A NEW VICTORIAN ARANEIAD. 



By W. J. RAINBOW. F.E.S.. Entomologist to the Australian Museum. 



Family Z0DAR1IDAE. 



This family constitutes a very small section of our Australian Aranedia;. Up to the pre- 

 sent moment two genera only have been known to occur in Australia, namely, Cryptothele, 

 L. Koch, and Storcna. W'alck., and these belong to two distinct sub-families: Cryptothelinae, 

 and Zodarinae respectively. The former sub-family embraces one genus only, and that is 

 the one indicated; also, it is almost strictly tropical, Simon denning its geographi- 

 cal range as follows: — "Ins. Seychellx (AHuaudi E. Sim.); ins. Taprobane ; penins 

 Malayana ; Nova-Guinea; ins. Latronum (Marclici E. Sim.); ins. Viti et Samoa. (') To this 

 range I add Queensland, as far south as the Bla.kall Ranges and some of the larger islands of 

 the Great Barrier Reef. I have also seen specimens from around Darwin, Northern Terri- 

 tory. 



The species of Cryptothele are spiders of moderate size, short-legged, sturdy, of exceedingly 

 rugged and striking appearance, and remarkable for the hardness of their integuments ; they are 

 usually brown or earth-coloured, and with legs bunched up suggest a piece of rough bark. Only 

 seven species of the genus are known, and of th?se the sole Australian representative is C. dorcy- 

 ana, Simon, a New Guinea form. On the other hand the spiders comprising the genus Storena 

 are somewdiat graceful; their legs are moderately long and tapering, and their colour usually 

 shining black with pale yellowish abdominal spots or markings. These latter are usually large 

 and very distinctive, i'weniy-six species of the genus nave now been described from Australia' 

 it is a widely distributed, its geographical range being "Regio mediterranea occid. et orient; Af- 

 rica trop. ; Indo-China; Malaisia ; N. -Guinea ; N.-Hollandia ; X. -Caledonia et Polynesia; Amer. 

 septentr., equator, et australis.'V) To the genera here enumerated I now add Ncostorcna, 

 hereafter described. 



Sub-family ZODARIINAE. 



In his great classic, "Histoire N'aturelle des Araignees," 2nd edition, vol. i., Simon divides 

 this sub-family into five groups, namely, Hermippcae, Storeneae, Suffuscieae, Zodarieae, and Pa- 

 eaestineae, but it is not possible to place the form herewith described in any of these, hence it is 

 necessary to establish a new group and a new genus for its reception. Briefly and succinctly 

 stated, it comes nearest to the Storeneae by the number of tarsal claws (three) and the absence 

 of an onychium, but it differs therefrom by the presence of two minute teeth en the superior 

 margin of each falx. On page 426 of Simon's work, quoted above, the author says: — 



"Les chelicenes ofifrent, comme je, l'ai dit, :"l la marge superieure, une petit dent, obtuse et 

 tres reculee, qui manque aux autres Zodariides." I therefore propose a new group or section to 

 be known as Neostoreneae, with Neostoreita as a generic name, and N. venatoria as its type. 



Group NEOSTORENEAE. 



Genus NEOSTORENA, gen. nnv. 



Cephalothorax.— Convex, obovate, somewhat attenuated in front, median fovea longitudinal. 

 Eyes. — Eight ; in two rows of four each ; both rows strongly procurved. Legs. — Moderately long, not 

 strong, tapering; claws, three; relative lengths: 4, 1,2.3. Palpi. — Short, feeble. Falces. — Moderately 

 long, tapering; fang small, weak. Maxillae. — Short, inclined inwards. Labium. — Longer than 

 broad, coniform. Sternum. — Shield-shaped, posterior extremity obtuse. Abdomen. — Ovate. Spin- 

 nerets. — Six; short; posterior pair much the longest, and median pair much the smallest. 



1 Simon. — Hist. Nat. des Araign. ; vol. i. 2nd ed., 1892 (1893), p. 423. 

 s Simon. — Op. cit., p. 430. 



