38 Annals of the Transvaal Museum 
Solpuga hostilis White [PL IV, figs. 16 and 17, and VI, fig. 29], 1846. Pocock 
in Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 6, xvi. p. 89, PI. IV, fig. 7. Purcell in Annals S. A f. 
Mus. 1. p. 427, fig. 27 ( cultvata ). 
The species cannot be recognised from the original description and figure 
given in Methuen’s Life in the wilderness, and the locality of the type was 
simply stated as “S. Africa, near the tropic of Capricorn.” Mr Pocock, having 
examined the types, has specifically identified therewith some specimens 
from Estcourt; and a species recorded from Durban and described by Dr 
Purcell under the name of 5 . cultvata is now regarded by Purcell and Kraepelin 
as hostilis. This species is common in the Transvaal and has been recorded 
by me from various localities in the Pretoria and Zoutpansberg districts. 
We have a series of both sexes from Doornkop near Belfast (R. Gerhardt). 
An example from Liineburg, Natal (W. Oom) differs from any of the above in 
that the tip of the upper fang is scarcely up-turned, and the flagellum is not 
bent downwards near the apex. 
In the male, stridulatory ridges are usually quite absent from the chelicerae : 
in a specimen from Gezina, Pretoria, three abbreviated ridges occur. The fang 
of the lower jaw is long, the distance from its tip to the apex of the first tooth 
being equal to about 2^ times the distance between the apices of the two large 
teeth. The keel on the outer side of the lower jaw of the male is very strongly 
developed, being much more pronounced than in. marshalli. It varies however 
to some extent, but usually in the basal portion of the jaw is raised into quite 
a high ridge. 
In the female the anterior tergites are uniformly reddish brown, the 
blackening of the posterior part of the abdomen commencing rather suddenly: 
in Transvaal specimens black pigmentation only occurs on the last three 
tergites. In specimens from Liineburg the sides of the anterior tergites are 
infuscated, but this blackening does not take the form of sharply defined 
blotches or stripes such as occurs in chelicornis. Males have the tergites more 
or less infuscated throughout, the mesial portions of the anterior tergites 
being dark brown and the sides black: hind legs red in both sexes, maned 
only in the male. The measurements of an adult female from Pretoria are: 
breadth of head-plate 9-1, length of tibia and tarsus of palp 8, of patella of 
palp 7, of tibia of fourth leg 6-5, of patella of fourth leg 7-3. 
A very young specimen from Mfongosi, Zululand, has only 5 joints on the 
fourth tarsus of one side, but is normal on the other side. 
Solpuga marshalli Pocock [PI. VI, fig. 30], 1895. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 6, xvi. 
p. 91, PI. IV, figs'. 9 and 9 a. 
The type came from “Fort Salisbury, Mashonaland.” The species is not 
easily recognised from Pocock’s figures, whilst Kraepelin’s illustration in Das 
Tierreich seems to me referable to some other species, and perhaps may not be 
based on Mashonaland material. Kraepelin records the species from the 
Transvaal and from Durban but these records may be viewed with some 
suspicion in view of possible confusion with hostilis, and seeing that no 
specimens of marshalli are represented in the Transvaal and Durban Museums. 
Mr Hirst informs me that in the type specimen the end of the flagellum is very 
finely pointed, and the edges near the end very finely granular. 
We have male and female specimens from Salisbury (Fr. J. O’Neil, and 
C. von Hirschberg). In the male, as in the female, stridulatory lamellae are 
present on the chelicerae but are not long. Towards the tip of the flagellum 
its dorsal edge is minutely serrulated. The fang of the lower jaw is not very 
