1968] 
Chickering — Genus Scaphiella 
137 
moderate height, about half as tall as wide; the median thoracic 
groove or pit is lacking or very obscure. There are six eyes in two 
rows and in a compact group. ALE are close together; the posterior 
row is nearly straight but usually slightly procurved or, occasionally, 
slightly recurved. Chelicerae of moderate size and without special 
features except the curious black spines first seen in S. barroana 
Gertsch and S. williamsi Gertsch; the type species male also has a 
curious cone-shaped projection in front near the base of each chelicera 
(Fig. 5) but this has not been seen in any other species; there may 
also be an occasional minute tooth along the fang groove. Maxillae 
usually somewhat modified, especially in males. Lip without special 
features as far as observed. The sternum is somewhat scutiform; 
convex; commonly with a series of marginal lobes separated by shal- 
low grooves but these may be greatly reduced or absent; usually 
extended only to bases of fourth coxae which are usually well sep- 
arated ; coxae tend toward being globose or subglobose. Legs : usually 
4123 in order of length; strongly chitinized; probably with two 
tarsal claws throughout; true spines appear to be lacking but stiff 
hairs or bristles sometimes regarded as spiniform occur on certain 
segments; trichobothria have been observed on certain segments of 
legs and palps but they are easily overlooked. Male palp: in S . 
gertschi Chickering and S. scutata sp. nov. only the left palpal tarsus 
is fully developed but in all other males studied both palps are fully 
developed; the tarsal structural pattern is consistently followed and 
with great similarity among all species studied; all segments except 
the tarsus little if at all modified. When the unitarsal condition 
was first noted it was regarded as an anomaly but now it is clearly 
shown to be the normal condition in the two species just named. 
In females the palpal tarsus appears to lack a terminal claw but is 
somewhat enlarged (Fig. 46). Abdomen: considerably compressed 
laterally but the degree of compression is variable ; in males there is 
an extensive dorsal acutum (Fig. 19) covering nearly the whole 
dorsum and extending laterally to approach the dorsolateral exten- 
sion of the conspicuous ventral scutum; the group of closely associ- 
ated spinnerets are usually surrounded ventrally and laterally by a 
narrow sclerite in both sexes. In females the dorsal scutum is lacking 
and, hence, there is always a middorsal unchitinized, whitish stripe 
of varying width; the epigynal area is usually quite distinctive but 
obscurely so and is of considerable help in determining species; con- 
siderable variation has been noted in the appearance of this region 
in certain species. 
