100 PECKHAM. [Vol. 2, 



BALMACEDA gen. nov. 



Moderately long, slender spiders, with the cephalothorax 

 and abdomen rather low and flattened. 



The cephalic and thoracic parts are in the same plane. 

 The sides are almost vertical in the cephalic part and are 

 a little dilated just behind the dorsal eyes. The thoracic 

 part does not fall until it has nearly reached the posterior 

 border, and the sides of this part are rounded. The ceph- 

 alothorax is narrower at the anterior than at the posterior 

 end. The quadrangle of the eyeis is from one-fourth to one- 

 third wider than long, is equally wide in front and behind 

 or wider behind than in front, and occupies a little more 

 than one-third of the cephalothorax. The first row of eyes is 

 straight, the middle eyes are touching or sub-touching, the lat- 

 eral are sub-touching or a little separated ; the middle are about 

 twice as large as the lateral eyes. The second row is half-way 

 between the first and third rows, or is nearer the first than the 

 third. The dorsal eyes are further from each other than from 

 the lower edge of the cephalothorax, and form a row which is 

 not so wide as the cephalothorax at that place. 



Balmaceda is near Hyctia on the one hand, and Rudra on 

 the other. Its general appearance, however, at once separates 

 it from Rudra, as it is by no means so low and flat ; the abdo- 

 men, especially, being much thicker and more rounded. It is also 

 easily distinguished from Hyctia, as the abdomen is flattened, 

 not cylindrical ; the cephalothorax has the appearance of being 

 much wider in proportion to its length, and the sides are some- 

 what dilated instead of being parallel. 



Balmaceda bracteata and Balmaceda modesta look very 

 much, in general appearance, like Breda ; but in Breda the 

 caphalothorax, instead of being flattened, has the cephalic part 

 inclined forward and the thoracic part rounding in all direc- 

 tions from the small thoracic plate. 



We found this genus upon a new species from the east 

 coast of Guatemala. It also includes a new species from Cen- 

 tral America (punctata) and two old species, Marpissa modesta 



