OCR Text |
Show 1 9 0 3 . ] GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF SPIDERS. 3 6 3 to it. are the two subfamilies of Aviculariidae, Thrigmopoeinae and Ornitlioctoninae, while the third subfamily, Selenocosmiinae, is common to it and the Australian Region. Moreover, all the genera of Aviculariinae, of Cyrtaucheniidae and Barychelidae are peculiar, with the exception of Encyocrypta, belonging to the last-mentioned, which extends to Australia. Conothele amongst the Ctenizidae is also peculiar, if the Solomon Islands be included. For the rest, Macrothele and Atypus occur also in the Mediterranean Region ; Calommata in Japan and West Africa ; Ischnothele in Madagascar, Africa, and South America; Idiops in Africa and South America; Heligmomerus in Africa ; Latouchia in China; and Sason in the Seychelles. The apparent richness of India, Ceylon, and Burma, as compared with the eastern portion of the Region, may be merely due to more extensive collecting in the former countries ; or it may be attributable to failure to penetrate far into the latter before the break-up of the area into islands. Four genera only are known to cross Wallace's line, namely, Selenocosmici, Phormingochilus, Encyocrypta, and Sason; but, apart from these genera, there is no evidence to show that this channel constitutes the divisional line between the Oriental and Australian Regions. Australian Region. (Australia and its adjacent Islands.) Dipluridae. Macrothelinae.-Stenygrocercus : 1ST. Caledonia, Queensland. Porrhothele and Hexcithele : New Zealand. At rax and Hadronyche: Australia. Diplurinae.-Ancime, Ixamatus, Chenistonia, and Dekana : Australia, Tasmania. Cyrtaucheniidae.- Cantuaria: New Zealand. Arbanitis : New Zealand, Australia. Dyarcyops, Aganippe, Blakistonia, Anidiops, and Idiosoma: Australia. Migidae.-Heteromigas : Tasmania. Migas : New Zealand. Actinopodidae.-Eriodon : Australia. Barychelidae.-Idiommata: Australia. Encyocrypta'. Australia, New Caledonia. Trittame: Australia. Barychelus: New Caledonia. Idioctis : Upolu. Aviculariidae. Selenocosmiinae.-Selenocosmici, Sol enotholus, and Selenotypus: Australia. Of the above-mentioned 27 genera, all are peculiar to the Region with the exception of Encyocrypta and Selenocosmici, which also occur in the Oriental Region, and possibly of Migas, which may prove indistinguishable from the South-African Moggridgeci. The poverty of New Zealand in genera, and the distinctness of two of the three forms that do occur there, entitle it to subregional rank, but no more. |