ENTOMOLOGY. 



Notes on Harvest-spiders. — In my previous papers upon the 

 Phalangiidse I have used the genus Oligolophus of C. Koch adopting 

 the characters given by Semon, in his Arachnides de France, who, in a 

 footnote (v. VII, p. 238), says: " Le genre Oligolophus a ete cree par 

 le Dr. C. Koch de Francfort pour le P. terricola et ses congeneres, et 

 caracterise par l'absence de fausses articulations aux metatarses de la 

 premiere paire de pattes, tandis que dans son genre Opilio les fausses 

 articulations sont bien visibles. Ce caractere est pour moi de peu de 

 valeur; aussi, tout en adaptant le genre Oligolophus, lui donne je une 

 composition et une caracteristique differentes de celles de son auteur. 

 En effet, les fausses articulations sont tres-variables dans une meme 

 espece, et elles manquent aux metatarses de la premiere paire chez les 

 alpinus et morio que le Dr. C. Koch laisse dans le genre Opilio, tandis 

 quelles sont faiblement rudiquees chez le glacialis, qui en est si voisin. 

 Je joins aux Oligolophus les quelques especes pour lesquelles M. le 

 Dr. T. Thorell a forme le genre Mitopus." 



This was published in 1879, the genus having been first erected in 

 1872. In 1876 Dr. Thorell published his Mitopus. This distinguished 

 arachnologist has kindly sent me a copy of the paper in which his 

 characterization occurs, and in a recent letter says : " I see you have 

 (with M. Semon) adopted the name Oligolophus instead of Mitopus 

 Thor. The genus Oligolophus was founded by a Dr. Carl or Karl 

 Koch of Wiesbaden (later of Frankfort a.M.) for those forms of the 

 genus Opilio C. L. Koch in which the metatarsi are without " articula- 

 tiones spurio." But this is a character of so little importance that 

 even in the same specimen you may find that one side of the body 

 belongs to the genus Opilio of K. Koch while the other side belongs to 

 his Oligolophus. As also in my Mitopus the metatarsi may want the 

 '"articulationes spurio.' Mitopus is founded on quite another, and 

 as I believe, a good and constant character — the presence of a strong 

 tooth on the under side of the first article of the mandibles.' " 



In view of these facts I now give preference to Mitopus rather than 

 Oligolophus. The characters of Mitopus according to Dr. Thorell are 

 as follows: First joint of mandibles armed below with a strong, 

 pointed tooth. Ocular tubercle not constricted, denticulate above, of 

 nearly equal length and breadth. Claw of palpus not denticulate ; 



