148 T. THORELL, 
cisive importance. — In BLACKWALL the genus Drassus has a far wider 
compass, and comprises also the groups Phrurolithus, Micaria, Melanophora 
and Gnaphosa, which we have considered as separate and independent ge- 
nera. WALCKENAER, as is well known, also referred to this genus many 
other and widely separate forms, among which are some species of the 
genera Colotes and Dictyna, to which BLACKWALL first assigned their true 
places in the system. 
The genus Herpyllus HENTZ seems very nearly to correspond to 
Drassus WALCK., and comprises not only species of the genus now before 
us, and of Gnaphosa, but probably also of several others, Micaria and 
Melanophora among the rest. Conf HENTZ, Aran. of the United States, 
in Boston Journ. of Nat. Hist., V, p. 454—401, Pl. XXIV, fig. 2—20. 
In the genus Drassus the tarsal claws are powerful, straight at the 
base, generally somewhat long, especially on the posterior legs, armed 
below with 5 or 6 strong comb-teeth; the palpal claw has about 3 teeth 
at some distance apart. Such is the case with e. g. D. lapidicola. In D. 
quadri-punctatus the claws are still more powerful, but in other respects 
very similar. The hairs of the claw-tufts are in general dilated towards 
the extremity, flattened, and mostly short; they are often continued on 
the tarsus throughout its underside, especially on the first pair of legs. In D. 
braccatus (vid. infra) I have counted 3 thick, almost parallel comb-teeth and a 
little point before them on the tarsal claws, 2 or 3 teeth on the palpal claws. 
In the vicinity of Söderköping I have met with a particularly fine 
species of Drassus 1) (no doubt identical with D. braccatus L. Koch, though 
the cephalothorax in that species is said to be black, whereas in my spe- 
cimens it is reddish brown), which in some respects appears to form the 
transition to Gnaphosa. In size and colour it is very like Gn. variana, 
but the position of the eyes is exactly the same as in Drassus. The po- 
sterior edge of the claw-furrow of the mandibles forms in this species with 
the corresponding longitudinal inner edge of the mandible a strong, right- 
1) Drassus braccatus L. Kocm cephalothorace rufescenti-fusco, palpis et parti- 
bus oris infuseatis, pedibus rufescenti-testaceis, femoribus 4 anterioribus nigricantibus; 
abdomine fuligineo, maculis 6 albicantibus in dorso: 2 ad basin, minoribus, rotundatis; 
reliquis 4 fere in medio, transversis, obliquis, in rectangulum vel trapezium postice 
angustius et paullo latius quam longius dispositis. 
Long. © 7—8, cg? c:a 5 millim. 
Femora supra in medio aculeis 2, 1", 2% et 4" paris præterea uno ad apicem 
in latere interiore, 3% paris 2 ad apicem; pedes cetero supra non aculeati; tibi: et 
tarsi pedum 4 posteriorum subtus et in lateribus aculeati. 
Sub lapidibus ad Söderköping rarissime inventus. 
