OF WASHINGTON. 259 



Mr. Marlatt mentioned the great abundance of this and other 

 species of the genus in the treeless districts of western Kansas, 

 and stated that they were to be found in immense numbers 

 about the chalk cliffs on the cretaceous belt of the States, par 

 ticularly on and flying over the hard-packed ground in the 

 vicinity of the cliffs. The absence of trees would prevent their 

 living on the larva mentioned by Mr. Pergande. 



Mr. Banks presented the following paper 



ON PRODIDOMUS RUFUS HENTZ. 



BY NATHAN BANKS. 



Prodidomus rufus was described by Hentz in Bost. Soc. Nat. 

 Hist., in 1850. He formed the genus for this peculiar species. 

 Nothing has been heard of it since. In 1864 Simon described 

 the genus Miltia and in 1884 ne discovered that it was synony 

 mous with Prodidomus, Simon placed it in the family Enyoidtz. 

 Thorell, however, in 1875, made a new family for it, placing 

 the family between the Enyoida and Uroeteidce. In 1884 Simon 

 placed it as a group of the Drassidtz ; two other genera have 

 been described which are related to it, viz., Timiris and Tro- 

 chanteria. Six other species of Prodidomus are known from 

 North Africa, Western and Southern Asia. Two species of 

 Timiris are described from Asia. One species of Trochanteria 

 from West Indies. The characters of the group Prodidomina 



Fig. 12. Prodidomus rufus: i. front view of head and mandibles; 2. 

 tarsus ; 3. lip and maxillae ; 4. inferior spinneret. 



have been given as follows : Lower spinnerets biarticulate, 

 mandibles very long, maxillae attenuated and converging, tro- 

 chanter four longer than usual. Hentz gave as the characters 

 of the genus the following : ' ' Eyes eight, placed near together, 

 four in front making a straight row, two on each side forming 



