R. I. Pocock — A Netv Carboniferous Arachnid. 247 



II. — A New Carboniferous Arachnid. 



By E. I. Pocock, F.Z.S., of the British Museum (Natural History). 



Introductory BemarTcs. 



LAST April Dr. Anton Fric, of Prague, applied to the "Natural 

 History Museum for the loan of a fossil Arachnid which he had 

 seen during a short visit to London in the Summer of 1902, and 

 wished to include in a descriptive monograph of Carboniferous 

 Arachnida which he has now in preparation. Since the specimen 

 is unique, it was unfortunately impossible to accede to the request. 

 Dr. Smith Woodward, however, kindly suggested that I should 

 examine the specimen and, if necessary, describe and figure it, so 

 that perchance an account of it might yet be in time to find a place 

 in the monograph above referred to. The specimen, imbedded in the 

 two pieces of a split nodule of clay-ironstone from the Carboniferous 

 measures at Coseley, near Dudley, belonged formerly to the collection 

 of Mr. Henry Johnson. It bears the register number 1551, and is 

 ticketed by Dr. H. Woodward "J^ophrynus, sp. nov." The dorsal 

 surface is exposed, part of it adhering to one face of the matrix, 

 part to the other. 



1. — Description of the Specimen ; its generic and specific features. 



The carapace unfortunately is crushed, and nothing positive can 

 be affirmed as to its structure save that it appears to have been 

 slightly wider than long, with a shallow, postero-lateral con- 

 striction and a straight, transverse, posterior border. In the middle 

 line behind, however, there is an acutely angular impression, 

 obviously representing the median impression occupying the same 

 position and presenting much the same form in Eophrynus prestvicii, 

 H. Woodw.i The crushed condition of the carapace suggests that 

 its median area was axially elevated as in the last - mentioned 

 species and in Kreischeria wiedei? Had it been flat or but 

 slightly convex as in Anthracomartus, the details of its structure 

 would have been preserved, if we may judge from the state of 

 preservation of the relatively depressed abdominal area. It is 

 justifiable, therefore, to conclude that the carapace was constructed 

 essentially as in Eoplirynus and Kreischeria, approaching in particular 

 that of the former in the smallness of the posterior flattened area 

 and the shortness of the median muscular impression. It was, how- 

 ever, less expanded at its postero-lateral angles, and occupied in this 

 respect a stage of development midway between that presented by 

 the carapaces of these two genera. 



The appendages show no new morphological features. None of 

 them are complete. Of the first and second pairs nothing is left but 

 undecipherable fragments. On the right side three of the legs, which, 

 from their position, I judge to be the first, second, and fourth, are 

 fairly well preserved. The basal segments (coxa and trochanter) are 



1 See H. Woodward, Geol. Mag., 1871, pp. 386-388, PL XI, and E. I. Pocock, 

 Geol. Mag., 1902, p. 490, Fig. 1, A. 



2 See Haase: Zeitschr. deutsch. geol. Ges., xlii (1890), pi. xxx, fig. 6. 



