438 



KEYS TO THE FAMILIES AND GENERA OF BRITISH 

 SPIDERS, AND TO THE FAMILIES, GENERA AND 

 SPECIES OF BRITISH HARVESTMEN AND PSEUDO 

 SCORPIONS. 



WM. FALCONER, 



Slailliicaile, near Hitddersfield. 



{^Continued frotn page 332). 



NOTE OX THE GENUS TMETICUS MENGE.. Etc. 



Some of the genera contained in the foregoing tables include 

 species which are either obscure in their affinities or based on 

 unique females, or possessed of characteristics which tend to 

 dissociate them from others of the same genus. Such are 

 Tmeticus ]\Ienge, Poryhomma Sim., Microneta Menge and 

 Sintula Sim. (p. 241) which are therefore greatly in need of 

 revision. The members of the genus Tmeticus Menge. in par- 

 ticular form a very heterogenous group. Fi^om time to time 

 essays have been made by both foreign and British authors to 

 place them on a more satisfactory and scientific basis by remov- 

 ing certain of them from the group and creating new genera for 

 their reception. The latter, however, are not always accepted 

 by other authorities who raise more or less valid objections to 

 their adoption. Moreover, if adopted, opinions very often 

 greatly differ as to which species should or should not be in- 

 cluded in them. Owing to the difficulty of reconciling these 

 conflicting views, some considerable time will probably elapse 

 before an arrangement agreeable to all can be produced. These 

 points should be borne in mind when consulting the subjoined 

 tables. Mr. F. P. Smith in the ' Journal of the Quekett 

 Microscopical Club,' November 1908, elevated T. simplex 

 F.O.P. Camb. to generic rank under the name of Lessertia,. 

 relying on the following distinctions (both sexes, other difference 

 in the ^s noted). 



A. Sternum as broad as long. Spines on 



tibia? extremely minute, shorter than 

 the diameter of the joint. Falces (at 

 least in (^) without definite stride on 

 outer side Gen. Tmeticus Menge 



B. Sternum considerably longer than broad, 



produced in a parallel-sided prolonga- 

 tion between the hind coxae. Spines on 

 tibia; strong or moderately so, at any 

 rate longer than the diameter of the 

 joint. Falces with well-marked trans- 

 verse stria; on outer side Gen. Lessertia Smith 



Naturalist, 



