NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN ARANEIDiE — RAINBOW. 231 



species are P. laciniosus, Peak Downs ; P. mammealus, Peak 

 Downs ; P. coronatus, Cape York ; P. keyserlingi, Gayndah ; P. 

 bimaculatus, Peak Downs. To the range of the latter I now add : 

 Canley Vale, near Sydney, and Spiingwood, Blue Mountains. 



The webs and nesting-habits of these spiders do not appear to 

 have been observed. Usually the species are obtained from 

 withered brandies, to which their colour and form so closely 

 harmonise. The field-note given to me by Mr. J. J. Walker, 

 R.N., with P. salebroms 3 ,J agrees with those recorded by 

 Keyserling. 40 



Two genera, viz., Gehr.nia, Thor., and Taczanowskia, Keys., are 

 included in the group Celamiere. The range of the former is 

 " N. Hollandia; Tasmania; N Zealandia," but the latter occurs 

 only in Peru and Brazil. 11 



The spiders included in this group are decidedly abnormal — so 

 much so, indeed, that some authors have at first regarded them 

 as members of that very distinct family the Thomisidae. Cam- 

 bridge, for instance, founded a genus, which he named Thlao- 

 soma 4 "' 2 for the family just quoted, but it is now accepted by 

 authors as a synonym of Celcenia, and is, as such, one of the 

 numerous genera included in the great family Argiopidse. All 

 the species of Celcenia are striking forms, and the commonest of 

 them, C. excavata, L.K., and G. (= Thlaosoma) dubium, Cambr., 

 are remarkable for their simulation of the excreta of birds. 



Prior to receiving Simon's great work, I had, in common with 

 others, regarded G. excavata and C. dubium as Thomisids, and in 

 one of my early papers 4 :; in which I described the life-history, 

 mimetic habits and egg-bags of the first named species, I so placed 

 them. Up to the present date, five species of Celcenia have been 

 described from Australia and five from New Zealand. Our Aus- 

 tralian species are : G. kinbergi, Thor., from " New Holland " ; 

 C. excavata, from Brisbane, but now known to range from N.E. 

 Queensland to Tasmania ; C. dubia, Cambr., New Holland (fairly 

 common around Sydney); C. distiucta, Cambr., "New Holland"; 

 and C. calotoides, mihi, from Parkville near Scone. 



In reference to C.distincta,! pointed out in a previous paper 44 

 that Cambridge founded his species upon an immature and dried 



39 Raiubow — Zckn cit., p. 31. 



40 Keyserling — Loc. cit. pp. 125, 127, 131. 



41 Simon — Loc. cit., pp. 897-S. 



42 Cambridge — Journ. Linn. Soc, x., 1869, p. 271. 



43 Rainbow — Proc. Liun. Soc. N. S. Wales, xxii., 1S96, p. 336. 



4i Rainbow — Loc. cit., xxvii., 1902, p. 4SS. 



