New ami Lit/If Known Xnuili Afiican Holifityce. 405 



cuneicornis, n. sp., cervina, n. sp. ; also the following, which are 

 unknown to me : ferox, Poc., darlingi, Poc., &c. 



(6) Diurnal species with the hairs on the sides of the abdomen 

 white, contrasting strongly (at least in the males) with the dark 

 hairs on the posterior dorsal plates : sericca, Poc. (with the upper 

 fang carinate above in the distal half), audfusca, Koch. 



SOLPUGA LETHALIS, C. L. Koch.* 



C. L. Koch, Arch, fur Naturg., viii., Bd. i., p. 352, 1842; Die 

 Arachn., xv., p. 70, fig. 1465, $ & J , 1848. 



Flagellum. Basal enlargement longer than high, semicircular in 

 outline, the superior inner edge rather sharply prominent. Pro- 

 current part of shaft very short, much shorter than the basal enlarge- 

 ment ; the anterior face of the bend situated on a level with (i.e., 

 directly over), or only very slightly anterior to, the apex of the first 

 tooth of upper jaw (all specimens from Namaqualand), or much 

 farther forward, about midway between the first tooth and the apex 

 of the jaw (specimens from Clanwilliam and Worcester), while in the 

 specimen from the Paarl the bend is almost directly over the first 

 tooth in one jaw but much more anterior to this tooth in the other 

 jaw. Eecurrent portion of shaft very long, reaching, when depressed, 

 to hind margin of eyes or even further back a little beyond the 

 tubercle (the distance of the apex of the depressed flagellum from 

 the hind edge of the eye varying from 0-1|- mm.) ; shaft straight or 

 nearly so for the greater part of its length, running nearly parallel to 

 the upper surface of the mandible or more commonly ascending (the 

 distance of the eyes from the nearest part of the flagellum thus 

 varying in spirit specimens from | to H times the width of the eye- 



* If we exclude Great Bushmanland in the north, I find that all large yellow 

 males from the western Divisions of the Cape Colony have the flagellum toothed 

 near the apex, and all large yellow females from these parts are provided with 

 two small teeth between the second and third large ones in the upper jaw. I 

 am informed by Professor Kraepelin that this western species is identical with 

 S. letlialis, Koch. On the other hand, all large yellow males from the Divisions 

 to the east of those inhabited by lethalis have an untoothed flagellum, and the 

 large yellow females from these Divisions have only one small tooth in the upper 

 jaw (except in an abnormal case, where there were three small teeth in one of 

 the jaws). This eastern form is S. venator, Poc. 



As S. lethalis and venator are the only species of which I have been able to 

 examine a fair number of specimens of both sexes from a number of different 

 localities, I have taken the opportunity to point out the extent of the variations 

 observable in several of the organs, especially as regards length. Information on 

 this point should, I think, be of some service to the systematist. 



