70 



Annals of the South African Museum. 



about as long as the anterior medians ; clypeus not exceeding ^ the 

 diameter of an anterior lateral eye (generally much less). 



Legs. Metatarsus IV with 3-5 spiniform setge in the apical tuft. 

 Tibia I less than twice as long above as wide. Patella III with a 

 broad anterior band of spines and setiforrn spines above. Coxce II 

 and III with a basal patch of sharp stout spinules, the patches sub- 

 equal, III also with a few, more distal spinules below posteriorly, 

 which are rarely absent. 



Labium with 17-22 teeth in anterior part, of which the posterior 

 ones are short ; the teeth on the coxce of pedipalps only in 1-3 rows 

 in the distal half but numerous in the basal half. 



Total length * 17-20 mm. 



Cocoons. The cocoon is a compressed oval sack with one end 

 rounded off and the other more truncated. Its wall is very white 

 and of a fine although tough and parchment-like texture. It is 

 suspended just above the bottom of the burrow with the truncated 

 end uppermost by means of some threads of silk running from the 

 two upper corners to the sides of the burrow. One cocoon measured 

 18 mm. in length, 12 in width, and 7 in thickness, and contained 65 

 eggs, each about 2^- mm. in diameter and in an early stage of 

 development (end of November). 



Nests. The lids are D-shaped, rather thick and flat, becoming 

 thinner at the margin all round. The hinge is very wide and 



FIG. 1. A, section through upper part of terrestrial trap-door burrow of 

 Moggndgea mordax n. sp. (nat. size) ; B, lid of same, seen from below; a, edge of 

 tube-lining; II, surface of ground. 



occupies almost the whole of the truncated margin. The upper 

 side of the lids is covered with earth and generally overgrown 

 by a black fungus, while the under side is lined with white silk 



Total length includes the chelicerse but not the spinners. 



