220 Indian Arachnoidea. [No. 4, 



Family SALTICIDJE. 



SPHASUS, Walch 

 Blackwall classifies the species of this genus in the family Lycosid^:, 

 hut the short truncate form of the cephalothorax, with the unequal eyes 

 disposed in front of it, seems to me to indicate a much greater relation 

 to the Salticid^: than to the last named family. I have observed 

 several species in various parts of India ; they generally hunt after 

 insects among grasses between which they jump about exactly like do 

 the species of Salticus on walls, they sometimes also form a small 

 loose snare ; some of them defend themselves furiously when caught 

 with the hand, and if released they drop supporting themselves by a 

 single thread. Walckenaer in his work (Insect. Apteres, vol. i, p. 376), 

 characterizes a species S. indicus, which was sent to him from Bengal with 

 the following words " abdomen ferrugineux, borde de noir ; corselet et 

 pattes ferrugineux." It is impossible to identify a species from such a 

 description, for the colour of specimens, when not well preserved, 

 very much changes in spirit. I have not seen any species of that 

 colouration, and very likely the specimen from which the above 

 description was taken, was first dried and afterwards put in spirit, in 

 which case a reference to general colouration is as good as worthless. 

 The green colours of the Sphasi, and also of the Tnomisi^ very rapidly 

 fade away in spirit, changing to pale or greyish brown. 



Sphasus viridanus, Stol, PL XX, Fig. l. 



9 Cephalothorax oval with the cephalic part high, convex, narrower 

 anteriorly than posteriorly ; the thoracic part is much broader, with con- 

 vex sides and with a deep groove in the middle, in continuation of the 

 two grooves which separate it from the former ; both parts are uniform 

 pale green, with two small, brown, lateral spots about the middle of 

 the upper surface, and some other equally small dark green dots, 

 irregularly distributed over the surface ; hairs very few and short. 

 On the front side a broadish, dark green line runs down perpendicular- 

 ly from each of the first pair of eyes to the base of the falces and one 

 similar line is seen laterally ; the lower corners at the base of the 

 falces are purplish. 



The eyes are situated close together on a roundish, upper anterior 

 protuberance of the thorax which is reddish, or rather violet brown , 



