OCR Text |
Show 1897.] MR. R. I, POCOCK ON ETHIOPIAN SPIDERS. 769 longer than carapace ; protarsus of 4th also longer than carapace tarsi four or five times as long as broad ; femur of the 3rd leg thicker than the others ; tibia of 1st armed with two inferior spines, one median and one basal; tibia of 3rd armed wdth about 9 spines (2ud legs absent); protarsi of 3rd and 4th copiously spined; protarsus of 1st with an inferior median apical spine. Tibial spurs. Short spur straight, longer than broad, acuminate, armed below wdth a strong spine, also beset with bristles; long spur about twice the length of the other, cylindrical, curved, bristly, with a strong superior spine at its apex ; also a spine at its base on the outer side. Palp. Femur with an internal apical spine; tibia with an external apical spine ; tarsus with a double scopular pad; spine of palpal organ curved forwards and inwards towards the apex, which ends with a small button-shaped tip resembling that of Selenocosmla lanipes but smaller. Measurements in millimetres. Total length 27; length of carapace 11-5, width 9-5 ; length of 1st leg 41, of 3rd 34-5, of 4th 45-5; patella and tibia of 1st 14, of 3rd 10, of 4th 14. Loc. Sierra Leone. A single male example (without further history). The male characters of the genus Selenogyrus have been taken from the example just described as S. aureus, since the latter seems to m e to differ from S. cceruleus in features only of specific and sexual importance. In separating the two specifically, the colouring of the hairy clothing of the body has been chiefly relied upon. The difference in size, too, may be noted. Genus MIASCHISTOPUS, nov. 3 . Carapace longer than wide, cephalic area moderately elevated; fovea deep and transverse ; tubercle close to anterior margin. Eyes of anterior line a little procurved, the anterior edge of the medians in front of the centre of the laterals ; medians and laterals sub-equal, the long diameter of the latter excelling the diameter of the medians, the short diameter less than it; distance between the medians less than their diameter, but greater than their radius, and a little greater than the distance between the medians and laterals; eyes of posterior line recurved, much smaller than those of anterior, adjacent, the laterals slightly the larger, and separated from the anterior laterals by a space almost if not quite equalling their long diameter. Mandible armed below with an internal row of 10 teeth and a few granules behind. Maxilla internally spinulose, scantily clothed with setae between the suture and the oral fringe. Labium scantily spinulose apically. Sternum wide, subcircular, nearly as wide as long ; posterior sigilla remote from the margin, but the distance between them about four times as great as the |