172 BARYCIIELTDiE. 



Family BARYCHELID^E. 



Medium-sized Mygalomorphae which, except in the aberrant 

 genus Sason, resemble the Ctenizidae iu being furnished with a 

 rastellum, but differ from them and from the Dipluridae in having 

 distinct ungual tufts and only two untoothed or weakly toothed 

 •claws on the tarsi. As in the Dipluridae, the sternal sigilla are 

 small and marginal. The spinning-mamillse resemble those of the 

 typical Ctenizidae in forming a compact cluster, the apical segment 

 of the posterior pair being small and shorter than the segments 

 that precede it. 



Distribution. S. Europe ; Africa ; Mauritius ; India and Ceylon, 

 thence eastwards as far as Australia and the Fiji Islands ; 

 S. America. 



Habits. Mostly ground-living burrowing Spiders, which gene- 

 rally, but by no means always, close the burrow with a trap-door. 



Synopsis of Indian Genera. 



a. Eyes scattered, not aggregated on a tu- 



bercle ; no rastellum Sason, p. 172. 



b. Eyes aggregated on a tubercle ; rastellum 



always present in the female. 



a 1 . A single pair of spinners Diplothele, p. 174. 



b 1 . Two pairs of spinners. 



a 2 . Thoracic fovea lightly recurved .... Sasonichus, p. 177. 

 b~. Thoracic fovea lightly or strongly 

 procurved. 

 a 3 . Ocular area distinctly wider behind 

 than in front; fovea strongly pro- 

 curved Plagiobothrus, p. 175. 



b 3 . Ocular area as wide in front as 



behind ; fovea lightly procurved. Sipalolasma, p. 176. 



Genus SASON, Simon. 



Sarpedon, O. P. Cambr. P. Z. S. 188;}, p. 353 (nom. praeocc). 

 Sason, Simon, Bull. Soc. ent. Fr. 1887, p. cxcv ; id. Hist. Nat. 



Araign. i, p. 130, 1892. 

 Satzicus, Simon, J. A. S. B. lvi, pt. 2, p. 286, 1888. 

 CEcophlceus, Pococh, A. M. N. II. (6) ix, p. 49, 1892. 



Carapace with fovea recurved or nearly straight ; no ocular 

 tubercle ; ocular area nearly twice as wide as long ; eyes of 

 anterior line strongly procurved ; anterior laterals not far from 

 edge of carapace, widely separated from posterior laterals. 

 Mandibles small, depressed, without rastellum. Labium in female 

 quadrate, armed with row of teeth ; maxillae with a few teeth. 

 Legs weakly spined, the anterior pairs scopulate. 



