OF WASHINGTON. 127 



united Scytodcs, Pholcus, Uroctea, Hersilia, Enyo and Filistata 

 into one group, the Micrognathes, on account of their small 

 mandibles. Thorell, though holding a separate family for 

 each of these genera except Pholcus, which he places in the 

 ScytodoidcE, admits that they are closely related to each other, 

 not only by the structure of their mandibles but also by the 

 similarity in the shape of their maxillae, these being curved 

 around the lip. In speaking of the subject, Thorell says : 

 "These genera (Enyo, Uroctea and Filistata} in fact show no 

 small affinity with the ScytodoifUc." 



I have had no specimens of either Enyo or Hersilia to study, 

 but in studying Thalamia in connection with the Pholcida, 

 Scytodidce and Filistatida I have come to the conclusion that 

 their relation is a close and important one. Of such import 

 ance that they should be united in one group of family rank, 

 and for this family embracing the Filistatidce , the Pholcidce, 

 the Scytodidce, the Urocteidce, the Enyoidce and the Hersilidce 

 I propose Duges's name Micrognathes, now changed to the 

 form Micrognathidce \ 



I can divine no reason why Filistata should be separated 

 from Pholcus. There certainty is no vital difference between 

 them. Different as is their general aspect, they are remarka 

 bly alike in structure., Thalamia, though differing from 

 Filistata in the spinnerets, shows plainly by the great simi 

 larity of cephalic structure that Filistata is one of its nearest 

 relatives. Scytodes and Loxosceles are very closely related to 

 Filistata in that the lip is joined to the sternum ; also in pal 

 pal structure are they related. Thorell says that the Enyoidce 

 have eyes like the Urocteidce. This family is also very closely 

 related to Scy iodides. The Pholcidce, Enyoidcz and Hersilidcc 

 all have an extra claw-joint, which certainly marks their rela 

 tionship. 



There are scarcely any of the Micrognatkida but what pos 

 sess some peculiar structure. The Scytodidce have but six 

 eyes, arranged in three groups ; Loxosceles, one of the genera 

 of Scytodidce, has a conical spine between the lower spinnerets. 

 Pholcus has an extra joint to its long legs, and Thorell says of 

 P. pullulus Hentz, that the tarsi are divided up into ten to 

 twelve joints. Thalamia and (Ecobius have a circle of peculiar 

 spines around the tip of the abdomen, while the posterior 

 median eyes are also peculiar. 



Yet many peculiar structures are possessed by a number of 

 these genera, forming such a network of relationship that I 

 think it impossible to separate them in distinct families. As I 

 have previously said, they all have small mandibles somewhat 

 united at the base ; also the maxillae surround the lip. There 



