5J 

 •J 



1869.] Indian Arachnoidea. 215 



important distinction consists in the length of the feet ; those of the se- 

 cond pair being the longest, nearly 18 times longer than the body, the 

 tarsi are equal in length to the each preceding segment respectively ; 

 the first pair of feet is scarcely longer than one half of the second, and 

 is the strongest ; the 4th comes next to the second but is much shorter, 

 while the 3rd is only little shorter than the first. 

 Length of the thorax 2.7 m.m. ; its width posteriorly 6 m.m. 



abdomen 5.2 m.m. ; 5.5 „ ,, 



one of the first pair of feet 50 m. m. 



2nd 95,, „ 



: 3rd 41 



4th 63 „ 



Loc. This species was sent by Mr. Peel to the Indian Museum, from 

 Sibsaugur in Assam ; it appears to be very rare ; I have not observed 

 it anywhere about Calcutta. 



Order, AKANACEA. 



Family, LINYPHIID^]. 



HERSILIA, Savigny. 

 This genus was established for a species, H. caudata, from Egypt> 

 collected during Napoleon's expedition to that country. Lucas 

 published in 1836 in Gruerins " Magasin de Zoologie" some valuable 

 notes on the genus, pointing out its peculiarities as regards the position 

 of the eyes, the great length of the slender feet and that of the two 

 posterior appendages of the spinners. Lucas also described two species 

 from the Malabar coast, H. indica and Savignyi, but Walkenaer 

 (Apteres, I, p. 372,) considers the latter to be a young specimen of the 

 former, though (1. cit., vol. iii, p. 433) he again does not seem to be 

 certain of his former suggestion. The same author separates here 

 Hersilia into two groups which he calls u Heteropodes" and " Ortho- 

 podes," in the former the third pair of feet being very short, in the 

 latter subequal to the others. The species which I shall here describe 

 belongs to the former group ; it is quite distinct from either of 

 the two forms noticed by Lucas, but it is rather similar to a species 

 described by Blackwall from one of the Cape de Verde Islands 

 (St. Jago) ; I shall, however, point out the distinction of both (see Ann. 

 and Mag. Nat. Hist., 1863, 3rd ser., vol. xvi, p. 80). 



