F. P. SMITH ON SOME BRITISH SPIDERS TAKEN IN 1908. 327 



with or without some additional character of minor importance, 

 especially if intermediate forms exist, I prefer, as a rule, to 

 regard them merely as varieties (e.y. Gnaphosa lapidosa and 

 G. mace?'). 



Colour variations, without structural characteristics, I regard 

 as a grade decidedly lower in importance than the varietal 

 characters mentioned above, and I have therefore made a practice 

 of using no special naming for the indication of such differences. 

 Obviously one must draw a line somewhere, and however one 

 may be tempted to consider the colour-variety jejunus of Philo- 

 dromus levipes worthy of a distinguishing title, the same reasoning 

 pushed a little farther would lead one to encumber the list 

 with three varietal names for Theridium redimitum, two 

 each for such species as Thomisus onustus, Tapinopa longidens, 

 Drajwtisca socialis, and so on. 



It must be pretty obvious from these remarks that the keen 

 systematist, who regards consistency as of primary importance, 

 will have many a bitter pill to swallow in dealing with the 

 spiders. There seems to be a total lack of uniformity in the 

 systematic value of certain characters, and those regarded as of 

 primary importance in one group may have to be considered 

 of minor importance in another. The number of the tarsal 

 claws, for example, regarded as of paramount importance in most 

 sections of the order, becomes merely a character of generic 

 value in the family Dysderidae. 



The case of Lophomma subaequalis and L. laudatum, referred 

 to farther on, also furnishes a good example in illustration of the 

 above remarks. The males of these spiders are easily distin- 

 guishable bv two well-defined characters — the external branch 

 of the palpal tarsus, known as the paracvmbium, and a trans- 

 parent membrane connected with the palpal organs. Apart 

 from these portions of structure the two would probably be 

 inseparable. Take now the case of Gnaphosa lapidosa and its 

 variety cuprea, another pair consisting of a southern and a 

 northern form. Belonging as they do to a family of a far 

 simpler type, they possess neither a paracymbium nor the 

 transparent membrane above mentioned. Apart from this, 

 however, they possess general characters which make them 

 quite recognisable. Nevertheless, the absence of any tangible 

 morsel of structure which can be exactly described and figured 



Journ. Q. M. C, Series II.— No. 63. 24 



