the Transvaal and Nyasaland. 319 



Family Ctenizidae. 



Acanthodon pretorue^ sp. n. 



c? . — Colour a uniform earthy red on the carapace and 

 limbs; abdomen greyish black. 



Carapace granular, rugose, spinulose, longer than wide, its 

 ■width equal to the length from the posterior border to the 

 front border of the ocular tubercle ; length less than patella 

 and tibia of all the legs, except of the third, longer than 

 patella, tibia, and tarsus of the palp, a little longer than the 

 fourth protarsus, and about as long as the protarsus and half 

 the tarsus of the first leg ; length from fovea to anterior 

 border slightly less than tibia of second leg ; width a little 

 exceeding the tibise of first and fourth legs. Anterior median 

 eyes {in alcohol) about a diameter apart; distance between 

 anterior median and posterior lateral about twice the diameter 

 of the former, the outer rim of the posterior medians on a 

 level with those of the anterior medians ; distance between 

 posterior medians about one fourth greater than distance 

 between posterior median and posterior lateral on eacli side. 



Legs 4, 1, 2, 3, the fourth and first subequal ; patella and 

 tibia of the fourth a little longer than of first ; tibia of tirst as 

 wide as the femur, slightly incrassate, armed below with 

 about twelve external spines and internally with about six, 

 bearing two stout processes at its distal end, the distal of the 

 two the largest, bluntly rounded, but with a sharp spiniform 

 process above; the other a little higher up, behind it, and 

 conically sharpened; protarsus concave internally at the base, 

 with a low process tipped with half a dozen strong spines, 

 armed in addition with about a dozen inferior external spines 

 and about six or seven in the distal half of the inner surface ; 

 tarsus with an inner row of six spines and about a dozen 

 inferior external spines ; lower surface of protarsus and tarsus 

 covered with hairs and spinules below ; second leg spined 

 much as in the first ; third leg with patella and tibia armed 

 in front above with about twelve short spines ; a few dorsal 

 spines; the tibia, in addition, with a series of short spines 

 behind and about two pairs of setiform spines below; pro- 

 tarsus with numerous spines above, below, and at the sides ; 

 tarsus with spinules in front and behind ; fourth leg with 

 patella armed with short spines in front ; tibia with a few 

 setiform spines below ; protarsus with about twelve setiform 

 spines below, three of them at the apex as on the third leg ; 

 tarsus spinulose in front, more scantily behind ; all the tarsi 

 scopulate below, the scopula increasing in thickness from the 



