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



As to the construction of the buccal apparatus I can say 

 very little, as the investigation of these parts in such small 

 animals was attended with great difficulties, seeing that in 

 the dissection of the specimens at my disposal, I considered 

 chiefly the internal organs (nervous system, cephalothoracic 

 glands, alimentaiy organs, &c.), and therefore was unwill- 

 ing to derange the position of these organs by the forcible 

 separation, of the parts of the mouth. In order to get a 

 correct notion of the structure of these parts, which are not 

 fully visible in any direction, I must obtain more abundant 

 materials, so as to sacrifice them at pleasure to the knife. 

 Hence I can only give an account of the following points : — 



The maxillary 'pyramids observed by Dr. Joseph in Gy- 

 l^lioplitlialmus^ and the hook-like curved processes amalgamated 

 with them, appear to be absent in Gihocellum *. The second 

 jjair of maxillaj also is not constructed as in Cypliophthalmus^ 

 in which the hypopodia run out upwards into a sharj) process, 

 and thus, according to Dr. Joseph, aid in the retention of the 

 prey ; but, as in the Chernetid^ and Scorpions, these organs 

 meet in tlie middle line of the body, and are not removed 

 further towards the sides (that is, outwards) as is usually the 

 case in the Arachnida. As in the Araneina, an unpaired 

 mentum is superadded, which is pushed in between the 

 masticatory pieces of the first pair of maxillce, and thus forms 

 an inferior buccal flap. 



The second pair of maxillary jpalpi (C) are formed in precise 

 conformity with the three pairs of true legs (D^, D2, D3). 

 Both in the second pair of maxillary palpi and in the three 

 pairs of legs of Gihocellum six joints may be distinguished ; 

 and these may be referred without difficulty to the sharply 

 defined parts in Insects, as coxa, trochanter, femur, patella, 

 tibia, and tarsus. The coxae, indeed, in our genus are firmly 

 soldered to the pectoral pieces, which meet in the middle, so 

 that tliey are quite immovable ; but they are clearly enough de- 

 fined in their contours by a tolerably deep furrow (constriction) ; 

 in Cyplioplitliahnus the coxfe are completely amalgamated Avith 

 the hypopodia, but their contoui's are still indicated by spheri- 

 cal processes. Here, probably, the cox£e have in time become 

 by some retrogression united with the pectoral plates of the 

 palpi into a single whole ; andj indeed, we have examples 

 enough of such retrogressions. It may, however, be remarked 



* Both the description and figures of these remarkable buccal organs, 

 as given b}' Dr. Joseph {I.e. pp. 244, 245), leave me in doubt upon many 

 p6ints : and I must admit that, in spite of all my endeavours, I have at 

 present no clear notion of tlie position and function of the maxillary 

 pyramids and the hook-like curved pi-ocesses — in short, of the nature of 

 the bucccal organs in Cyphophthabnvs. 



