138 Foundation of Bicitiulei as a sej)arate Order 



5°. The foremost portiou of the cephalothorax is in Cryptostemmatoidse developed into 

 a movable plate, the cucullus, which covers the antennte and the dorsal side of the mandibles, 

 whilst in Uropygi it is coalesced with the rest of the cephalothorax, and only covers the basal 

 portion of the antenna? and the dorsal side of the mandibles. 



Other features characteristic of Cryptostemmatoidse are (a) the remarkable mechanism for 

 coupling together the cephalothorax and the abdomen, {b) the peculiar structure of the palpi, 

 and (c) the fact that the two hindmost pairs of legs have two trochanters (as also the palpi), 

 whilst the two foremost pairs of legs have only one trochanter. 



In consideration of these distinguishing features we are of the opinion that Crypto- 

 stemmatoidie must constitute a separate order next to Pedipalpi, and for this order the proper 

 name will be Ricinulei, which was used by Thorell as early as 1876. 



The systematic position of Cryptostemmatoidffi has been touched upon lately by Cook 

 (p. 259), who in his anal3'tical table of the sub-classes and orders of Arachnida (apart from 

 Acari) places the Cryptostemmatoidw in his .sub-class Podogona, as a separate order to which 

 he gives the name of Rhignogastra, but of which he does not mention the characters. The 

 distinguishing character of Podogona is given by Cook as " copulatory organs external, borne 

 by the third (penultimate) pair of legs " ; and to this sub-class he also refers the " order " 

 Meridogastra Thor. (Anthracomarti Karsch), though not without doubt. In so far as Crypto- 

 stemmatoidae, according to Cook's classification, occupy a place near the sub-class Pedipalpi, 

 there is an apparent similarity between Cook's view and our own, though it must not be 

 overlooked that he appears to consider Pedipalpi to be more nearly related to Holosomata 

 (Opiliones and Pseudoscorpiones). But in reality this similarity is quite superficial, because 

 it is onl}' through the application of purely negative characters for connecting these groups 

 that Cryptostemmatoidae and Pedipalpi happen to occupy places near each other in Cook's 

 system ; and it is due moreover to an erroneous supposition on his part. The only one of 

 these negative characters' which is susceptible of being converted into a positive statement is 

 this : " Thoracic stigmata wanting " ; but, as we have shown, it is precisely on the cephalo- 

 thorax that the sjjiracles are placed in Cryptostemmatoidae. Had Cook been acquainted with 

 this fact his method of grouping the orders would have led him to place them near Solifugse, 

 of which one of the distinguishing characters is " Thoracic stigmata present." It must be 

 held that the luhole arrangement of Cook, as given in his analytical table, is open to very 

 serious objection on account of it being founded on little more than negative characters. 



Although it will necessarily occupy not a little space we think it worth while to discuss in 

 some detail the view of Karsch, who in his paper on Gryptostemma (c, pp. 29, 30) refers that 

 genus to the family Poliocheridte Scudd., the group Ricinulei Thor., and the order Merido- 

 gastra Thor. (Anthracomarti Karsch). The historical facts are as follows. 



In 1882 Karsch described (a) a fossil Arachnidan from the Coal-formation under the name 

 of Anthracomartus Vullelianus n. gen. and sp. At the same time he proposed a new family, 

 Architarboida;, to which he referred his new genus as well as Architarhus Scudd. with three 

 fossil species. Finally Karsch proposed a new order, Anthracomarti, to comprise besides 

 Architarboidse another new family Eophrynoidse, founded on Eophrynus Prestwicii (Buck!.). 

 The diagnosis of Anthracomarti is as follows : " Korperstamm 2 Segmentencomplexe formirend ; 



1 The other characters are: "Without paired abdominal organs"; but this is only tantamount to saying that these 

 [spinning-] organs ; palpi of males not utilized as copulatory animals are not Araneffi. 



