150 T. THORELL, 
This genus, for which LATREILLE in his Genera Crust. et Ins. (I, 
p. 125) still uses the name Gnaphosa — a name which he afterwards 
changed for the more recent Walckenaerian denomination Drassus — has 
in LATREILLE for its type Gnaphosa melanogaster LATR. (Aranea lucifuga 
WALCK. 1802), and it answers, in the more restricted meaning in- which 
we now, in right of priority, restore it to science, the genus Pythonissa 
C. Kocu, for which without doubt the same species is typical. As regards 
the more accurate determination of the limits of Gnaphosa or Pythonissa, 
we follow L. KocH, and accordingly refer to this genus P. variana C. Koch, 
which, as well by the position of the eyes, as by the presence of the little 
lamina, into which the posterior edge of the mandible’s claw-furrow is drawn 
out, shows itself to belong to this genus and not to Melanophora, to which 
WESTRING refers it. The cocoon of this spider is however of an altogether 
different form from that of the other species both of Gnaphosa and Mela- 
nophora known to me: it is not plano-convex and of a firmer substance, re- 
sembling paper, but loose and lenticular, as in e. g. Drassus lapidicola. We 
also consider Pyth. maculata C. KoCH (Ar. nocturna. LINN.) as a Gnaphosa, 
though standing on the limit between that genus and Melanophora, to which 
WESIRING refers it. The claws in this spider are very dissimilar to those 
of the other species both of Gnaphosa and Melanophora, which I have 
examined. 
The tarsal claws are in Gnaphosa usually small, but coarse and 
powerful, of about the same form as those of Drassus: of uniform breadth 
or slightly tapering and straight nearest to the base, much bent towards 
the extremity, which is long and strong. On the underside they have only 
a few comb-teeth (in G. lucifuga e. g. about 5—6). On the 4" pair the 
claws are weaker and more uniformly curved. The palpal claw is tolerably 
strong, with some few (in G. lucifuga about 5) coarse comb-teeth. Devia- 
tions from this however occur: in G. exornata for example, the tarsal claws 
of which have 5—7 rather long and close-set comb-teeth, the palpal claw is 
long and slender, slightly and uniformly curved, with about 15 fine, long, 
very closely set comb-teeth. G. nocturna deviates still more: in this spe- 
cies the palpal claw is toothless; the tarsal claws are weaker, more equably 
curved, and armed from the base nearly to the extremity with about 5 or 
6 conical teeth, proceeding from the side of the claw; the free extremity 
of the claw is very short. 
Remarks.  LATREILLE is the first, who, after WALCKENAER had in 
1802, in his Faune Parisienne, separated Jygale from the great Linnean 
genus Aranea, divided the remaining spiders into several smaller groups 
