THE SPIDERS OF EPPING FOREST.
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rather broad at the base, attenuated towards the extremity, inclined towards the
labium but never touching in front of it. Palpus. Female: either without a
terminal claw, or else with a rudimentary one. Male: tibia of a swollen form,
without apophysis; tarsus small and oval; palpal organs very simple and usually
quite exposed. Legs of moderate length, usually nearly equal, the posterior
being the longest: coxae of a swollen form, those of the fourth pair being very
widely separated: femora somewhat clavate: patellae practically alike in all the
legs: tibiae, metatarsi, and tarsi slender: tarsal claws 2, borne upon a small
onychium. Abdomen oval. Spinners normal: cribellum absent. Tube tracheal
openings very obscure: in fact I am not at all convinced that distinct apertures
actually exist in all the species in this family. Female genital aperture simple,
without special armature.
The spiders included in the family Oonopidae are all of small
size. One genus, Oonops, is found in Britain.
Genus OONOPS, Templeton.
Spiders of a reddish tint, with soft integuments. The tibiae
and metatarsal of legs I. and II. are furnished with a double series
of long spines. One species only has been found in Britain, and
that occurs, though rarely, in Epping Forest.
Oonops pulcher, Templeton. This species has been taken
at Chingford and Theydon Bois. It is very liable to be passed
over, as it has every appearance of being newly-hatched, and
would therefore be easily mistaken for the young of some larger
spider, Dysdera, for instance.
Family SCYTODIDAE.
Cephalo-thorax variable, almost almost without longitudinal stria. Eyes 6 (8
in one exotic genus). Falces more or less weak, almost cylindrical, without basal
protuberance: fang short, thick at base, sharply attenuated. Labium rather
large, longer than wide, attenuated, obtuse, usually somewhat constricted at the
base, not separated from the sternum, but the line of junction is indicated by a
deep impression. Sternum usually more or less prolonged posteriorly. Maxillae,
strongly inclined towards labium, and convergent, wide up to the point of insertion
of the palpus, then narrow and parallel-sided Palpus: Female without terminal
claw : Male, palpal tibia without apophysis, palpal organs greatly exposed, simple
in structure, but often highly developed. Legs long and slender, coxae almost
always alike in the four pairs: tarsal claws 2 or 3 borne on a small onychium,
never accompanied by claw-tufts or scopulae. Spinners small and closely
grouped: cribellum absent. Anal tubercle present, but very small. Tube
tracheae terminating in a single opening. Female genital aperture without
special armature.
The Scytodidae are chiefly tropical and sub-tropical spiders,
one genus only being represented in Britain.
Genus SCYTODES, Latreille.
Spiders with 6 eyes, arranged in three widely separated