adult example. The genus Aphantochilus, Cambr. (P. Z. S. 1870, p. 744, pi xliv. fig. 10), was placed provisionally in the family Myrmecidae. Subsequent examination and consideration, however, led me to conclude without any doubt that its true position was, if not among, at least near the Thomisidae. The examination of the present genus, which much resembles, and is closely allied to Aphantochilus, induces me to include the two in a separate family next to the one before mentioned. Fam. PERISSOBLEMMIDX Gen. nov. PERISSOBLEMMA. Characters of the Genus. Cephalothorax rather oblong, oval, with a broad ocular area ; very convex above ; lateral marginal constriction at the caput very slight, as also are the normal indentations ; thoracic junction prominent and elevated, and, when looked at in profile, considerably higher than the ocular area, which occupies the whole width of the fore part of the caput. |