On new OiAUones from Japan &c. 625 



LXVIII. — On some new Opiliones from Japan and the 

 Loo-Choo Islands. ]iy S. lilRST. 



(Published by permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 



The Japanese harvest-men which are described in this note 

 form part of a series of Arachnida collected by Mr. S. 

 Akiyaraa. Two of the species belong to the suborder 

 Laniatores, which was not hitherto known to occur in Japan. 

 One of these two species is referable to tiie genus Sitalces, 

 E. Sim., a genus which was founded in 1879 for two species 

 occurring on the island of Reunion, and contains also three 

 East-African species recenth^ described by Dr. W. Soreusen, 

 and another {S. gardinerij Hirst) from the Seychelles. I 

 take this opportunity to describe an Indian species {S. ia- 

 dicus, sp. n.) from Travancore. It is necessary to create a 

 new genus {1 Jeter oh iantes) for the other species of this sub- 

 order, obtained by Mr. Akiyama. Two other species be- 

 longing to this new genus were already present in the British 

 Museum collection (//. geniculatus, Poc, from Hong Kong, 

 which was described by Mr. Pocock under the name Epe- 

 danusj and H. insukmus, sp. n., from Great Loo-Choo 

 Island). A species of the genus Systenocentrus, E. Sim. 

 (Opiliones palpatores), was also represented in Mr. Akiyama's 

 collection. The genus St/stenocentrus is new to Japan, but is 

 already known to occur in Siam [8. quinquedentatua^ E. Sim.) 

 and Jiurnia [S. galeatus, Thor.), and an Indian species 

 {Syleus niger, C. L. Koch) also probably belongs to this 

 genus. A Chinese species (6'. confacianus, sp. n.) is described 

 below. 



Systenocentrus japonicus, sp. n. 



Dorsal surface of body presenting the appearance of being 

 closely and uniformly granular throughout (see the remarks 

 at the end of this description). A median process, which is 

 well marked although not very large, is present a little 

 behind the anterior margin of the cephalotliorax, and a pair 

 of much smaller projections are situated on the margin 

 immediately in front of this process. Ocular tubercle mode- 

 rately high and about as wide as long ; its posterior surface 

 is rounded, but the anterior surface, when viewed in profile 

 from the side, seems almost straight; a conical protuberance, 

 which points in a forward and upward direction, is placed on 

 the front half of its dorsal surface. Spines of dorsal surface 

 five in number and about equal in length. 



