39 



Hah. — South Australia: Myponga, in moss (A. H. Elston). Type (unique), 

 I. 12858. 



The base and apex of prothorax and tip of abdomen are obscurely diluted 

 with red. From some directions some of the elytral punctures appear to be 

 lineate in arrangement. At first glance the type appears very close to 

 Hyperomma nigrum, but the large joint of the maxillary palpi is dark, the 

 fourth joint is apparently missing, and the femora are very pale throughout. 

 Under the microscope the third joint of the maxillary palpi is seen to be large, 

 its tip truncated, with the fourth, on the right side, completely buried in its tip, 

 and the one on the left side with its tip just showing. In manipulating the 

 mouth parts for examination some slight force was used, and this may possibly 

 have pressed out the tip of the fourth joint ; quite possibly, however, the fourth 

 may be capable of retraction; if this should be the case it removes the main 

 distinction between Suniopsis and Hyperomma. 



Hyperomma, FvL, Cat., p. 269. 



An interesting genus, all the known species of which are apterous, and have 

 a small but distinct apical joint to the maxillary palpi, apparently the only dis- 

 tinguishing feature from Suniopsis, in which the true fourth joint is buried 

 within the tip of the third. Fauvel recorded Hyperomma as having the front 

 tarsi dilated, and Suniopsis as having them thin, but in several species of 

 Hyper om,ma they are no wider than in the known species of Suniopsis. The 

 species of both genera, except a doubtful one referred to Hyperomma, have 

 eyes on top of the head, so as to be invisible from below. Following is a table 

 of the Australian species : — 

 A. Body parts, except tip of abdomen, entirely black. 

 a. Head and prothorax finely shagreened . . . . . . . . . . glohulifcrnm 



aa. Head and prothorax not shagreened. 



b. Legs variegated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . nigrum 



bb. Legs entirely red. 



c. Front tarsi strongly dilated . . . . . . . . . . . . labrale 



cc. Front tarsi rather thin. 



d. Prothorax conspicuously dilated to near apex . . . . . . cribratum 



dd. Prothorax scarcely wider near apex than near base . . . . cylindricum 



AA. Body parts only partly, or not at all, black. 



B. Eyes minute and lateral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . microps 



BB. Eyes large and on top of head. 



C. Head and prothorax finely shagreened . . . . . . . . . . megacephalmn 



CC. Head and prothorax not shagreened. 

 D. Length less than 5 mm. . . . . . . . . . . . . iuquilinum 



DD. Length more than 6 mm. 



E. Legs variegated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pictipcs 



EE. Legs not variegated. 



F. Upper-surface of head obliquely and longitudinally strigose abnorme 

 FF. Upper-surface of head not strigose. 



G. Prothorax and elytra uniformly coloured . . . . . . lacertinum 



GG. Prothorax and elytra not uniformly coloured . . . . bryophilum 



ABNORME, Blackb. v., Tas. nigrum. Lea. W.A. 



LACERTINUM, Fvl. S.A., W.A. piCTiPES, Lea. Tas. 



Hyperomma lacertinum, Fvl. 

 A female, from St. Francis Island (South Australia), probably belongs to 

 this species, but differs from the description in being smaller, 11 mm.; the type 

 was also described as "obscure rubrum, abdomine piceo" ; the island specimen 

 is of a rather bright reddish-castaneous, with the abdomen blackish, except that 

 the apical segment and the tips of the others are obscurely reddish. 



