56 T. THORELL, 
of generic groups, the genera will be in the highest degree artificial, and 
species in all other respects very nearly related will be torn from each other 
and referred to different genera: e. g. Æ. angulata will be separated from 
E. bicornis, which must be an Atea OnL., E. sclopetaria from Æ. sollers, 
which would also, according to this system, belong to the genus Atea; Singa 
pygmea (S. Heri WESTR.) and S. albo-vittata from S. hamata, and so forth. 
— Atea ') according to OHLERT is distinguished from Miranda, by the lateral 
eyes being in the last named genus more than double, whereas in Atea 
they are less than double so far removed from the intermediary eyes, as 
these are from each other, and the anterior series being in Atea straight and 
in Miranda slightly curved backwards. (According to C. Kocx the anterior 
intermediary eyes in Area are farther apart than the posterior, whereas 
according to OHLERT these four eyes are placed rectangularly, — and yet 
both these authors refer the same species, Hp. agalena WALCK., to the 
genus Atea.) — OHLERT distinguishes Singa from Æpeira by the side- 
eyes being in Singa at the same distance, and in Zpeira at double the di- 
stance from the intermediary eyes, which the anterior intermediary eyes are 
from each other. If there were no transitions (as however there are both to 
Atea and Miranda), this would be a very good characteristic; and the 
genus Singa is perhaps the only one of KocH's new genera here mentioned, 
which can in the present state of the science be retained, not so much 
however on account of anything characteristic in the position of the eyes, as 
for the animal’s general form and appearance, somewhat resembling that of 
certain Theridioidæ. (Conf. WESTRING, Aran. Suec., p. 56). — In addition 
to the above-mentioned really trifling and moreover not even constant diffe- 
rence in the proportion of the length of the 1* and 3" pairs of legs, which, 
according to OHLERT, exists between Zygia and Zilla on the one side and 
Meta on the other, the two first of these genera are stated to have their 
eyes rectangularly placed, and the lateral litle more distant from the 
intermediary eyes than these latter from each other, whereas in the case 
of Meta the anterior intermediary eyes are somewhat nearer to each other 
than the posterior, and the side eyes at the same distance from the inter- 
mediate as these latter from each other. All these are, as we have already 
said, extremely weak and insignificant distinctions, which have not even 
the merit of being reliable, for e. g. Kocu’s and OHLERTS Zilla reticulata 
1) Atea melanogaster C. KocH (Dipena melanogaster NOB.) is not an Zpei- 
roid at all, but belongs to the family Theridioide. Vid. infra: Gen. Dipena of 
that family. 
