of the Genera of the KxdkX\(tK. 55 



twcMity or tliirty species originally, has been ajjlit up and 

 subdivided apjain and again by consecutive authors. A 

 further element of difficulty of course appears when the 

 authors breaking up an original genus have not correctly 

 identified the species withdrawn. 



Literature. 



In preparing this revision of the genera of the Aranea3 all 

 tlie pre-Latreillcan literature, from Olercic in 1757 and 

 onwards, has been carefully examined, in case any genera 

 may have been established which might have escaped the 

 researches of Dr. T. Thorell and others. 



C. Clerck was the first to apply the Linnean binomial 

 system systematically in Arachnology ; and although his work 

 * Aranei Suecici ' was published the year before Linnteus's 

 10th edition of the ' Sysfema,' it is generally regarded as 

 valid, since he was well acquainted with Linnreus, attended 

 his lectures, and adopted his sj'stem. This author, however, 

 made use of only one generic name, Araneus, and all his 

 species are included under this title. 



Neither Linnieiis, Fabricius, GeofFroy, De Gecr, nor ]\Ieyer 

 made any alteration in this respect; and it was not until 

 1802 that Latreille, in his Hist, Nat. des Fonrmis, p. 345, 

 quoted two genera, Myqale and Aranea. The original genus 

 Araneus, however, was not broken up by Latreille until 1804, 

 in Nouv. Diet, d'llist. Nat. xxiv. ; and it is with this work 

 that the whole question of generic names and the selection of 

 tyi)es must naturally begin. 



Walckenaer published his ' Faune Parisiennc, Insectes,' 

 torn, ii., Paris, in 1802, but includes all his species under 

 Aranea. 



This first instalment of revisional notes includes, with the 

 exception of Araneus, only the generic names published from 

 1802-1804. In 18J0 Latreille definitely selected types for a 

 great many of his own genera and for some of Walckcnaer's; 

 and it will be useful to give a brief notice of the works 

 published by both Latreille and Walckenaer between those 

 dates, which might have any j)03siblc weight in the settle- 

 ment of the question of names and types. 



1802. P. .\. L.vTRKii.i.E. — Hit. Nat. des Fonrmis: p. 3^5, G. i. My- 

 ffale, including A. avicularia, Cfementaria, and Snurayesii ) 

 p. ;347, G. ii. Araneii, followed by a uvimher of species, but 

 without iu auv wav limiting the genus as ho afterwards does 

 in IH04. 



