114 Ricinulei. Hhtorical Introduction 



II. THE ORDER RICINULEI. (THE FAMILY CRYPTOSTEMMATOID.E.) 



A. Historical Introduction. 



Very few species of tliis but little known order have as yet been published. The 

 earliest known was described (a)- and depicted (6) by Guerin-Meneville in 1838 from a 

 specimen, which our countryman Westermanu had obtained fi-om the coast of Guinea, and it 

 was on that account named Cryptostemma Westermannii. A second species was discovered by 

 Bates on his voyage in the basin of the Amazon River, and was published by Westwood 

 (p. 201) under the name of Cryptocellus fcediis. A third species, like the first from Africa, 

 was described b)- Thorell (h) as Cryptostemma Afzelii, whilst Karsch (c and d) described 

 a species which he referred to Gryptosteinma Westermannii, but which is certainly not identical 

 with the one published by Guerin-Meneville under that name. The original specimen of 

 Cryptostemma Westermannii seems unfortunately to be lost; at any rate neither Professor 

 E. L. Bouvier, Director of the Entomological Department of the Museum of Paris, nor 

 M. E. Simon has been able to give any information concerning it. The original .specimens 

 of the two other species, as well as those which Karsch referred to C. Westermannii and fresh 

 material of this species itself, have very kindly been entrusted to us for examination. Besides 

 these we are fortunate enough to be enabled to describe four entirely new species, viz. three 

 from Africa belonging to Cryptostemma, and one from South America of the genus Cryptocellus 

 Westw., which latter genus does not differ much from the first-named". As far as the number 

 of species of Ricinulei is concerned we have consequently had much more ample material at 

 our disposal than our predecessors, none of whom knew more than one species ; but, as regards 

 specimens, we have not been so well situated for the study of Ricinulei as for that of Cyphoph- 

 thalmi, because of five only out of our eight species have we had more than one specimen 

 before us. Nor have we had any opportunity of dissecting more than one specimen, an example 

 of Cryptostemma crassipalpe, for which we are indebted to the kindness of Professor C. Auri- 

 villius. As, moreover, this specimen was young and rather small, we thought it wiser to confine 

 our investigation to particulars on which there was a prospect of attaining trustworthy 

 information, the anatomy of the mouth, the external organs of sense, and the respiratory 

 organs, leaving unattempted the anatomy of the inner organs. The results of our examination, 

 however, will at any rate suffice to fix the systematic position of the group. But the dis- 

 cussion of this question may be conveniently postponed until we have given an account of 

 the main anatomical features of the ty23e. Only so much we would premise, for the 

 guidance of our readers, that we are unable to agree with the view of Guerin, Gervais, 

 Westwood and Thorell, that the genus Cryptostemma or the family Cryptostemmatoidae 

 Westw. belongs to the order of Opiliones. In our opinion it constitutes an order apart, 



' With regard to the literature cited we refer to the list that Westwood was led to establish the genus Cryptocellus 

 at the end of this paper. by his having misunderstood an ill-chosen expression of 



- Karsch is doubtless justified in suggesting (b, p. 31) Guerin's, but the genus may nevertheless be maintained. 



