812 BBOORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAX MT7SEUM. 



NOTES ON THE ARCHITECTURE, NESTING-HABITS, and 

 LIFE-HISTORIES of AUSTRALIAN ARANEID^, based 

 ON SPECIMENS IN THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



By W. J. Rainbow, F.L.S., Eatomologist. 



(Figs. 24 - 27). 



Part III.— THE ECRIBELLAT^E: Haplogynse. 



The Ecribellatse have been divided into two sub-sections or groups, 

 viz., the Haplogynse and Entelegynse, and of these the former con- 

 tains six families : Sicariidai, Leptonetidse, Oonopidte, Hadrotarsidse, 

 Dysderidse, and Caponiidse. In Australia, the HaplogynjB are 

 represented by the first, third, fourth, and fifth families here 

 enumerated. None of these spiders is provided with a cribellum 

 or calamistrum, and the majority have only six eyes. In external 

 appearance, and simplicity, their sexual organs closely approach 

 the Theraphosse. The genital orifice is .situated in both sexes in 

 the epigastric fold, between the pulmonary sacs, and is a simple 

 transverse slit. In the male the last joint of the maxillary palpi 

 is more or less cylindrical, and slightly modified in form, and 

 diflfers but little in general appearance from that of the female; 

 the copulatory organ consists of a cylindrical or globose lobe, with 

 a more or less prolonged extension, and this may be either straight, 

 curved, or twisted, and acts as the conductor of the styli, the 

 orifice of which is situated at the tip. 



Family SICARIID^. 

 This family is divided by Simon into six sub-families, only one 

 of which — Scytodinae — is represented in Australia. One genus 

 only, Scytodes, Latr., is associated by E. Simon with this sub-family, 

 and its geographical range is given as: — " Europa et Regio raedi- 

 terranea; ins. Atlanticfe; Africa tropica etaustr.; ins. Madagascar; 

 Acia occid., centr., orient et merid. ; Malaisia et Polynesia ; America 

 septr., centr., merid. et antillana."' 



Three species of this genus are known to me as occurring in 

 Australia, viz., Scytodes marmorata, L. Koch, originally recorded 

 from Upolu and Rarotonga; and S. striatipes, L. Koch, originally 

 recorded from Upolu, Tonga, and Viti Islands; the third species 

 is apparently *S'. thoracica, Walck , a well-known European form. 



1 Simon— Hist. Nat. Araign^es, 2nd edit., i., 1892, p. 276. 



