450 OTHYPIIANTES 



on the head than the males ; plumage of the sexes sometimes alike, some- 

 times distinguished by the top of the head being black in the females and 

 yellow, or partly so, in the males ; lower back uniform brown, yellow or 

 olive, contrasting generally very strongly with the mantle in both sexes, and 

 in adults of both sexes the abdomen and under tail-coverts are aUke, bright 

 yellow or white. 



Type. 



Othyphantes, Shelley, B. Afr. I. p. 37 (1896) 0. reichcnoiui. 



The genus is confiued to Tropical Africa, and I have divided it into seven 

 species, but as two of these, 0. sharpei and 0. lovati, are known only by 

 single specimens, they may prove to be varieties of the species to which 

 they show close affinities. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



a. Abdomen yellow like the throat, breast and under 

 tail-coverts. 



a}. Lower back uniform yellowish olive. 

 a". Back of head black. 



«". Mantle uniform black in adults. 



a*. Forehead yellow reiclicnowi, S . '■'■ i-/ 



b^. Forehead black, like the crown and sides 

 of head. 



a^. Chin yellow reichcnoioi, $ . 



h^. Chin black nigrimentum. V j~ j 



h^. Mantle olive yellow with dark centres to the 

 feathers ; top and sides of head black, 

 c^. Hind neck and back blacker, the olive 

 yellow of these parts more confined to 



the sides of the feathers sharpei. ^ 4~^ J 



d*. Hind neck and mantle more olive, the 

 feathers being entirely surrounded with 



olive yellow stuhlmanni, J , 2 . S' s~ ■> 



&2. Back of head ashy olive ; forehead and most of 

 crown yellow ; back olive yellow with dusky 

 centres to the feathers of the mantle .... lovati. ' ~ 

 5^. Lower back ashy brown ; back of head yellowish 



olive baglafecht. u j (^ 



b. Abdomen andunder tail-coverts white or brownish 

 buff ; lower back ashy brown. 

 c^. Throat and front of chest clear yellow. 



c". Forehead yellow emini, J" , ad. "' ■ ■? 



d". Entire upper half of head black emini, 2 . ad. 



(£1. Throat and front of chest not yellow . Immature and luinter plumacjc 



of the last three species. 



