M. A. Stecker on a new Genus of Arachnida. 235 



insects, which was indicated by Latreille * and others, seems 

 to me to be still further proved by this. 



The densely hairy first pair of maxillary palpi (D) differ 

 essentially from the first pair of palpi in Gyphop>]ithahnus. 

 The difference consists, in the first place, in that in Oihocellum 

 we only count five instead of six joints ; but this may be ex- 

 plained by the second joint in Gihocellum being completely 

 amalgamated with the third. Thus the third joint in Giho- 

 cellum represents the fourth joint of Cypltophthalmus ; only 

 in the latter it is filiform, and in the former strongly thick- 

 ened and dilated like a shovel. The last two joints are similar 

 in form ; the last joint in GiboceUum is furnished with a 

 claw and with a thick obtuse booklet. Looked at superficially 

 the first pair of maxillary palpi may be compared to that of 

 the Phalangiidas ; from the chelate palpi of the Didactyla 

 (Scorpionidas, Cheruetidaj) and the Solifugas (Galeodea^) they 

 are distinguished by the absence of the cheliform last joint. 

 As regards their morphological significance, they seem partially 

 to replace functionally the antennse, which are here converted 

 into chelicera, inasmuch as they are supplied on the one hand 

 with a much ramified nerv^e-trunk [nervus pedum maxillarwm) ^ 

 and on the other with numerous set^ furnished with nerve- 

 terminations {tactile setce of the insect-antenna) . With respect 

 to the palpal nerve within the body, I may add that, although 

 it originates from the infraoesophageal ganglion, I am inclined 

 to ascribe to it a deeper significance, inasmuch as I am of 

 opinion that I can transfer the function of the insect-antennae, 

 in so far as these fulfil the sense of touch, to the first pair of 

 maxillary palpi of the Arthrogastra ; this may be easily ex- 

 plained both from the extremely fine nervous fibrillation in 

 these appendages of the body, and also from the mode of life 

 of the animals. But that the first maxillary palpi at the same 

 time function as olfactory organs, as Erichson f has shown to 

 be the case with the antennje of insects, does not appear to me 

 probable. I believe that the chelicera of the Arthrogastra, 

 besides their cofunction as buccal organs {for the division and 

 crushi7ig of the food that is to be sucked out) , may be indicated 

 as olfactory organs, and the first pair of maxillary palpi as 

 tactile organs. Menge, also, appears to me to have understood 

 the function of the palpi in the same way \, although he has 

 not distinctly expressed this. 



* " Observations nouvelles sur rorganisation exterieure et generale des 

 animaux articules &c.," Memoires du Museum, tome viii. p. 169. 



t Dissertatio de fabrica et usu autennarum in Insectis. Berlin, 1847. 



X " Ueber die Lebensweise der Afterspinneu," Neueste Schriften der 

 naturf. Gesellsch. in Danzig 1850 ; '' Ueber die Scheerenspiunen (Cherne- 

 tid^);' ibid. 1855. 



16* 



