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_ form a narrower oblong area than usual, owing chiefly
to their small size and to those of each lateral pair being almost
contiguous to each other, separated only by an interval equal to that
which divides each hind-lateral from the hind-central nearest to it.
The hind-centrals are smallest of the eight, and vary in form, being
round, semilunar, or roughly wedge-shaped, differing at times in the
same example. The eye eminence is less elevated than in most species,
and this brings the fore-centrals nearer to the straight line of the
fore-laterals; these last are the largest of the eight. The height of
the clypeus exceeds half that of the facial space.
The _legs_ are short and strong; their relative length 4, 1, 3, 2,
or 4, 1, 2, 3, or 4, 1, 2-3; they are of a brownish yellow colour,
deeper on their fore-sides, furnished with hairs, bristles, and
spines, the latter not very numerous nor unusually strong; there
are no spines on the outer sides of the genual joints of the third
pair; the tarsal claws are longish and strong. Those of the superior
pair have but one, two, or three pectinations on their underside; on
some of the legs I could not detect any. There seemed to be no more
uniformity in the tarsal-claw pectinations in this species than in
others. The tarsal and metatarsal joints of the legs of the first
pair have a fringe of close-set short blackish hairs on either side,
as also have the digital joints of the palpi, these being similar to
the legs in colour and armature; the humeral joints are very deep but
narrow, being apparently bent and hollowed on their inner sides to
allow of meeting well over the falces.
The terminal palpal claw has two teeth towards its base on the
underside. I could not ascertain satisfactorily whether this is
or not a uniform character in all examples; in one example these
denticulations were very plain, but they seemed to be wanting in
others.
The _falces_ are very strong and massive, round in their profile,
and very roundly prominent near their base on the upper side. They
are of a rich deep black-brown colour, glossy, and furnished along
their inner margins with black bristles and hairs, and with strong
spines at their extremity on the upper side. The fang is strong, and
the outer margin of the groove in which it lies when at rest has some
strong teeth.
The _maxillæ_ are strong, of normal form, but very convex on their
outer surface.
The small tuberculous teeth noticed at the base on the inner side of
the maxillæ of all the other species I have examined, were visible
(though with difficulty) in this species also.
The _labium_ is broader than it is high, convex on its face, and
rounded at the apex; it is (as also are the _maxillæ_ and _sternum_)
of the same colour as the legs, and clothed with numerous strong
bristly hairs.
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