1. Geographical Distribution. 



I. General Remarks. 



The order of the Chelonethi is distributed all over the world with the excep- 

 tion of the arctic and antarctic regions. Many of the genera are also mundane 

 e. g. Garypus L. K. and '" Lophochernes Sim.", but others seem to be restricted in 

 their distribution e. g. Pseudnchiridiiim n. gen. which has only been recorded from 

 South-East Asia, Microcreagris Balz., which has only been found in China, Triclen- 

 chthonins Balz., which is only known to occur in South America, and Ohisiiim III. 

 (in widest sense), which is only known from North America, Europe and the Medi- 

 terranean regions of Asia and Africa, and probably from the North of Asia '). 

 Even if the above geographical facts do not weigh very much, because some of 

 the continents especially Africa and Australia are practically unexplored in this 

 respect, the complete want of Obisiinae Dad. in South America, which is fairly 

 well examined as far as Chelonethi are concerned, is a little astonishing and is in 

 need of another explanation. 



With regard to the species, a great number at least, seem to be rather circum- 

 scribed in their distribution, but a good many are so related as to be practically 

 mundane. When we wish to deal with the geographical distribution of a species 

 of this order, we must necessarily take into consideration, that the proper home- 

 stead of many species is very difficult to find, because they follow man and may 

 thus be found far away from their native country. Such a species as Chelifer 

 cancroides L., which lives in houses, have been found in Europe, North America, 

 South Africa and Argentine; Chiridinm museorum Leach has a similar worldwide 

 distribution. That many species travel from the one country or continent to the 

 other, is proved by a number of direct observations; Ch. depressiis C. K., Ch. siih- 

 niber Sim., Ch. navigator n. sp. and Obisium longicolle Frauenf 1". inst. have been 

 found in ships from India, and C/j. bicarinatns Sim. in packages, recently dispatched 

 from Japan to Paris. All localities of this kind, where the homestead of a species 

 is open to suspicion, ought naturally to be excluded from a discussion of its original 

 distribution. It is sometimes easy to distinguish between a primitive and an arti- 



') Roncus chthoniiformis Balz, from Argentine i.s |)iol)ahly a Chthonitis C. K. (46. p. 445; cf. below). 

 Obisium angustum Gervais from Chile, as well as Obisium loiiyicolle Frauenf., O. trifidum Steck, and 

 O. pusio from India can not with security be referred to any genus. In the dried collections of tlie 

 British Museum bi^ specimens of Roncus I.. K. are found IVom .lapan. 



