GENUS HERMANNIA. 439 



Genus— HERMANNIA,* Nic. 



Equals part oi Nothrus, Koch. 



Equals Hermannia and part of Nothrus, Berlese. 



Equals Hermannia, Cauestrini. 



ApterogasterincB with ceplialothorax anchylosed to 

 abdomen ; without lamellse ; with abdomen round, 

 elliptical, or oval, notogaster arched ; cuticle of adults 

 fully chitinised, and short thick legs with almost 

 cylindrical joints. (All species at present known are 

 monodactyle.) 



This genus was originated by Mcolet in his laudable 

 effort to break up the ill-dehned genus Nothrus of 

 Koch into more harmonious groups. Nicolet's type, 

 which seems to me excellently selected, is H. picea (his 

 crassipes). Nicolet gives the short tabular definition 

 of his genus, which will be found at page 53 of this 

 book, and also a more detailed definition at page 468 

 of his work, in which he prominently puts forward the 

 elliptical and greatly arched abdomen. The discovery 

 and examination of numerous species, not known to 

 Nicolet, in other genera of the family has shown that 

 the question of monodactyle or tridactyle claws has 

 not the value which Nicolet attached to it (see this 

 book page 56, and also tbe Appendix), but his type 

 species and most of his other definitions remain valid. 

 Since Nicolet' s time one or two Notliri have been 

 found with monodactyle claws, and it becomes rather 

 difficult to define the difference between Hermannia 

 and Nothrus in words, particularly as there is one 

 species, H. histrlata, which, as Berlese correctly says, 

 is a bridge joining the two ; but I think, looking 

 to the type species and to the parts of Nicolet's defini- 

 tion which subsequent discoveries have not affected, 

 that we may fairly say that the elliptical or almost round 

 abdomen of Hermannia^ rounded posteriorly, with its 



* Named iu honour of Hermann, the Swiss arachnologist. 



