SOLIFUGAE 89 



restricted to an area north of the Equator ranging from Morocco to 

 India and Turkestan: the remaining famiHes, the Karschiidae and 

 Melanoblossiidae, have a somewhat discontinuous distribution in 

 Africa and Asia. 



SoUfugae are particularly abundant in Africa, but none are 

 found in Madagascar and they are also absent from Australia and 

 New Zealand. 



General behaviour 



These animals are lovers of warmth and are never found in cold 

 or temperate countries, although one species, Gylippus rickmersi^ 

 inhabits the 10,000 foot plateau of the Pamir in Central Asia, 

 north of the Hindu Kush Mountains. Even where they thrive, 

 they hide away or hibernate throughout the winter season. They 

 avoid fertile oases and seem to prefer utterly neglected regions 

 where the soil is broken and bare, but this is not because they can- 

 not exist in proximity with man. On the contrary, they frequently 

 enter the tents of travellers to catch flies and other insects. Ac- 

 cording to Aelian, an area of Ethiopia was deserted by its inhabi- 

 tants on account of the appearance of an incredible number of 

 scorpions and Thalangiums' but Pliny, in quoting the same story, 

 replaced Thalangium' by *Solfuga\ Gluvia dor sails is said to be a 

 familiar sight in the streets of Madrid and the species Mummucla 

 varlegata and Pseiidocleobls morslcans often run about in the streets 

 of Santiago where they are known as 'ArSiihas del Sol' (sun- 

 spiders). The majority of Solifugae, as their name indicates, are 

 however, nocturnal and hide away under stones or in crevices of 

 the soil during the daytime. It has been suggested that this habit 

 may be correlated with a low temperature tolerance, but the matter 

 has not been tested experimentally. 



Kingston (1925) has described the process of burrowing in a 

 Persian species of Galeodes (G. arahs or G. araneoides). No great 

 skill is exhibited, and the procedure is laborious even in friable 

 soil. Where the sand is loose, a furrow is ploughed with the 

 pointed mandibles, the soil being raked back with the hairy legs. 

 The animal faces its excavation with outstretched limbs; the long 

 pedipalps are thrust forward to explore the way; the first pair of 

 legs also is advanced, but it is the second pair that fulfils the pur- 



