170 T. THORELL, 
Drassoide, they have only two claws at the extremity of the tarsi ): as in 
them, the eyes generally form two transversal rows; but these rows usually 
enclose a crescent-shaped or circular-segmental area, and are but rarely 
nearly parallel or curved towards each other?) Most frequently (also in 
Micrommata) the second pair of legs is longer than the others, which on 
the other hand, as far as I am aware, is never the case with the Drassoi- 
de. The maxillæ are usually narrow and strongly inclined towards the la- 
bium, the mandibles small and conical: nevertheless there are numerous ex- 
ceptions to this, of which Heteropoda and the genera nearly connected with 
it are striking examples. 
The species of this sub-order, at least the European ones, may for 
the present be united in a single family, Thomisoidw, to which we also 
refer the wonderful and but little known genus Anetes MENGE, which is 
stated to be destitute of both spinners and tarsal claws. 
Fam. I. THOMISOIDÆ. 
Syn.: 1817. "Latérigrades" Larr., in Cuv., Règne Anim., III, p. 91. 
1823. Retrograde SUND., Gen. Aran. Suec., p. 18. 
1825. Laterigradæ Larr., Fam. Nat. du Règne Anim., p. 315. 
1833. Thomisides SUND., Consp. Arachn., p. 27. 
LATREILLE in 1804 ?) formed, at the expense of LINNÉ'S Aranea, for 
spiders belonging to this family the genera Heteropoda, Misumena and Mi- 
crommata. As the characteristic difference between the two first mentioned, 
1) A remarkable exception is Sparassus abnormis BLACKW., which has only "a 
single claw at the extremity of each tarsus” (BLAckw., A list of spiders captured 
in the South-East region of Equat. Africa, p. 457). This species ought probably to 
form a separate genus. 
2) In Eripus WALCK. the eyes are arranged in 3 or 4(?) transversal series. In 
Platythomisus DoLescu. the eyes form two rhômb-like groups, situated far apart 
at the two corners of the forehead; in Arcys WALCK., Heterognatha Nic. and Ane- 
tes MENGE on the contrary the lateral eyes are far removed from the central eyes, 
much about as in Æpeira. In Stephanopis CAMBR. the eyes are arranged in a ring, 
in Diphya Nic. they have again about the same position as in Ocyale. Thomisus yolo- 
phus Doum. has but 6 eyes, and ought of course to form a separate genus, for 
which we propose the name Daradius (from Daradus, the river Senegal); Sicarius 
WALCK. or Thomisoides Nıc., which, I suspect, belongs to this family, has also only 6 eyes. 
3) Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., XXIV, p. 135. 
