10 Mr. R. I. Pocock on some new 



African species, but is distinguishable from all bj the form 

 of the vulval &c. 



In addition to the spider here described, Mr. Ross sent to 

 Mr. W. L. Distant, who kindly handed them on to me to 

 determine, examples of the following species from Durban : — 

 Nephila pilipes, Cyrtophora citricola, Argyroepeira Antinorii^ 

 Aranea nautica, Sparassus Spenceri^ and Sparassus rufilatus. 

 Witii the exception of Aranea nautica and Sparassus rufilatus^ 

 all these species were recorded from Durban in my paper on 

 the Arachnida of Natal published in 1898 (Ann. & Mag. 

 Nat. Hist. (7) ii. pp. 197-226). Sparassus rufilatus is a 

 particularly interesting capture, the species having been 

 found previously only in the Caraeroons. It was described 

 by myself in 1899 (P. Z. S. p. 878) from a single male 

 example. Mr. Ross also sent a male example from Natal. 

 Slight differences are observable in the size of the eyes 

 between the two, but the differences are not sufficient to 

 justify the formation of a new species for the Natal specimen 

 on the material available for comparison. In the synopsis of 

 West-African species of Sparassus published in the above- 

 cited work S. rufilatus is erroneously accredited with three 

 pairs of inferior tibial spines on the first and second legs and 

 S. henitensis with two pairs, instead of the other way about. 



Rothus lineatus, sp. n. (PI. III. fig. 2.) 



As large as B. catenulatus, Sim. (Ann. Soc. Ent. Bclg. 

 xlii. p. 15, 1898), from Kimberley, and B. auratus, Poc, 

 from Namaqualand. Colour variable, but apparently not 

 different from that of a species from various parts of Cape 

 Colony which I judge to be B. vittatus, Sim. Distinguish- 

 able from the other species by the form of the vulva. 



In B. auratus and vittatus the rim of the vulva is thick and 

 the median trilobate sclerite has its lateral lobes not im- 

 pressed, and tlie anterior median fovea either scarcely invades 

 the anterior border of the sclerite, which is thus superficially 

 flat {vittatus), or extends only about as far as, or a little 

 farther than, the middle of its area. In B. lineatus, on 

 the contrary, the anterior fovea is large, semielliptical, and 

 spreads backwards over the middle of the trilobate sclerite 

 almost to its posterior border, dividing it completely into 

 a right and left portion, each of whicli bears a deep 

 impression ; or perhaps the vulva might be appropriately 

 described as having the median trilobate sclerite marked witli 

 three deep impressions ; rim of vulva narrow, as compared 

 with that of B. auratus and vittatus. 



