IQI5.] F. H. GRAVELY : Oriental Tarantulidae. 447 
Subfamily PHRYNICHINAE. 
Kraepelin divides this subfamily into genera as follows :— 
Tibia of fourth leg 1-jointed ; hand of adult with 
, 1 basal of two dorsal spines rudimentary or absent.! Phrynichus, p. 447. 
Tibia of fourth leg 2-jointed ; both dorsal spines 
{ of hand strongly developed in adult ... Damon, p. 455+ 
Genus PHRYNICHUS, Karsch.? 
Type P. veniformis (Linn.). 
The generic identity of Linnaeus’s Phalangium reniforme, which 
has an important bearing on the nomenclature of the subfamily, has 
been muchin dispute. Kraepelinsummarised the available evidence 
at the commencement of his ‘‘ Revision der Tarantuliden ’’?, and has 
given his final opinion as regards the correct nomenclature in 
“Das Tierreich.’* His conclusions have been confirmed by 
Lonnberg, who examined the type still preserved in the Zoological 
Museum at Upsala.® 
The generic identity of Phalangium reniforme having been settled, 
its specific identity was for Kraepelin a simple matter, since, from 
the material at his disposal, he was unable to recognize more than 
two species in the genus. The rich material in the Indian Museum 
collection shows, however, that several of the names regarded by 
Kraepelin as synonymous with Phrynichus rentformis will have to 
be revived: and that even these will not cover all the species to 
which the name P. reniformis may conceivably belong. ‘The des- 
cription of P. veniformis is generic rather than specific, and the 
identity of the species must, Iam afraid, remain a matter of doubt 
until the type is redescribed. Lonnberg says, ‘‘ To judge from the 
descriptions and from the table given by Pocock, the Linnean speci- 
men most closely agrees with ‘ Ph. deflerst,’ Simon.’’ But the 
value of the characters used by Pocock in diagnosing this species 
is perhaps open to question; and it is more likely that the 
Linnean specimen belongs to one of the two well-known forms 
called below P. ceylonicus and P. nigrimanus respectively, than to 
a species only known otherwise from a single specimen from 
Obock. 
The description of P. lunatus (Pallas) is also generic rather than 
specific; and the figures with which it is accompanied are too rough 
to be of any help. The identity of this species also must therefore 
remain in doubt. 
P. ceylonicus (Koch) is clearly a large species found in Ceylon. 
Only one such species is known to me, and I have accordingly 
applied the name to it. 
P. scaber (Gervais) comes from the Seychelles (? and Mauritius). 
It is probably distinct from the Indian and Ceylonese species, but 
L Except in P. deflersi (Simon). 
2 Arch. Naturg. XLV (1), 1879, p. 190. 
8 Abh. Ver. Hamburg XIII, 1895, pp. 1-53, I pl. 
# See also Zool. Anz. XXVIII, 1904, pp. 201-203. 
5 Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (7) 1, 1898, pp. 88-89. 
