1877.] REV. O. p. CAMBRIDGE ON NEW ARANEIDEA. 5C3 



described, excepting in being much smaller, have more recently been 

 sent to me from Oejlon by Mr. G. II. K. Thwaites. 



Fam. Cryptothelides. 

 Gen. Cryptothele, L. Koch. 

 Cryptothele ceylonica, sp. n. (Plate LVI. fig. 4.) 



Adult female, length If line. 



Cephalothorax oval behind, but constricted laterally at the caput; 

 it is generally flattened, and its sides much depressed ; its upper 

 surface is roughened and clothed with coarse bent bristles and hairs ; 

 these are mainly disposed in two curved lines along the middle, en- 

 closing the thoracic junction in an elongated oval figure. The 

 colour of the cephalothorax is a uniform yellowish brown ; and the 

 height of the clypeus (which retreats considerably) is just equal to 

 the length of the falces. 



The eijes are seated on black spots in three transverse rows — 2, 2,4, 

 at the slightly produced upper extremity of the caput. Those of 

 the foremost row are of tolerable size and the largest of the eight ; 

 these are separated by an interval of an eye's diameter; those of the 

 middle row are next in size, and are contiguous to each other ; 

 this row is separated from the first by about the diameter of one 

 of the eyes of the foremost row. The hinder row is curved, the 

 convexity of the curve directed backwards ; its eyes (four in num- 

 ber) are of about equal size, but much smaller than the rest ; those 

 of the central pair of this row are separated by an interval of an eye's 

 diameter, and form a line scarcely differing in length from that of 

 the middle row ; the hind laterals are each separated from the hind 

 central next to it by an interval of about double the length of that 

 which divides the central pair from each other, and equal to that 

 which separates tl^^se last from those of the middle row. 



The legs are short, strong, and differ but little in length ; those 

 of the fourth pair are slightly the longest ; and the difference between 

 those of the second and third pairs is very little, the third pair being 

 perhaps the shortest. They are similar to the cephalothorax in 

 colour ; and the several joints (at least the tibiae, genua, and femora) 

 are of a gouty or somewhat nodose form, and furnished with coarse 

 tuberculose spines, curved spine-like bristles of uniform thickness 

 throughout their length, and hairs ; each tarsus ends with three claws. 

 Some portions of the legs appeared to be darker than the rest ; but 

 this was caused, I think, by extraneous matter clogged up among the 

 bristles. 



The palpi are short, similar to the legs in colour, aud furnished 

 with short, coarse bristles and hairs. 



The falces are short, not very strong, subconical, considerably 

 directed backwards, and a little paler in colour than the cephalo- 

 thorax. 



The maxill(B are short, and rather weak, slightly curved, and much 

 inclined towards the labium, over which they fit closely, with their 

 extremities almost meeting ; their colour is like that of the falces. 



36* 



