TRÄGÅKDH, SPELEORCHESTES, A SALTATORIAL TROMBIDIIDE 13 



vex; it has three pairs of hairs, one short anterior, near the 

 median line, the other two laterally, one anteriorly, at the 

 margin, the other behind the middle, submarginally. 



In all other respects the abdomen agrees with S. fonni- 

 corum. 



The legs are shaped essentiahy as in the other species. 

 In legs IV however the coxse is comparatively shorter and 

 broader and the genu is longer than the tibia. 



The claws of leg I (and II?) are shaped differently from 

 those of the other legs, as they are slightly AS-curved shor- 

 ter and hairy at the ventral side; those of legs III and IV 

 are curved at an acute angle. 



Locality. In a partly deserted nest of a termite, about 

 Vä m. below the siirface. Entendweni Bnsh. Zululand. June 

 1905. 



Summary, 



From the descriptions given above it is evident that 

 S peleorchestes presents some very striking features, the in- 

 terpreting of which is by no means easy to give. From the 

 close affinity to Alichus and Monalichus, which is beyond all 

 doubts, and the fact that in these two genera the mandibles 

 are of typical shape and no epistome-like structure exists, 

 we may however infer, that these features in S peleorchestes 

 are recently acquired characters, not of an old phylogene- 

 tic value. 



x4s to the maxillse however the case seems to be diffe- 

 rent, since the same feature viz. two pairs of appendages, 

 also occurs in Alichus (and Monalichus) a genus which has 

 another feature of an evidently old phylogenetic value, viz. 

 a segmentated abdomen. Hence it seems highly probable 

 that the maxillse of these two genera present a primitive feature 

 which has more or less dissappeared in the other Trombidiidse. 



The prominent eyes are another feature of considerable 

 interest, taking into consideration that both species live un- 

 derground, thus in absolute darkness. 



One would naturally suppose that this mode of life would 

 involve the eyes becoming more or less reduced. But, on 

 the contrary, the eyes are much more developed and pro- 



