On Some South African Aviculariidae (Arachnida). 109 



Howick, Natal (W. F. Purcell, 9/05), also appear to belong to 

 H. bicolor ; although very small (total length 8'5 mm., spinners 2 mm., 

 carapace 4 mm. long and 3 wide) the <$ agrees with the Port Shepstone 

 specimen. The ? has no bicolor markings and is fairly indeterminable. 

 As a rule ? Hermacha have so much in common that the separa- 

 tion or identification of specimens, in the absence of a <$ , is a matter 

 of great uncertainty. The fact that the g $ have much clearer 

 specific characters may be due to their free and active life, whereas 

 the ? ? , which live a sedentary life in similarly constructed tubes, 

 generally in a uniform tpye of soil, are naturally more level in character 

 and generally blended together. No doubt the $ differentiations in 

 character are also transmitted in degree to the $ ? , which, with 

 individual and distributional variation, may account for the distinctions 

 which can be made specific in the ? when the ^ is known. 



HERMACHA FULVTJS, n. sp. (Text-fig. 6). 



Specimens. One ^ (No. 150,406) from Caledon (Dr. W. F. 

 Purcell, 7/10). 



Carapace. Light mahogany-brown in colour, covered with appressed 

 yellow hairs, longer at border of carapace, which is dark-edged ; fovea 

 shallow and sub-rotund ; cephalic portion scarcely raised, grooves 

 shallow. Equal in length to metatarsus and * to | of tarsus of 

 4th leg ; also equal or subequal to metatarsus and tarsus of 1st leg, 

 and equal to tibia and patella of 2nd leg. 



Ei/es. Front row with their centres in a straight line ; posterior 

 laterals smaller than anterior laterals ; medians oval and touching 

 laterals. 



Abdomen dark brown, covered with short golden brown hairs 

 above and below and with longer, stiff er dark ones above ; spots or 

 pattern practically invisible. Under surface ochraceous. 



Spinners pale ochraceous, equal in length to the sternum ; mode- 

 rately stout ; penultimate joint shorter than apical or basal joint ; 

 inferior spinners short and about their own diameter apart. 



Sternum pale orange-brown, slightly darker at border ; posterior 

 sternal sigilla small, less than long diameter from margin. Coxae 

 same general colour as sternum ; both covered with moderately long 

 dark hairs ; the coxae have in addition a slight yellow pubescence. 

 Coxae of pedipalps with a strip of 30-35 denticles. Labium 

 muticous. 



Chelicerae armed with stiff black hairs at apices ; rastellum of 

 moderately short bristles. Inner side of groove with 6-7 teeth, some- 

 what scattered, and 1 or 2 denticles lower down in groove. 



