AEACHNIDES— ARANEIDES— LATERIGKAD^, 59 



The sex of both specimens is uncertain. Tlie species is readily dis- 

 tinguished from the others by its small size, slender and long legs, and the 

 complete consolidation of the tibia and first tarsal joint. 



Florissant. Nos. 9677, 10377. 



3. Thomisus defossus. 



PI. 11, Fig. 23, S . 



Cephalothorax bent at a strong angle with the abdomen and perhaps 

 distorted in the single specimen known, but as preserved it is of an oval 

 shape, slenderer than the abdomen, but not much smaller, half as long 

 again as broad, similarly and fully rounded at either end, the sides not 

 strongly convex ; it appears to have a median transverse constriction and 

 incision. Nothing can be made out of the eyes, but a single large, black, 

 subcircular, palpal swelling (represented of the same tint with the rest and 

 merged with the cephalothorax on the plate) lies bordering the middle 

 of the front, a little broader than long. Abdomen very broad ovate, not 

 more than a third to a fourth longer than broad, the base slightly broadest 

 and broadly rounded, the apex similarly rounded and the sides between the 

 well-rounded corners nearly straight; a faint separation into three or four 

 segments can also be seen, and the surface is sparsely covered with minute 

 short black hairs. Front pairs of legs much larger than the hinder, show- 

 ing that the species is one of the true Thomisinse, the femora large, swollen 

 in the middle and depressed, the front pairs much longer than, the hinder 

 pairs nearly as long as, the abdomen; the tibiixi proper are very distinctly 

 separated from the first joint of tarsi (in the other species it is reckoned with 

 them in the measurements), excepting on the hindmost legs having a distinct 

 oval form of their own, about half as long again as broad; the first joint of 

 the tarsi is only a little shorter than the femora (on these same legs) and 

 with the tibia longer than the femora ; it is armed sparingly with long and 

 slender recumbent spines; the second and third joints of the tarsi are sub- 

 equal, together shorter than the first joint, and besides their sparse clothing 

 of short fine black hairs the tip is armed with a single short blunt claw. 



Length of cephalothorax, 3.5"'° ; breadth, 2.1™" ; length of abdomen, 

 4.2°"°; breadth, 2.7""° ; length of first pair of legs (as preserved), 7.75"°'° ; its 

 femora, 3.5°"° ; tibia (proper), 1.1 ■"'" ; (true) first joint of tar.si, 2.4°"°; second 

 joint (as preserved), 1°"° ; femora of second pair of legs, 3"°" ; third pair of 



