Arachnida from Natal. 219 



C. ajyproxi'mata, Karsch, from Walfiscli Bay {loc. cit. p. 780), 

 is, judging from the description of the eyes, a different genus, 

 perhaps belonging to Capheris. Lastly, G. rutilans, Simon 

 (Ann. Soc. Ent. France, 1888, p. o70), from Kalahari, 

 differs from all the other species in having the abdomen 

 uniformly coloured above. 



Family Gnaphosidae *. 



{=Dr(tssidcs of authors.) 



Genus Platyoides, O. P. Cambridge. 

 Platyoides laterigradus^ sp. n. (PI. VII F. fig. 12.) 



Colour. Carapace and mandibles mahogany-brown ; 

 sternum and basal three segments of legs ochre-yellow; legs 

 from patellas to tarsi lightly infuscate, though paler below ; 

 abdomen ashy grey, paler beneath. 



Carapace a little longer than broad, about as long as the 

 tibia and half the protarsus of the first and as the femur of the 

 fourth leg ; anterior median eyes separated by a space slightly 

 exceeding their diameter, but separated from the anterior 

 laterals by a space which equals almost two diameters. 



Mandibles with one largish tooth near the base of the infe- 

 rior border; hairy below, the hairs arising from the summits 

 of little papilla ; front of mandibles sparsely setose. 



Legs also sparsely setose, not spined ; protarsi and tarsi of 

 first and second lightly scopulate below ; the scopulse of the 

 second thinner than of first ; patella and tibia of first and 

 fourth about equal, and less than patella and tibia of second ; 

 fourth leg exceeding second leg by the length of its tarsus. 



Abdomen oval, nearly twice as long as wide. 



Vulva as in PI. VIII. fig. 12; inferior spinners short and 

 conical, scarcely longer than broad. 



Measurements in millimetres. — Total length 13; length of 

 carapace 4, width 3*3 ; length of first leg 11, of second 13, of 

 third 10, of fourth 12 (measured from base of femur). 



Loc. Estcourt, Natal, 4000 feet. 



In size and colouring this species certainly resembles 

 P. Ahrahami, 0. P. Cambridge (P. Z. S. 1890, pp. 624-5, 

 pi. liii. fig. 4), which is described vaguely as from S. Africa ; 

 but the omission in the description of certain important 

 characters, such as the armature of the mandible and the 



* Siuce the name Drassus disappears as a synonym, the name Drassida^ 

 should be discarded for the same reasons that have led to the substitution 

 of Argiopid^ for Epeirida). 



