No. 2303. 



RED SPIDERS OP AMERICA— McOREGOR. 



675 



The egg is slightly depressed globose, and bears a recurved stalk 

 which about equals the height of the egg. 



Type— Cat. No. 20167, U.S.N.M. 



The type material is from Batesburg,, South Carolina, January 6, 

 1916, from the upper and under sides of American holly leaves (Ilex 

 opaca), collected by Ivlr. F. L. McDonough and the author. The 

 present species bears some Hkeness to Tragardh's genus ScUzote- 

 tranycJius in the presence of two main divisions of the tarsal claw. 



PARATETRANYCHUS BICOLOR (Banks). 



Tetranychus bicolor Banks, 1894, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, p. 218. 

 The following original description of the species by Banks is so 

 abstract as to be of almost no taxonomic value : 



Length, 0.35 mm. Cephalothorax pale; abdomen dark 

 red, the anterior edge of the red with a median and lateral 

 projections; legs pale yellowish; eyes red; bristles white; 

 Sometimes there is a light dorsal streak on the abdomen. 

 Body elliptical, pointed in front. Cephalothorax with four 

 long bristles; abdomen with a submedian row of five and 

 an outer row of four bristles. All the bristles arise from 

 small, circular depressions. Legs short, subequal, hairy. 

 The male has the abdomen more pointed than in the 

 female, otherwise similar. 



The following diagnostic characters of real 

 taxonomic importance were determined through 

 a critical study of the type material: 



Tarsus ending in a very strong, sickle-shaped 

 claw, which is unclef t to its tip ; arising from the 

 ventral surface of the claw, one-fifth its length 

 from its base, are six diverging spurs, the proxi- 

 mal one of which is the strongest, which in length 

 are three-fifths that of the main claw. The cus- 

 tomary four tenent hairs arise, two on each side 

 at the base of the claw from the tip of the 

 onychium. ' ' Thumb " of palpus bears an ample 

 "finger" terminally which is nearly as wide as 

 long, and the base of which is three-fifths as wide 

 as tip of "thumb"; two strong digituli arise at 

 the dorso-terminal angle, and the dorsal "finger," wliich is only one- 

 fourth the thickness of the terminal "finger," arises midway to the 

 base; a pair of short hairs occur dorsally between the dorsal "finger" 

 and the base, and a similar hair arises latero-ventraUy near the middle 

 of "thumb," Foreleg a trifle longer than width of body. Femur I 

 about two and one-half times as long as wide, and one-fourth again 

 as long as tarsus; tibia a httle longer than patella, which barely 



Fig. 11.— PARATETRANTCHU3 



BICOLOR Banks, l , tarsal 

 appendages; 2, foreleg 

 showing relative 

 lengths of joints (origi- 

 NAL). 



