March 1S94. 



PSYCHE. 



51 



THE NERIASTOMATIDAE AND TROGULIDAE OF THE UNITED 



STATES.— II. 



BY NATHAN BANKS, SEA CLIFF, N. Y. 



NEMASTOMATIDAE. 



The Nemastomatidae are readily 

 divided into two well marked sub-fam- 

 ilies, which, according to some authors, 

 should rank as families. They are sep- 

 arated as follows : — 



Mandibles longer than the body. 



hchyyopsaUnae. 

 Mandibles shorter than the body. 



Nemastominae. 



One species of Ischyropsalinae has 

 been described from the United States 

 by Simon as a new genus, Ta>-actts 

 fackardi. Another species appears 

 to belong to the same genus or very 

 near it. 



Body smooth . . . T. packardi. 



Body spiny ... T. spinosa. 



Taracus packardi Simon. Colorado. 



Taraacs spinosa n. sp. Length, 2.1 mm.; 

 width, 1.3 mm.; femur II, 2.2 mm. Color 

 pale 3'ello\vish, the claws of the mandibles 

 reddish brown. Cephalothorax smooth; 

 eye tubercle smooth, with two projections 

 on each anterior side, each projection with 

 a stiff bristle at tip; a short distance behind 

 the eye tubercle is a strong and prominent 

 median spine, at each side of which there is 

 an oblique row of tubercles, with bristles at 

 their tips. The entire dorsum, venter and 

 coxae are closely covered with projections 

 each with a stiff black hair at the tip, those 

 on the dorsum are curved. The legs, mandi- 

 bles and palpi, except the terminal joints. 



are also covered with these bristles, which, 

 however, are not situated on tubercles, 

 except some on the mandibles. Palpi a little 

 longer than the mandibles; fifth joint not 

 one-half so long as the fourth, both with 

 many short hairs. Fourth pair of legs 

 wanting, second pair longest. It differs 

 somewhat frotn the characters of the genus 

 Taracus, in that the eye tubercle is not longer 

 than wide. 

 California. 



Of the Nemastominae we have two 

 genera. 



Fourth joint of palpi much tliickened. 



Phlegniacera. 

 Fourth joint of palpi scarcely thickened. 



Ncmastoma. 



Phlegmacera Packard, must certainly 

 be a Nemastomid and not a Phalangid 

 as claimed by Packard [Cave memoir] ; 

 no cla^v is mentioned or figured at the 

 tip of the palpi, and the last joint is 

 shorter than the penultimate. Two 

 species are known to me which may 

 be distinguished thus : — 



A pair of prominent erect spines on the 



anterior part of the abdomen. P. occidentalis. 



No such spines. . . P. cavicoleus. 



Plilegmacera occidentalism n. sp. Length, 

 2.4 mm. Color pale, with a large brown 

 spot on the cephalothorax, the eye tubercle 

 black ; there is also a larger brown spot on the 

 front part of the abdominal dorsum, widest 

 behind, and within which are four median 

 pale spots ; tip of abdomen brown ; venter 



