Ll'TZ, LIST OF GREATER AXTILLEAX SPIDERS 75 



AEAXE.E THEEArHOS.E 



LiphistiidcP is an interesting family which is sometimes and on good 

 grounds given the rank of a suborder (^Eesothel^e). It has but two 

 recent species, both of which belong to a single genus {Liphistuis) and 

 are known only from the East Indies. The fact that they have segmented 

 abdomens and that they were apparently the predominant group in 

 x4.merica and elsewhere in Palaeozoic times indicate a great antiquity. 

 If it be true, as I believe it to be, that the AVest Indies share with 

 Oceanica, Madagascar and parts of Africa and South America the honor 

 of being preserves for ancient Aranese, it is possible that representatives 

 of this group may yet be found in the Antilles. 



AVICULARID.E 



This family is variously known scientifically. Unfortunately the pop- 

 ular name for certain of these creatures is tarantula — a term used in 

 scientific literature for a genus of whip-scorpions occurring in the West 

 Indies and elsewhere. It is curious that no Palieozoic remains of this 

 family have been found in either jSTorth America or Europe. The large 

 size of the recent forms and the undoubted age of the group would lead 

 one to expect such fossils. Of the seven subfamilies, one (Miginse) is 

 confined to Africa, Madagascar and Xew Zealand: one (Paratropidinse) 

 is found in the Amazon region and in St. Vincent; one (Actinopodinae) 

 has one genus with a unique species in southern Africa, one genus in 

 Australia and one in Central and South America. The other subfamilies 

 have representatives in the Greater Antilles and will be considered more 

 in detail. 



Mygale is a preoccupied name but there were a number of species 

 described under it which have not yet been placed elsewhere. Of these, 

 maculata Walckenaer is from Jamaica and the following were described 

 from the West Indies : athletica Koch, probably an Eunjpelma : conform is 

 Koch, a Trechona, according to Ausserer. 



CTENIZIN^ 



These are the ^'trap-door spiders,'' so called because many of them 

 close the entrance to their underground tunnels with a hinged lid. 



Pachylomerus is found not only in America from the District of 

 Columbia to Venezuela and possibly Brazil, but also in the Mediterranean 

 region and Japan. One species is known only from St. Vincent and the 

 only other Antillean species, so far as is known, is nidulatis (Fabricius). 

 It is probably confined to Jamaica where it is rather common in the 



