Supplement to Harvesting Ants and Trap-Door SpidersMoggridge, John Traherne
Science
Supplement to Harvesting Ants and Trap-Door Spiders
Moggridge, John Traherne
Ants; Trap-door spiders
The _eyes_ are on a strongish oblong dark brown transverse
tubercular eminence; the fore-laterals are rather smaller than
the hind-laterals, and the fore-centrals are larger than the
hind-centrals, the latter being much the smallest of the eight; the
interval between those of each lateral pair is about equal to, or
slightly larger than, the diameter of one of the fore-central eyes;
the intervals between the four eyes of the front row are equal, each
interval being equal to the diameter of one of the fore-centrals;
and each hind-central eye is separated from the fore-central nearest
to it by as nearly as possible a similar distance, and from the
hind-lateral on its side by a very small but distinct interval.
The _legs_ are rather long, strong, of a brownish-yellow colour,
suffused with blackish-brown on the upper sides of the femora, and
furnished with hairs, bristles, and spines. Those of the hinder
(fourth) pair were wanting, the relative lengths of the others
being 1, 2, 3; 2 and 3 being very nearly equal. The spines are not
numerous, being disposed mostly on the tibiæ and metatarsi of the
third pair; some, however, had been evidently broken off; all the
tarsi were without spines; each tarsus ends with three claws, the
superior pair with several--6-8?--teeth on their under sides.
The tibial joint of each of the first pair is short, no longer than
the genual joint, but it is strong and enlarged gradually beneath
to its fore extremity, where it ends in a strong, sharp-pointed,
tapering red-brown curved spine, directed downwards, forwards, and
inwards. Each tarsus of the first and second pairs is pretty thickly
fringed just below on each side along its whole length, with short
strongish hairs of an even length.
On the outer side of the genual joint of the third pair (left leg)
are three spines in a longitudinal row; the other leg of this pair
was wanting.
The _palpi_ are moderately long, and similar in colour and general
armature to the legs; the radial joint is strong, a little tapering
forwards, and somewhat curved underneath towards its hinder part;
its length is about double that of the digital joint, and from its
fore extremity on the upper side, three strong, somewhat sessile,
spines of equal length, and directed forwards issue, in a straight
transverse line.
The palpal organs consist of a roundish corneous bulb drawn out into
a longish, tapering, curved, sharp-pointed spine, the point being
very fine, gradual, and directed outwards.
The _falces_ are strong, prominent, of a deep red-brown colour,
furnished above with dull greyish-yellow hairs mixed with dark
bristles, and disposed in longitudinal stripes; and near the upper
extremity on the inner side are four strongish spines.
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