276 



Transactions. 



The femora of the front two pairs of legs are much thicker and broader 

 than the rest. They are carried thrown back from the coxae, the other joints 

 pointing forwards, and are covered with short spatulate bristles on the 



upper side. On the under-side 

 of the metatarsi of each are 

 three pairs of stout spines, and 

 on the under-side of the tibia 

 four stout incurved pairs. These 

 spines are much stouter on the 

 front pair than on the second. 

 There are also claw-tufts on the 

 tarsi of the front two pairs. 

 The rear two pairs are shghter 

 and unarmed, with fine bristles 

 under the tarsi. 



The abdomen is truncate 

 in front, widening out to its 

 greatest breadth at its posterior 

 end, where it is slightly hol- 

 lowed, and carries two angular 

 tubercles at the corners. From 

 thence in an inverted cone it 

 sinks perpendicularly to the spinnerets. The epigyne is hollowed, with a 

 horseshoe-shaped rim. The under-side of the abdomen is thickly covered 

 with short spatulate bristles. 



This species, in coloration, pattern of eyes, and shape of cephalothorax 

 and abdomen, is very like L. Koch's *S. longifcs, from Rockhampton, Queens- 

 land. Besides being smaller, its front two pairs of legs are shorter in pro- 

 portion, and the two rear pairs longer. 



The measurements in milhmetres are as follows : — 



Tig. 2. — Stephanopis benhami. 

 a. Natural size. b. Eyes. c. Epigjnie. 



One female, from Stewart Island. 



I have named this species after the collector. Professor W. B. Benham. 



M. Simon calls the genus Stephanopsis, possibly misled by the error 

 in the Index of the Zoological Record, 1880-1900 ; but Stephanopis is the 

 name originally given to the genus by the Rev. 0. P. Cambridge, and it 

 must be so spelt : Stephanops, moreover, is the name of an older genus of 

 Rotifera. 



The area of distribution of the genus covers pretty well the whole of the 

 subtropical regions south of the Line, with the exception of Africa, although 

 it reaches as far as Madagascar. This specimen is from the farthest-south 

 point hitherto recorded. 



