250 THE GENUS TAPINOCYBA. 



system of classifying these minute spiders by the arrange- 

 ment of their eyes, which was invented by M. Simon, although 

 generally correct, may occasionally break down and lead to 

 error. 



The sternum is large, longer than broad, and heart-shaped. 

 Behind it is bent down, and ends between the fourth pair of 

 coxae, in a point, broader than either of those joints. 



The chelicercB, ox falces, are very powerful, and much longer 

 than the height of the clypeus. The terminal joints, or fangs, 

 lie when at rest in the usual groove, which is armed with strong 

 teeth both behind and before. The external surface of each 

 basal joint is decorated with a number of parallel, transverse, 

 chitinous striae. These are supposed to form a stridulating 

 apparatus, which, when rubbed by the palpi, might give rise 

 to a sound of some sort. They exist in both sexes, but there 

 is no proof of their sound-emitting functions. 



The rostrum is soft, prominent, convex, and rather hairy. 



The labium is short, semicircular, and thickened along its 

 curved anterior border. 



The maxillcB are large, they converge towards the labium, 

 but their internal borders anterior to that organ are straight 

 and parallel. Below they are smooth and shining, but above 

 they possess a large patch of hairs arranged in a kind of tuft. 



The palpi of the female resemble the legs in colour. They 

 do not carry a terminal claw. The palpi of the male are 

 longer, the relative length of the joints varies in the different 

 species, but the femur is always cylindrical, and by far the 

 longest. The tibia bears an apophysis above, which is pro- 

 duced over the tarsus. It ends in either one or two simple 

 points. The patella never bears any apophysis or strong 

 seta. 



The legs, like the above-mentioned appendages, are always 

 of a yellow-brown colour. They are always short. Their 

 order of length is 4, i, 2, 3. The first two are nearly equal, 

 whilst the last is by far the smallest. In order of length the 

 joints are — femur, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, coxa, patella, and 

 trochanter. 



