742 REV. 0. P. CAMBRIDGE ON NEW ARANEIDEA. _[Nov. l, 
Abdomen short, oval, rather suddenly narrowing near the hinder 
extremity ; it is moderately convex above, and projects slightly over 
the base of the cephalothorax ; some short black bristles are thinly 
dispersed on its sides, and a few flattened erect ones on its upper- 
side; of these several in a compact bunch or small group occupy the 
median line of the fore part; the outer side of each of the superior 
pair of spinners is black. 
A single adult male of this minute Spider was contained in the 
collection before alluded to, received from Mr. Thwaites of Ceylon. 
I can hardly venture to pronounce upon its family affinities. It 
appears to be related to Tegenaria, as well as to Uloborus, Mithras, 
and Miagrammopes ; its habits are unknown; but the number and 
disposition of its eyes and its general characters are interesting, and 
seem to remove it still further from the family Epeirides than the 
last three genera above mentioned. These genera, indeed, appear to 
be attached to that family chiefly, if not entirely, by their common 
habit of spinning a more or less orbicular snare ; this is a character 
which will, I think, eventually prove of too slender importance, taken 
by itself, to weigh against strong structural differences. In a most 
able and important work (before alluded to), ‘On the Genera of Eu- 
ropean Spiders,’ by Professor Thorell of Upsala, this author consti- 
tutes Uloborus and Mithras a subfamily (Ulodorine) of the family 
Epeirides. The distinguishing characters given of the subfamily are 
strong; and that which unites it to the principal family, being 
only the form of the snare, seems to me likely to prove untenable. 
The comparative unimportance of this character is shown by its 
entire absence in an undoubted Epeirid lately received from New 
Zealand, from Dr. Llewllyn Powell, M.D., who kindly favoured me 
with a sight of some interesting drawings of its snare: this, so far 
from being in any way geometric or orbicular, greatly resembled that 
of Dictyna benigna (Bl.), but was simpler and more artless. Dr. 
Powell’s Spider is of the genus Arachnura (Vins.), a genus of 
which the typical species is said to weave a geometric snare. 
Family TuomisipEs? 
Nov. gen. Paycus (nom. propr.). 
Characters of the Genus.—Cephalothorax small, broad-oval ; 
caput large and elevated. 
Eyes eight, large, seated in two transverse curved rows and oc- 
cupying the whole width of the upper fore part of the caput, form- 
ing somewhat of a crescent whose horns point backwards. 
Abdomen large, short, oval or, rather, heart-shaped, being broad 
in front and going off on either side in a gradual convex line to a 
point at the spinners ; it is rather convex above, and projects greatly 
over the base of the cephalothorax, so that the fore margin of the 
abdomen almost touches the hinder row of eyes, where both it and 
the cephalothorax are in close contact with each other. 
Legs short, strong, tapering, armed with hairs and long slender 
spines and bristles. Each tarsus ends with three claws. 
