OCR Text |
Show 1874.] REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE ON NEW DRASSIDES. 411 (if not rather more than) double the length of the cubital joint, which is a little bent. The radial is furnished with long erect fine hairs ; its outer extremity has a small deep-red-brown apophysis, which is rather curved and terminates with a somewhat hooked point, and a small tuberculiform prominence beneath its extremity near the inner side. The digital joint is of ordinary form, prominent at the middle of its outer margin, roundish behind, produced in front, though not there so cylindric in its form as in C.indicum (vide infra); its length is about the same as that of the radial joint; and from its hinder part there runs obliquely outwards a moderately long, slender, red-brown, thornlike apophysis, extending backwards to about half the length of the cubital joint. The palpal organs occupy the underside of the hinder half of the digital joint; they are very similar in general structure to many others of the genus, consisting of a rather flattened oval corneous lobe, with a curved elongate pale projection at their fore part, and a rather slender spine which issues from the fore extremity on the outer side and curves backwards, terminating in a sharp filiform point on their inner margin. The falces are long, three fourths as long as the cephalothorax, strong, divergent, and nearly vertical; their profile line is slightly and equally curved ; and their fore sides are furnished with a few not very strong bristly hairs. The form of the maxillae and labium is normal; the latter, however, is not apparently hollowed at its apex. The abdomen is of a dull, pale, luteous yellow colour, clothed with fine hairs of various lengths, some on the upperside being very slender, long, and erect; the most convex part is at the fore side, where it projects over the base of the cephalothorax ; thence it slopes gradually in a slightly curving line to the spinners; these are moderately long; those of the superior pair are less strong than the inferior ones, and two-jointed, the tapering second joint constituting their excess in length over the inferior spinners. The adult female is larger than the male ; and its cephalothorax is strongly suffused with brownish red; the legs are also shorter and stouter; the genital aperture is simple in form, being of a somewhat transverse kidney-shape. An adult example of each sex was received from Major Julian Hobson, by whom they were found, and kindly forwarded to m e from Bombay. CHEIRACANTHIUM INDICUM, sp. n. (Plate LII. fig. 34.) Adult male, length rather more than 3 lines. The cephalothorax of this species, looked at from above, is short, round behind, constricted laterally on each side at the caput, truncated squarely at the fore extremity, and the normal grooves and indentations fairly marked ; looked at in profile the hinder slope is short and abrupt, and the profile line from its upper part is a gradual (but sloping) curve to the clypeus, which is low and rather less than half the height of the facial space. The colour of the cephalothorax, as well as of all the rest of the fore part of the Spider, is a clear dull orange-yellow. 27* |