OCR Text |
Show 354 MR. R. I. POCOCK ON THE [Apr. 21, Aviculariinae is represented in the Mediterranean area by the primitive genus Ischnocolus, which ranges from Spain and Algeria to Syria, and perhaps also occurs in Burma; by Chcetopelma and Cratorrhagus, which are perhaps identical, found in the eastern countries of this sea; in India by the genera Phlogiodes, Plesio-phr ictus, and Heterophrictus; and in tropical West Africa by Scodrci, Heteroscodrci, Selenogyrus, Heterothele, and Solenothele. In America the group is represented by a wealth of genera ranging from the Southern States of the Union (Sonoran), throughout the West Indies and over the whole of S. America to Chili and the Argentine. It is necessary to mention only a few of the principal genera, such as Aphonopelma from the Sonoran, Brachypelma, Cyrtopholis, Hapcilopus, Acanthoscurrici, Lasiodora, Pamphobeteus, Avicularia, Tapinauchenius, Citharoscelus, Metrio-pelmci, Theraphosia, <fcc. &e. The Selenocosmiinse range from India and Ceylon over the Indo- and Austro-Malayan Islands and Australia; the principal genera being Poecilotheria, confined to India and Ceylon; Chilo-brachys, occurring in India, Ceylon, and Burma; Lyrognathus in Assam; Selenocosmici, extending from the Himalayas into Australia; and Selenotypus and Selenotholus, which are confined to Australia. The Thrignropoeinae, represented by Thrigmopoeus and Ilaplo-clastus, are confined to S. India. The Ornithoctoninag-Cyriopagopus, Melopoeus, Ornithoctonus, Phormingochilus, Citharogncithus-extend from Burma to the Moluccas. The Eumenophorinae, containing the genera Eumenophorus from Sierra Leone, Hysterocrates from the Congo, <fec., Phoneyusa and Pelinobius from the Congo and Masailand, Batesiella from the Camaroons, Citharischius and Anoploscelus from British East Africa, Monocentropus from Sokotra and S. Arabia, and Encyocrcites from Madagascar, are thus restricted to Madagascar and the northern portions of the Ethiopian Region, since they do not appear to pass south of the Congo or the Zambesi. The Harpactirinae, on the contrary, are confined to South and East Africa, ranging from Masailand to Cape Colony, and crossing the area of the Eumenophorinae north of the Zambesi. The principal genera are Pterinochilus, Eucratoscelus, Ceratogyrus, Ccelogenium, Harpactirellci, and Harpactira. Of the a,bove-mentioned subfamilies the least specialised is that of the Aviculariinae, which contains genera like Heterothele and Mitothele, serving to link in a measure the Aviculariidae with the Macrotheline Dipluridae. It is, moreover, the most widely distributed and most northerly in its range of all the subfamilies, and far the richest and most diversified in its genera. Certain facts point to the conclusion that the Selenocosmiina? originated in South-eastern Asia. The two most primitive genera of the subfamily, Phlogielltis and Selenocosmici, occur at the |