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Show 4G0 MR. h . r . HOGG ON a u s t r a l a s i a n s t i d e r s . [Dec. 2, Genus P e d ia n a E. Simon. Heteropoda L. Koch, Ar. Austr. 1875 (ad partim n . regina). Pediana E. Simon, Rev. Spar. 1880, p. 38. Polydamna Thor. Rag. Mai. e Pap. 1881, p. 299. Pediana E. Simon, Hist. Nat. des Ar. vol. ii. p. 56. Type species, P. regina L. Koch. This genus was formed by M. Simon in 1880 for L. Kochs Heteropoda regina from Queensland, and Thorell soon after picked it out for a new genus which he called Polydamna, from Yule Island, Torres Strait. Apparently the only male known is described by the latter, and his description of the male palp with four spirals confirms my belief that it belonged to this group and not to the Heteropodese, to which it could be ascribed only by the length of the median eye-space. My Isopeda horni (Horn Exp. vol. ii. Zool. p. 340) really belongs to this genus, and two more species in the British Museum now bring up the number to four. The whole eye-space is raised up on a low flat tubercular region. The legs are rather short and thin, the two front pairs being of equal length. The rear row of eyes is slightly procurved, the eyes being about equal in size; the front row straight or recurved, with the eyes either equal or the laterals slightly larger. The median eye-square is clearly longer than broad. The species can be distinguished as follows :- a. Front row of eyes equal in size. a1. On underside of abdomen a black lunate transverse stripe behind epigyne and similar smaller stripe in front of spinnerets; intermediate space bright reddish brown. Cephalothorax 6 to 7 mm. in length. One spine on tibia iii. and iv. above ........................ I 1. An ill-defined dark patch behind epigyne ; no stripe in front of spinnerets; intermediate space dull yellow-brown, with irregular dark spots. Cephalothorax about 10 mm. in length. No spine on tibia iii. or iv. above ............................................................... b. Front lateral eyes larger than median. One spine on tibia iii. and iv. e\ On the underside of femora i. and ii. bright red hair. Cephalothorax about 10 mm. long. Eyes bright orange................................................................... d1. Underside of femora yellowish brown, dark, hairy. Cephalothorax 6 to 7 mm. Ions:. Fyes black. Three teeth only on outer side of falx-sheath .................... P e d ia n a r eg in a (L. Koch). Heteropoda regina L. Koch, Die Arachn. Austr. vol. ii. 1875, p. 716. Pediana regina L. Koch, E. Simon, Rev. Sparass. 1880, p. 39. Polydamna regina L. Koch, T. Thorell, Rag. Mai. e Pap. vol. iii. 1 8 8 1 , p. 3 0 0 . A female in the Keyserling Collection, Brit. Mus., has irregular darker brown patches on a yellow-brown ground on the upper-side of the abdomen ; on the underside a transverse black spot regina L. K. Jiomi Hogg. tenuis, nov. sp. occidentaUs, nov. sp. |