>" ; . 9 * w^> >: < % - '^ "<^^^ "^^ S - ' ). y : 3fe ":p>> >o.. ^3^^ :- -5 -3'J>v.- ANNALS OF Tin: SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM. VOLUME I. ANNALS OP THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM. VOLUME I PRINTED FOR THE TRUSTEES OF THE SOUTH AFEICAN MUSEUM BY WEST, NEWMAN & Co.. LONDON 1899. TRUSTEES OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM. The lion. JOHN XAVIER MERIUMAX, M.L.A., Treasurer of the Colony. DAVID GILL, C.B., LL.D., F.R.S., Hon. F.R.S.E., Her Majesty's Astronomer at the Cape. THOMAS Mum, LL.D., M.A., F.R.S.E., Superintendent-General of Education. SCIENTIFIC STAFF OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM. WILLIAM LUTLEY SCLATER, M.A., Director. LEWIS ALBERT PERINGUEY, Assistant-Director. GEORGE STEWART COSTORPHIXE, Ph.D., B.Sc., Keeper of the Geological Col- lection. WILLIAM FREDERICK PURCELL, B.A., Ph.D., First Assistant. JOHN Dow FISHER GILCHRIST, M.A., Ph.D., B.Sc., Hon. Keeper of Marine Invertebrates. INTRODUCTION: WHEN the South African Museum was reorganised on a wider basis in the year 1897, and specialists were placed in charge of its different departments, the Trustees felt that one of the best means of increasing the scientific value of the Institution would be to issue a serial publication containing the results of the original work of the staff. It was subsequently decided that this work should take the form of ANNALS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM, and be issued in parts at irregular intervals as material became available. The first volume, now completed, consists of three parts, the first of which was issued in the year 1898, the second and third in 1899. LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS. PAGK G. A. BOULENGER, F.R.S. Description of a New Genus of Perciform Fishes from the Cape of Good Hope. Plate IX 379 R. BROOM, M.D., B.Sc. On Two New Species of Dicynodonts. Plate X 452 L. PKRINGUEY. Description of some New or Little Known MutilUda in the Collection of the South African Museum 33 Catalogue of the South African HispiiKs (Coleoptera), with Descriptions of New Species 112 Fifth Contribution to the South African Coleopterous Fauna ; being Descriptions of New Species, chiefly in the Collection of the South African Museum. Plates VI. and VII 240 A Contribution to the Knowledge of the South African Mtifilliil' (Hymenoptera). Plate VIII.* 352 Description of New Species of Mntlllci (Hymenoptera) in the Collection of the South African Museum 439 W. F. PURCELL, Ph.D. Description of New South African Scorpions in the Collection of the South African Museum. Plates I. -IV 1 On the Species of Opisthophthalmus in the Collection of the South African Museum, with Descriptions of some New Forms 131 On the South African Species of Peripntida 1 in the Collection of the South African Museum 331 Descriptions of New or Little Known S<>lif/i1. II. Fig. 3. "WestFewman lith. Fig. [ Opistkoplitkalimis karroo en sis, d 1 (rutt -sine,.] Fig. 3. 0. flavescens. o (jw S.Ak. Mas. Vol. 1. PI III. Fig. 4a. Fig. 5. We si , Newman lith rig 4<. OpistL oplialraus fossor, g (TLO* Fig. 4a. palp of ad. c? (4io* 5^&j Fig. 5. 0. leipoldti. (77^x6 s-i Ann. S.Afr.Mus.Vol.I. PL IV. Fag. 7. West, Newman Jit."h Fig. 6. Opisthoplithalmus laticauda. c? ( -nab si>i&. , Fig. 7. Pax-atutkus calv\is. d 1 (33) II. Description of some New or Little Known South African Mutillidce, in the Collection of the South African Museum. By L. PEBINGUEY, Assistant Director. THE number of described South African species, exclusive of two which are in synonymy, and one the identity of which is dubious, is 49. Twenty-three of these are represented in the Cabinet. I am now giving the description of 87 more, which I have reason to believe have not been described hitherto, with perhaps the exception of 2, the description of which I have not been able to procure. So far as is now known the recorded South African species exceed by 12 the Mutillidae of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. The two sexes of 9 species only out of 139 are ascertained ; it is, however, probable that 20 males described singly by different authors, myself included, \vill prove to be identical with females already known. Bingham describes both sexes of 5 species only in his ' Fauna of British India,' London, 1897, out of 120 species known to occur there. This goes to prove that it is not only in South Africa that little attention or observation has been paid to that family of Hymenoptera. In South Africa the sexes of the following species are now known with certainty : Mutilla thyonc, Per., bred from the cocoons of a Clythrid beetle by Dr. H. Brauns. J/. sycorax, Sm., bred by myself from the mud-nests of Pclop&us spirifex. M. capicola, Per., caught in copula by myself. .If. galantkis, Per., caught in copula by myself. M. capensis, Sauss., caught in copula by myself. M. purpurata, Sm., caught in copula by Dr. H. Brauns. 3 34 Annals of the South African Museum. M. speculatrix, Sm., caught in copula by Dr. Purcell, Mr. E. Lightfoot, and myself. M. helle, Per., both sexes found drowned in a pool of water, still adhering to one another. M. aglaea, Per., bred by Dr. H. Brauns from the nest of a Ceratina. It is also most probable that Mutilla angulata, Sm., is the male of M. horrida, Sm., and that the males of M. tecmessa and M. agave are what I believe them to be, but I have some doubt as to the identity of the male of M. themis, although both sexes were sent to me as having been caught in coitil; M. exaltata, Sm., might also prove to be the male of M. alcyone, Pe'r. It is difficult to estimate the number of South African species, but I think that it will be probably double the one now known. Dr. H. Brauns, who is one of the few entomologists who have paid special attention in South Africa to the collecting of the Order, has collected in the vicinity of Port Elizabeth no less than 45 species. In my rare collecting trips I have found an abundance of them on the edge of the Karroo, while Namaqualand, Damaraland, and neighbouring territories, have not yet been searched systematically for that special group of parasitic insects. In spite of their great resemblance all the world over, there is a difference in the general appearance and colouring of the forms from the western parts of South Africa and from the eastern ones ; that difference is not so well marked as in other Orders, but yet it is noticeable, and will doubtless be more apparent when more species have been collected. For facilitating the identification I have divided the species in different groups according to the disposition or absence of the abdominal bands or spots. This arrangement may prove to be only provisional, but I have found it so far to fail less egregiously than the others I have attempted. Some New or Little Known South African MutilliclcB. 35 OEDEE HYMENOPTERA. TEIBE FOSSORES. FAMILY MUTILLID^. GEN. APTEEOGYNA, Latreille, Gen. Crust. & Insect., iv., 1809, p. 121. Synopsis of Species. ? Head, thorax, legs, and basal segments of abdomen pale testaceous A. cybelc. ? Posterior part of the head, thorax, and first abdominal segment testaceous red ; legs fuscous A.clymenc. 3 Black, with the two basal abdominal segments, the an- tennae and legs red A. mncmosina. APTEEOGYNA CYBELE. Female. Head, antennae, thorax, first abdominal segment and legs testaceous red, the other abdominal segments black ; the whole body is clothed with long pale hairs ; head striolate in the centre and clothed besides the hairs with a very short, silky pubescence ; prothorax subparallel laterally and separated from the mesothorax by a very distinct transverse groove, mesothorax hexagonal, meta- thorax sloping, the posterior part with a sharp ridge, emarginate in the middle ; first abdominal segment very rugose, the second, third, and sixth distinctly striolate, the fourth and fifth smooth ; the third, fourth, and fifth have a narrow margin of moderately dense, silky, whitish hairs ; ventral carina of the basal segment very short and dentiform. Length 6-12 mm. Hab. Cape Colony (Worcester, Namaqualand). Allied to A. savignyi from Egypt. APTEEOGYNA CLIMENE. Female. Eesembles very much A. cybele, but the colour of the thorax and first abdominal segment is redder ; the head is infuscate 36 Annals of the South African Museum. laterally and in front and is occasionally quite black ; the legs are black, or piceous black, and the sculpture of the thorax and abdomen consists of deeper punctures, and in the latter the striolation is more distinct and the intervals are almost longitudinal on the second and third segments. Length 6-13 mm. Hab. Cape Colony (Cape Town, Namaqualand, Port Elizabeth). Like the preceding one, this species varies much in size, and in the larger examples the punctures and the striolation are much more striking. The large examples resemble A. mutilloides from India. APTEROGYNA MNEMOSINA. Male. Head, thorax, and the four apical abdominal segments black ; metathorax with a ferruginous patch above the posterior declivity ; first and second joints of abdomen red ; antennae and legs testaceous red ; the whole body clothed with short, very dense greyish hairs ; head small, thickly pubescent, eyes not emarginate ; thorax roughly punctured, metathorax with two median grooves diverging from the apex to the base, scutellum much raised, pos- terior declivity truncate ; abdomen closely punctured, second seg- ment narrowly grooved from base to apex in the middle, third segment also with a narrow shallow median line, and fringed with a greyish dense pubescence, the other apical three segments clothed with the same pubescence which has a silky, whitish sheen laterally ; wings hyaline with the nervures and the stigma brown and a sub- apical brown patch reaching from the upper margin to one-third of the width. Length 15 mm. Hab. Damaraland (Walfish Bay). Size and shape of A. globular ia, Fabr., but otherwise coloured; the antennae are much more filiform, the abdomen is closely punc- tured instead of being striolate, and the second and third segments are not grooved in the dorsal part in A. globularia. Some Neiv or Little Known South African Mutillidce 37 GEN. MUTILLA, Linn., Syst. Natur., Ed. 10A, 1758, pp. 343, 582. (FEMALES AND MALES.) FIRST DIVISION. Synopsis of Species. BASAL ABDOMINAL SEGMENT LONG OR VERY LONG, NODOSE AT APEX. A 3 . DORSAL PART OF ABDOMINAL SEGMENTS HAVING APICAL BANDS OF WHITE OR ORANGE HAIRS, BUT NO MEDIAN PATCH ON THE SECOND SEGMENT. a 4 . First abdominal segment long, petiolate. b 3 . First abdominal segment banded, bands non-interrupted. ? Thorax subhexagonal, more attenuate from the median part to the apex than in the anterior part, ferruginous red ; head and abdomen black, first segment equal in size in both sexes, intermediate ! . , and posterior tibiae with only one submedian spine c? Prothorax and mesothorax red, nietathorax black, subquadrate ; second abdominal segment without any ventral carina a 3 . First abdominal segment very long. b~. Two basal segments banded. ? Thorax subhexagoual and very much attenuate in the posterior part, median part with a lateral, conical tubercle ; apical band of the second abdominal segment produced in the middle in the shape of a narrow triangle reaching to about one-third of the length ; tibiae with only two spines bcroS. Body entirely black, elongate, thorax similar in shape to that of the preceding species, apical band of first segment interrupted laterally syrinx. a-. First abdominal segment very long and slender in the male, moderately long in the female. b l . Three basal segments banded. Thorax diagonal laterally from the anterior angle to about one-\ third of the length, outer sides subparallel, basal part nearly as broad as the apical one ; head and abdomen black ; thorax ferruginous red \-galantliis. 3 Whole upper attenuate behind part of the thorax red, nietathorax a little A 2 . DORSAL PART OF ABDOMINAL SEGMENTS WITH MEDIAN APICAL PATCHES AND BAND. a 1 . First abdominal segment very long in the male, subsessile in the female. 38 Annals of the South African Museum. ? Thorax very long, hexagonal, black with a large dorsal reddish patch ; first and second abdominal segments with a small apical white patch, second segment bright red, third segment clothed with a pubescent band hardly interrupted in the centre ; tibiae with a supra-apical spine eurydice. ? Thorax long, angular laterally ; abdomen red with the apex of the second segment, the third and fifth black, third and fourth clothed with a white band, basal one with a central patch clana'e. A 1 . ABDOMINAL SEGMENTS WITHOUT WHITE BAND OB SPOT. (No female.) (FEMALES AND MALES.) SECOND DIVISION. * C 2 . BASAL SEGMENT SUBSESSILE on SESSILE IN THE FEMALE AND IN THE MALE. A 6 . No BAND OR SPOT ON THE ABDOMINAL SEGMENTS. ? Light testaceous, covered with a short, dense flavescent pubescence ; head and apical joints of antennae black ; thorax sub- parallel polyxenc. A 5 . ABDOMINAL SEGMENTS WITH BANDS, BUT NO SPOT. a 9 . The second abdominal segment with an interrupted band. a 8 . The two basal abdominal segments with a band, non-inter- rupted. (No female.) ? Head with three very distinct ocelli ; thorax truncate at apex, much constricted laterally in the middle with the posterior part produced triangularly on each side, disk with a sharp spine at about the scutellary part crigone. ? Thorax narrowing from apex to base, where it is one-fourth narrower, anterior angles sharp, outer sides slightly sinuate at about one-fourth of the length and having three sharp and very distinct lateral spines from the median part to the top of the declivity cvadne. a?. The three basal abdominal segments with a white band, non- interrupted. b 2 . Bands straight. ? Thorax parallel, not narrower at base than at apex, outer sides with five short teeth, two of \vhich are formed by the anterior and posterior angles, posterior part truncate perpendicu- larly, top of the declivity with a sharp, short tooth on each side and one in the middle, sides serrulate althcea. ? Thorax a little sloping in the anterior part, and diagonally attenuate from the anterior angle to the base, where it is narrowed to about half the width, sides subserrate, not emarginate ; tibiae spinose aids. Some Ncio or Little Known South African Mutillidce. 39 ? Thorax subhexagonal, median part aculeate, anterior part not incised, or hardly so laterally, posterior part one-third narrower at base than the apex, declivity subtruncate, sides of thorax not serrulate, first abdominal segment subelongate, petiolate ; tibise with one or two submedian spines bands. ? Thorax truncate and serrulate at apex, straight laterally from one-third of the length and tridentate, attenuated from there to the declivity in the shape of a broadly truncate cone, outer sides cari- nate and serrulate to the very base, declivity abrupt latona. ? Thorax long, straight laterally, but with the posterior part narrowed but also straight, abdomen oblong, first segment as wide at apex as the base of the second, which is very slightly ampliate in the middle aglae. ? Thorax truncate at apex, parallel laterally for one-third of the length, and with four short teeth, narrowed from there to the declivity, which is very abrupt, sides serrulate, abdomen pyriform ilytliia. b 1 . Bands triangular on the first and second segments. ? Thorax deeply incised laterally at about one-third of the length, parallel from there to the perpendicular declivity, deeply foveate with the intervals distinctly carinate from apex to base ; head striolate, first basal segment entirely covered by a triangular patch, that of the second segment produced triangularly towards the median part which it does not reach callirhoe. ? Thorax similar in shape to that of J/. callirlioP, but not so deeply foveate, and with the intervals also raised but not carinate longitudinally, first basal segment with a narrow apical band ; head with two distinct ocelli glance. ? Thorax similar in shape to that of the two preceding species, and similar in sculpture to that of M. glance; band on first abdominal segment broadly triangular, that on the second segment produced in a broad triangle, the point of which reaches the median part ; head without ocelli electra. a 6 . The three first basal segments of abdomen banded, band on third segment interrupted in the middle. (No female.) I. C 1 . ABDOMEN SESSILE IN BOTH SEXES. Thorax incised laterally at a short distance from the apex, parallel from there to the declivity which is perpendicular, deeply foveate with the intervals carinate. ? Head not quite as broad as the thorax, dark with a small ferruginous round patch on the vertex, pubescent baud of abdomen white callisto. 40 Annals of the South African Museum. -helle. ? Head broader than the thorax, red with the anterior part\ black, abdominal bands bright orange [ , cf Black, with the prothorax and mesothorax, scutellum and [ tegulas red ; mesothorax with two conspicuous longitudinal grooves J ? Head extremely large, mandibles very long, and with a long, sharp, incurved tooth on the superior and inferior margin at about the median part ; thorax very sharply angulate in the anterior part, and bisinuate laterally, posterior angle also angular f lite Snu.tli African Hispince. 129 UlSPA EXIMIA, 11. Sp. Flavous, covered with a dense fiavescent pubescence ; antennae moderately long and moderately slender, third joint not much longer than the fourth, but shorter than the seventh ; the two basal joints are infuscate ; prothorax with two small, round impressions with a fuscous tinge on each side of the disk, the lateral process of five vertical spines, the hind one of which is bifid, lamiginose ; elytra deeply seriato-foveate and having on each side three rows of not closely set sharp spines and a marginal one of longer and more closely set ones ; the spines on the elytra are infuscate to a very short distance from the base, while those on the prothorax are infuscate at apex only. Length 6 mm. ; width 3 mm. Hab. Transvaal (Potchefstroom), T. Ayres. HlSPA FALLACIOSA, 11. sp. Brownish red, shining, densely pubescent ; antennae moderately long and thick, joints fifth to sixth very short, nodulose, third not much longer than the second, seventh nearly as long as the four preceding and much thicker, the four apical ones thickened and elongate ; prothorax with two small, fuscous, round impressions on each side of the disk, the lateral spinous process not lanuginose or pubescent ; elytra with three dorsal series of moderately long, dark spines set at some distance from one another, but of equal length, those of the marginal row a little longer than the dorsal ones and more closely set. Length 4^ mm. ; width 2^ mm. Hab. Mozambique (Eikatla), Eev. J. Tunod. This species is easily recognised through the nodose shape of the intermediate antennal joints. HlSPA LANIGKKA, 11. sp. Flavous, clothed with an extremely dense golden pubescence with a silky tinge hiding entirely the integuments, and looking like felt ; antennae moderately short, joints closely set, the five ultimate ones thickened ; prothorax with a central longitudinal line, stalk of the lateral process thick, the spines infuscate at tip ; elytra punctato- striate, but with the punctures hidden by the pubescence, and having 011 each side three rows of short, black spines just emerging from the pubescence and set at some distance from one another ; spines of the outer margin a little longer than the dorsal and miore closely set. Length 4 mm. ; width 2 mm. Hab. Namaqualand (O'Kiep), L. Peringuey. 9 130 Annals of the South African Museum. HlSPA RAMULOSA, Chap., Ann. d. Belg., 1877, p. 53. Hab. Cape Colony (Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Worcester, Clan- william). GEN. THOBACISPA, Chap., Lacordaire's Genera, vol. xi., p. 335. THORACISPA DREGEI, Chap., Ann. d. Belg., 1877, p. 50. / Hab. Cape Colony (Cape Town). Very rare. ANNALS OF THE SOUTH AFKICAN MUSEUM PAET II. V. On the Species of Opisthophthalmus in the Collection of the South African Museum, with Descriptions of some Nciu Forms. By W. P. PURCELL, Ph.D., First Assistant. IN my previous paper (' Descriptions of New South African Scorpions,' p. 1 of this volume) the new species of Opisthophthalmus, then in the collection of the South African Museum, were described and partly figured. The treatment of the genus is brought to a conclusion in the present article, the principal object of which is to record the localities and local peculiarities of the specimens of Opisthophthalmus in our collection. The number of these specimens is very large, and as most of them have been captured within the last few years, I can vouch for the accuracy of the localities in nearly every case. I append descriptions of three new forms, received since the previous. paper went to press; also descriptions of the adult females of schlechteri, Pure., and chapcri, Sim., and of the adult male of latimanus, Koch, none of which have yet been published. In conclusion, the synopsis of all the species known to me, begun in the last paper, is brought to completion. The South African Museum collection now comprises twenty-five species of Opisthophthalmus, of which twenty-one are represented by the adults of both sexes, three by one sex only, and one by a young specimen. There remain, at most, three described South African species, which are not yet represented in the collection. Sexual Characters and Aye. The determination of the sex and age (i.e., whether adult or young) is of first importance in ascertain- 10 132 Annals of the South African Museum. ing the specific name. I have already pointed out in a previous paper (p. 1 of this volume) that the sexes maybe readily distinguished by the structure of the operculum, a character which holds good for even fairly young specimens and is the only perfectly reliable one. The structure of the pectines invariably differs with the sex. In the female the scape is always free of teeth for a certain distance at the base behind, while in the male it is either toothed along the whole length of the hind margin or it is also without teeth at the base; in the latter case, however, this toothless portion always represents a smaller proportion of the whole length than in the female of the same species. The limit to the number of teeth is also always highest in the male and lowest in the female. Pectinal characters do not alter with age. As regards other characters, the two sexes are very much alike up to the time when the last moult takes place ; in the nearly full-grown males, however, some of the characteristic granulation of the adult may appear, while the hand is generally a little narrower than in the female of the corresponding stage. In these pre-adult stages the hands are often much darker in colour and more granular than in the adults in both sexes. In the adult female the hands are wider in proportion to the length of the hand back than is the case in the previous stage ; but it must be remembered that in adult specimens from one locality this proportion may be the same as that found in nearly adult specimens from another locality (e.g., in wahlbergi). The adult male is generally easily recognisable by the characteristic form of the hands and tail. After the last moult the hands appear narrower, natter, and often longer and smoother than in the female, while the tail becomes much longer and nearly always stouter. Generally the first and second caudal segments together equal the carapace in length (in the female the length of carapace generally much exceeds that of the first two caudal segments). In the adult male the terga, sterna, and under side of the anterior caudal segments are often much more granular and the palps much longer than in the female or young males, while the anterior upper crest of the humerus is undeveloped in the females of some species. Specific Characters. As the species of this genus are both numerous and very variable, I have thought it advisable to discuss the relative value of the characters available for classifica- tion. 1. The presence of a well-developed, Y-shaped, forked groove on Species of Opisthoplitlialmus. 133 the anterior part of the carapace appears to rue to be an excellent specific character. In some species, however (e.g., fossor), in which it is usually absent, the fork may sometimes appear in a partially developed form. 2. A very important specific character is the general shape of the hand in both sexes with regard to (i) the proportions of the width of the hand to the length of the hand-back, and (ii) the convexity and, to a lesser extent, the granulation of the upper surface. Although the proportions may vary in specimens from different localities (e.g., ( ivahlbergi and karrooensis), the variation appears never to be very great. The length of the movable finger, on the contrary, varies too much to be of specific value. 3. The two secondary keels on the inner part :|: of the upper surface of the hand are constantly present in some species, e.g., fossor, macer, and constantly absent in others, e.g., chapcri, and here form good specific characters. In others again, e.g., latimamis ( calviis), these keels may be quite absent or well developed, even in one and the same specimen. 4. The finger-keel and the superior crest of the brachium is subject to variation in many species ; in others, however, notably in the capensis-granifrons group, the condition of the finger-keel is of specific importance. 5. A strong granulation on the mesial part of the ventral surface of the abdominal segments is of considerable specific value. If, however, this granulation be extremely fine or weak, although constantly present in specimens from one locality, it may entirely disappear or be replaced by a striated or wrinkled surface in a series of specimens of the same species from another locality, e.g., in karrooensis. The granulation on the lateral parts of the last abdominal sternite is very variable and of no specific value. 6. The presence or absence of a coarse granulation on the sides of the carapace bordering the interocular area forms, as far as my observations go, an excellent specific character. The granulation of the interocular area itself is, however, rarely of importance, being subject to great variation. 7. As regards the position of the median eyes, such great varia- tions have been noticed in some species, e.g., in gigas and glabrifrons, that I have doubts as to the value of this character. 8. With regard to the granulation of the crests of the cauda it may be stated that, if the granulation be weak, it may be expected * The upper surface of the hand is divided by the finger-keel into an outer and an inner part. 134 Annals of the South African Museum. to vary either to a strong granulation or to vanish altogether in local varieties of the same species. 9. With regard to the granulation on the other parts of the body, it may be remarked that that on the intercarinal spaces of the tail (excepting on the under side of the anterior segments), on the terga, on the legs, and on the surfaces of the humerus and brachium of the palps, is of little or no specific value. (Exception must be made, however, of the posterior surface of the brachium in some species, e.g., the capensis-granifrons group.) 10. The extent to which the posterior edge of the scape of the pectine is toothless at the base is of specific value, as it does not seem to vary much. The number of pectinal teeth, however, can scarcely be considered of specific importance, being one of the first characters to change in local varieties. 11. The coloration is, of course, not in itself of specific im- portance, although differences in colour, especially of the legs, often accompany other good characters (e.g., in the fossor-chaperi group). 12. The structure of the spiracles I found to vary so much, that I now consider them of no value, although at first I was inclined to attach some importance to them (e.g., in fuscipes). 13. The length of the superior terminal lobe of the tarsi of the legs is not of specific importance, although often useful in conjunction with other characters. In many cases, where a large series of specimens has been examined, the lobe although normally long (or short) occasionally appears short (or long, as the case may be) in a few specimens. 14. Similarly the number of external spines on the under side and on the terminal lobe of the posterior tarsus, although often useful, is subject to variation in a small percentage of specimens in a large series. 15. I have examined a large number of specimens in order to ascertain the specific value, if any, of the so-called stridulating organ, recently described by Pocock (Nat. Sci., ix., p. 17, 1896) and com- posed of 1 to 6 or 7 spathulate or obovate lamellae (modified hairs) attached to the inner surface of the basal joint of each mandible. I found this organ completely absent in all our specimens of pallidipes, gigcis, longicauda, schlechteri, and ater, while Pocock found them absent in wahlbergi. In all the type-specimens of peringueyi and crassimanus the organ is also absent. In a specimen from the Cedarberg Eange, however, differing in no other respect from the typical peringueyi, excepting slightly in colour, I found four well- Species of Opisthophthalmus. 135 developed lamellae on each mandible, while among the numerous specimens of crassimanus, which I have grouped together as var. fi, 1-3 lamellae are often present ; so, for example, in 22 specimens from Eooibank lamellae were present at least on one mandible in 15 and absent in 7, while in 21 specimens from Hournoed they were present in 12 and absent in 9. In glabrifrons the lamellae were found in the specimens from Mashunaland, but were absent in all specimens from the Transvaal. In granicauda 1-2, and in kar- rooensis and carinatus 3-6 lamellae were present in all the specimens in the Museum. I have also found the organ in all the remaining species of the genus with the exception of laticauda (which, being dry, I have not examined). As I have not, however, examined all the specimens in the collection I cannot state whether the organ is invariably present in these latter. The fact that these lamellae may be constantly absent from all specimens of some species from one locality and yet appear in some of the specimens of the same species from another locality tends to show that no specific value can be attached to the presence or absence of this organ. Of course there may be, and probably are, species in which the organ is constantly present and others in which it is constantly absent, and in such cases it may be of some service, e.g., in a synopsis. Habits. Nearly all the species of this genus construct deep burrows in the earth, in which they remain during the day. These burrows are all formed after the same plan. They enter the ground generally at an incline not exceeding half a right angle, proceed for about 6-10 inches in the same plane in a straight or winding direction, and then suddenly dip down and descend, often with much winding, to nearly a foot below the surface. These burrows may always be easily recognised by their depth in conjunction with the shape of the entrance, which resembles in outline the space between the eyelids of an open human eye. Two species, karrooensis and pallidipcs, do not appear to con- struct deep burrows at all, but live in shallow excavations under stones. Both these scorpions are remarkable for the long and slender hands of the adult male. I do not know the habits of the allied species with similar hands, viz., peringueyi, gigas, and longicauda. Distribution. The genus Opistlioplitlialmus is very characteristic of the Cape Fauna. All the species whose localities are known, with the exception of two, have been recorded from the Cape Colony, in which there appears to be scarcely a part not inhabited by some 136 Annals of the SoutJi African Museum. representative of the genus. They often occur in great abundance, but generally only one species inhabits a particular locality. A few exceptions to this rule have come under my notice. For instance, at Eabiesberg, in the Langeberg Bange, Worcester Division, macer and cliapcri occur in equal abundance on the same spot. There are other apparent cases of several species occurring at the same locality, e.g., at Ashton cliaperi and karrooensis are very common, but here I found the latter confined to the stony " karroo-koppies " (hillocks) and the former to the lower-lying ground. Bushmanland, however, appears to form a notable exception to the rule, as Mr. Max Schlechter found two or more species of the genus at most of the localities he touched at in that country. The range of some of the species is very large, e.g., of carinatus, (jlalirifrons, and macer. Many, however, have a very limited range, being often confined to a few Divisions. By far the larger number inhabit the western half of Cape Colony between the south coast and the Orange Eiver, within which region doubtless a number of forms still remain to be discovered. A striking feature of the species of this genus is their proneness to form local races or varieties, showing peculiarities of either color- ation, size, armature of the tarsi, number of pectinal teeth, length of fingers of hands, granulation of the sterna and interocular area, form of spiracles, &c. On the other hand, all specimens from one and the same locality are nearly always similar amongst themselves as regards these characters. It may be stated as a general rule that the species in which the median groove of the carapace is forked anteriorly are characteristic of the districts bordering on or near to the west coast of the Cape Colony, viz., Cape, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Malmesbury, Tulbagh (south-western part), Piquetberg, Clanwilliam, Calvinia (at least the western part), Van Ehynsdorp, and Namaqualand (exclusive of Great Bushmanland), while those species in which the groove is not forked occupy the territory lying to the east and north of the coast belt above mentioned, and extending as far west as the Divisions of Stellenbosch (southern part), Caledon, Worcester, Tul- bagh (exclusive of the south-western part), Ceres, Sutherland, Fraser- berg(?), Kenhardt, Great Bushmanland, and German South- West Africa. Besides carinatus, which occurs in Bushmanland, German South-West Africa, and Ehodesia, pictus is the only notable excep- tion to the above rule, the latter being the only species with a forked groove found in the Eepublics or in the eastern parts of the Cape Colony. It is recorded from Port Elizabeth and the Orange Free es of Opisthophthalmus. 137 State, and is apparently quite separated geographically from any other species of the section. In the Cedarberg Range in Clamvilliam one species without the forked groove is found, while Little Bush- manland harbours representatives of both sections. I shall first consider the region occupied by the species provided with a forked groove. Starting from the south-west and proceeding northwards, we meet in succession with four closely related forms, viz., capensis (Cape Town and neighbourhood), var. fuscipcs (Paarl and south-western part of Tulbagh), Icipoldti (Clanwilliam), and granifrons (highlands of Van Ehynsdorp and Namaqualand). Characteristic of these four forms is the coarse granulation on the ventral surface of several posterior abdominal segments in the adult male and of the last segment in the female. This granulation is always present in the mesial part of the segment, even if absent from the sides. Related to granifrons but differing chiefly in the smoothness of the sterna (except in the case of the male of the first) are granicauda and ater from Namaqualand, schlechteri from Little Bushmanland, and laticauda from Calvinia. All these species, together with crassimanus and probably also pictus, appear to form a natural group, characterised by the median groove of the carapace forked anteriorly (except in crassimanus), the terminal tooth of the superior caudal crests enlarged (except in var. fuscipcs), the fourth tarsus with few spines, there being generally none, rarely one, on the exterior part of the inferior surface, and often only three on the external terminal lobe, the hand in the male (except in capensis and leipoldti) generally granular above and like that of the female but narrower, the scape of the pectines in the male generally free of teeth at base behind (except in capensis), and the racket-shaped laniellas on basal joint of mandibles absent or only 1-3 in number. 0. pallid ipes and peringueyi form a small group apparently not related to the granifrons group and having the hand in the adult males very long, slender, and smooth above. 0. pallidipes extends over almost the same area occupied by the granifrons group (from Piquetberg to Namaqualand), occurring in abundance, however, only in places where no representatives of the latter group are found. The fourth tarsus is many-spined, being always provided with 1-3 external spines below and 4 on the external terminal lobe. The terminal tooth of the superior caudal crests is enlarged, and the lamellae on the basal mandibular joint may be present or absent. Passing to the species in which the median groove of the carapace is not forked, we find in the first place a small group of three forms 138 Annals of the South African Museum. which differ from the pallidipcs group only in the absence of the forked groove. All are karroo -forms, and include karrooensis in- habiting Eobertson, Prince Albert, Beaufort West, Victoria West, and probably also some of the adjoining Divisions, and two forms from Bushmanland, viz., gigas and longicauda. 0. austerus, which does not appear to be closely related to any other species, has been recorded from the eastern high-lying part of the Worcester Division, and from Sutherland. A large group of mostly dark-coloured species, characterised by the superior caudal crests not ending in an enlarged tooth, occupy the southern and eastern part of Cape Colony, Natal, the Eepublics, and Rhodesia. This group runs into two series connected by 0. macer, viz., (a) forms with the sides of the carapace coarsely granular : * chaperi (Langeberg Range in Robertson and Worcester Divisions), fossor (western part of Worcester Division and greater part of Tulbagh Division), and pattisoni (Cedarbergen in Clanwilliam Division) ; (b) forms with the sides of the carpace finely granular : t macer extending along the South- West Coast from False Bay to Zululand and northwards as far as Ceres, latimanus from Albany Division, pugnax from Transvaal (also Natal and eastern part of Cape Colony, teste Pocock), glabrifrons from north-east of Cape Colony, Transvaal, and Rhodesia. This group, although as large as the granifrons group, is much more homogeneous. The fourth tarsus has 4 spines on the external lobe and 1-3 (rarely none) external spines on the under side as well. The pectines are rectangular at the base behind in the male. The last segment of the abdominal sterna is often smooth in the middle and granular laterally. 0. crassimanus from Bushmanland is evidently closely related to granifrons, with which I have grouped it above in spite of the absence of a forked median groove. 0. wahlbergi from Bushmanland and German South- West Africa and 0. flavesccns from the latter territory are, as regards their affini- ties, apparently isolated forms. I wish here to express my obligations to Dr. J. W. B. Gunning, Director of the Staats Museum at Pretoria, for having placed the valuable collection of Transvaal scorpions of his Museum at my disposal for examination. This collection proved of great service in the elucidation of certain points in connection with 0. pugnax and O. glabrifrons. * Including also 0. intermcdiiis, Kraep. (locality unknown). t Including also 0. brcviccps, Poc. (locality unknown). Species of Opisthophthalmus. 139 OPISTHOPHTHALMUS WAHLBEBGI (Thor.). Miaplwnus wahlbergi, Thorell, Ann. Mag. N. H. (4) xvii., p. 13, 1876; Atti. Soc. ital, xix., p. 148, 1877, ? . Opisthophtlialmus wahlbcrgi, Kraepelin, Eevis. d. Skorp., ii., p. 83, in Jahrb. Hamb. Wiss. Anst., xi., 1, 1894. Area of Distribution. German South-West Africa (part '?) and north-western corner of Cape Colony (Little and Great Bushman- land). The Museum possesses a very large number of specimens, recently collected by Mr. Max Schlechter in Bushmanland, in the Divisions of Namaqualand and Kenhardt. These belong to two races, readily distinguishable by the coloration of the cauda but not presenting, as far as I can detect, any structural differences. A. Yelloiv-stinged Bace. Fourth caudal segment black, lighter above, the fifth segment black, except at the posterior end, which is pale yellow like the vesicle ; mandibles and fingers not darkened ; breadth of hand equalling or only slightly exceeding (by not more than mm.) the length of hand-back in adult ? , but less than the length of hand-back in young females ; No. of pectinal teeth in ? 16-22, in $ 23-29. Inhabits a narrow strip of country in Little Bushmanland, lying immediately south of the Orange Eiver between Hunitsamas and Naroep. (a) 57 $ (30 adult) and 29 $ (6 adult) * from the neighbourhood of Naroep : No. of pectinal teeth in ? 17-22, in $ 24-29 ; length of carapace in ad. ? llf-15 mm., in ad. $ 12-12f mm. (&) 15 ? (9 ad.) and 8 $ (2 ad.) from Hunitsamas, seven miles south of Ramond's Drift on the Orange Eiver : No. of pect. teeth in ? 16-21, in $ 23-28 ; length of carapace in ad. ? 1U-13| mm., in ad. $ lli-12f mm. Mr. Schlechter also found this variety at (c) Zandhooghte between Hunitsamas and Naroep, Little Bush- manland. (d) Vuurdood, near Eamond's Drift, Namaqualand Division. B. Black- sting ) 9 ? (4 ad.) and 8 3 (1 ad.) from the Paarl (E. M. Light- foot) : No. of pect. teeth in ? 9-10 (rarely 7 or 8), in $ 10-13 ; length of carapace in ad. $ 10-10f mm., in ad. $ 9f mm. Colora- tion as in the typical fitsciprx, the interocular area and the hands, however, more ochraceous. Spiracles wider in the middle than at the ends, although not so wide as in the specimens from the Water- fall Mts. Terminal tooth of superior caudal crests not at all or scarcely enlarged, not spiniform. Penultimate segment of sterna us in typical fitxcijH-'s in both sexes. The posterior surface of the brachium in capcnsis is never coarsely granular along the middle as in Icipoldti and granifrons, but is pro- vided instead with several rows of circular or semicircular ridges, representing the elevated edges of the little depressions in which the hair-pits lie. In var. fnscipca the posterior surface is altogether rougher, the ridges along the middle often fuse to irregular, some- what crenulated crests, between which a granule or two occasion- ally appears. The superior crest of the brachium is usually smooth, or nearly so (crenulated in/.sr//n-.s), but sometimes it is furnished a little proximal to the middle of the segment with a row of gran- ules which, however, are generally situated on the anterior side of the crest, just under its upper edge, causing the latter to still appear nearly smooth when viewed from behind. The superior lobe of the tarsus of fourth leg is never shorter than the lateral lobes. The scape of the pectines is rounded at the base and free of teeth for about ? of its length in the $ ; in the 3 the scape is straight at the base, though not quite rectangular to its axis, being free of teeth for about I- to | of its length. of Opisthophthalmus. 151 OPISTHOPHTHALMUS PICTUS, Kraepelin, Revis. d. Skorp., ii., p. 102, 1894. 1 ad. $ from Port Elizabeth (/. P. Cregoc). The types were recorded from the Orange Free State. OPISTHOPHTHALMUS PALLIDIPES, C. L. Koch. 0. pallipcs, C. L. Koch, Die Arachniden, x., p. 3, tig. 757, 1843, ad. 3. 0. paUidipes, Thorell, Atti. Soc. ital., xix., p. 227, 1877, ad. ? ; Kraepelin, Revis. d. Skorp., Jahr. Hamb. Wiss. Anstalten, xi., i., p. 87, 1894 ; Pocock, Ann. Mag. N. H. (6) xvii., tig. of ad. ? on p. 236, 1896. Area of Distribution. A strip of country (with winter rains) along the west coast of Cape Colony, extending less than 100 miles inland. Headquarters: Bokkeveld Mts. (Calvinia and Van Rhynsdorp Div.), Cedarbergen (Clanwilliam Div.), Piquetberg Range (Piquetberg Div.) ; besides stragglers are found in the whole territory occupied by 0. granifrons in the Div. of Namaqualand. (a) 1 ad. $ and 1 juv. 3 from Steinkopf in Namaqualand, alt. 2,700 ft. (Max Schlechtcr) : No. of pect. teeth in ? 20-21, in $ 26-27 ; length of carapace in ? 16i mm. ; abdominal sterna and interocular area of ? smooth ; colour of $ black, excepting the legs, vesicle, interocular area and the hands. This is the most northern locality recorded. (6) 1 $ juv., from the village of Van Rhynsdorp, alt. 400 ft. (Max Schlechtcr) : No. of pect. teeth 25-26. (c) 20 (4 ad.) and 14 $ (2 ad.) collected on the high-lying country known as the Onder Bokkeveld on the Bokkeveld Mts. (near Nieuwoudtville), Calvinia Div. (Max Schlechtcr) : No. of pect. teeth in J 16-21, in $ 24-29; length of carapace in ad. ? 15^-17 mm., in ad. 3 16^ mm. ; interocular area smooth in the adult ; segments 1-4 of the abdominal sterna finely granular at the lateral edges in the adult 3 , smooth in the ? ; segment 5 smooth, generally with distinct traces of lateral keels ; colour of humerus, brachium, cauda and of hind-border of the tergal segments lighter (especially in the male), ochraceous brown. (d) 8 $ (1 ad.) and 7 juv. 3 from the Pakhuisberg, Clanwilliam Div. (Max Schlechter) : No. of pect. teeth in the ? 16-22, in the 3 25-31; length of carapace in ad. ? 16 mm. ; interocular area nearly smooth, very weakly granular in the anterior half ; sterna as above. 152 Annals of the South African Museum. These specimens show the lighter coloration of those from the Bokkeveld Mts., bub possess a larger number of pectinal teeth. (c) 3 $ (1 ad.) from Wupperthal, Clamvilliam Div. (Rer. Schmolke) : No. of pect. teeth in ? 18-21 ; length of carapace in ad. $ 16i mm. These specimens show the lighter coloration of the tail and palps. (/') 1 juv. 3 from the Kaakadouw Pass, alt. 1,000-3,000 ft., in the Cedarbergen, Clamvilliam Div. (E. Pattison and C. L. Leipoldt) : No. of pect. teeth 26-28. ((/} 2 juv. 5 and 2 ad. $ from the Mission Station at Goede Verwachting (Gutwerwacht) in the Piquetberg Eange, Piquetberg Div. (Rev. Marks): No. of pect. teeth in $ 17-19, in $ 25-28; length of carapace in $ 15f mm. ; interocular area of adult smooth, except quite anteriorly, where there are a few weak granules ; sterna as in the specimens from the Bokkeveld Mts. ; colour of humerus, brachium, cauda and hind-border of tergal segments very dark, nearly black, in the ad. $ . (h) 1 ad. 3 (dry) labelled " Touws River," Worcester Div. This is an old specimen, and I am not quite certain of the locality. It differs ramarkably from the specimens we possess from the more western parts of the Colony. The upper crest of the brachium is coarsely crenulated, in the proximal part even granular ; the ventral surface of the abdomen and of the first two caudal segments, though apparently smooth to the naked eye, is provided with exceedingly minute granules, evenly scattered over the surface at distances of about mm. apart ; the anterior fourth of the interocular area is coarsely granular ; the coloration of the whole animal is compara- tively light. No. of pect. teeth 26 ; length of carapace 17f mm. The Museum possesses adult males agreeing almost exactly in the dimensions of the different parts with Koch's figure of the type specimen. The whole of the upper surface of the first 6 segments of the terga is extremely finely shagreened, the granules, excepting a few at the sides, being individually almost invisible, unless magni- fied. Although these terga are stated by Koch to be smooth in the type specimen, I have no doubt as to the specific identity of our specimens and his. The interocular area of the carapace is generally quite smooth in the adults of both sexes, though sometimes it is weakly or even coarsely granular in the anterior part ; in the young it is nearly always granular anteriorly. In general appearance the adult male greatly resembles that of karrooensis, Pur., but the brachium equals the humerus in length in pallidipes. The carapace is slightly longer than the first two iea of OpisthopMhalnvus. 153 caudal segments, while the tail itself is much longer than the trunk ; the abdominal sterna are quite smooth ; the inner part of the upper surface of the hand is almost flat and nearly smooth ; the inner edge of hand is nearly straight and strongly denticulate ; the length of the hand-back considerably exceeds the breadth of the hand ; the scape of the pectines is rectangular at the base, and toothed along its whole length ; the genital operculuni is transverse. Mcamrements in Millimetres of an ad. $ . Total length 105 ; length of carapace 16^, width 14 ; distance of eyes from anterior margin 11^ ; width of hand 9 ; length of hand-back 9f , of movable finger 23ir, of tail 60 ; width of first caudal segment 6, of fifth 4, of vesicle 5^. OPISTHOPHTHALMUS PEKINGUEYI, Purcell, Ann. S. Afr. Mus., i., p. 23, 1898, ? and 3 . No exact locality is known for the type of this species, but I have recently received a large adult female, captured by Messrs. C. L. Leipoldt and E. Pattison on the Sneeuwkop Mt., in the Cedarberg Eange, Clanwilliam Div., at a height of over 3,000 ft. This specimen closely resembles the type from which, however, it differs somewhat in colour the interocular area of the carapace, the upper surface of the hands, the vesicle, and the legs being dark olive-brown instead of reddish yellow. The last sternal segment is distinctly keeled on each side. Pectines with 16-17 teeth. Total length 110 mm. ; length and width of carapace 14^ mm. ; width of hand 12f mm. ; length of hand-back 9 mm. Basal joint of mandible provided on the inner side with four obovate lamellae (modified hairs), which are not present in the type specimens. OPISTHOPHTHALMUS KARROOEXSIS, Purcell, Ann. S. Afr. Mus., i., p. 1, pi. i., fig. 1, pi. ii., fig. 2, 1898. 3 and 2 . Area of Distribution. Central and South- West Karroo, Cape Colony (Victoria West, Beaufort West, Prince Albert and Eobertson Divisions). (a) I ad. 3 (dry), from Victoria West, alt. 4,100 ft. (B. M. Light- foot] : No. of pect. teeth 28-29 ; length of carapace 13f mm. ; seg. 5 of the abdominal sterna wrinkled and granular, seg. 4 wrinkled in the middle and granular at the sides, anterior segments nearly smooth. 154 Annals of the South African Museum. (b) 10 2 (3 ad.) and 19 $ (4 ad.), from Beaufort West, alt. 2,850 ft. (Rev. G. H. E. Fivk, J. P. Cregoe, F. Piircell) : No. of pect. teeth in 2 19-22, in $ 25-31; length of carapace in ad. 2 14^-16 mm., in ad. $ 13-14 mm. ; seg. 5 of the abdominal sterna in the 2 smooth or scarcely granular in the middle, weakly granular in the depressions at the posterior lateral angles ; seg. 2-5 in the $ finely and densely granular throughout, or seg. 2-4 wrinkled in the middle. (c) 8 2 (5 ad.) and 8 $ (3 ad.), from Prince Albert Village, alt. 2,120 ft. (F. Purcell): No. of pect. teeth in 2 19-22, in 3 24-31; length of carapace in ad. 2 14J-16 mm., in ad. $ 14f-15 mm. ; seg. 5 of the abdominal sterna in the ? with a few weak mesial granules posteriorly, seg. 2-5 in ad. $ finely and densely granular throughout. (<7) 4 2 (1 ad.) and 7 juv. $ , from Laingsburg, Prince Albert Div., alt. 2,128 ft. (F. Purcell): No. of pect. teeth in 2 19-22, in $ 24-30 ; length of carapace in ad. 2 15^- mm. ; seg. 5 of the abdominal sterna in the ad. 2 thickly granular, smooth only along the anterior border. (e) 20 2 (12 ad.) and 20 3 (9 ad.), from Ashton, Eobertson Div. (F. Purcell) : No. of pect. teeth in 2 15-19 (rarely 21), in 3 21-24 (rarely 27) ; length of carapace in ad. 2 1H-13J mm., in ad. 3 Hi-12f mm. ; seg. 5 of the abdominal sterna in the ad. 2 perfectly smooth except in the shallow postero-lateral depressions, where it is usually provided with a few weak granules ; seg. 2 and 3 in the 3 smooth or nearly so, granular at the sides, seg. 3 sometimes granular along hind margin, seg. 4 and 5 densely and finely granular ; width of hand in 2 somewhat greater than the length of hand-back ; under side of first caudal segment in the 2 weakly granular, except quite anteriorly, where it is generally smooth ; under side of humerus nearly smooth, with at most 6-9 small granules in the 3 , very sparsely granular in the 2 , although more granular than in the 3 . In other respects these specimens resemble the types. OPISTHOPHTHALMUS GIGAS, Purcell, Ann. S. Afr. Mus., i., p. 5, 1898, 3 and 2 . The probable locality of the type specimens is Warmbad (Nisbet Bath), in Great Namaqualand, German South- West Africa. The Museum has recently acquired a number of fine specimens of this giant species, collected by Mr. Max Schlechter, in Bushmanland, Cape Colony. These specimens differ from the types in a few points of Opisthopltthcilmtis. 155 and constitute Var. & The specimens in the collection are as follows : A. Principal Form. Eyes far back, their distance from anterior median edge of carapace 2f 3 times their distance from posterior edge. Ventral surface of abdominal and of anterior caudal segments in male furnished with exceedingly minute granules, although appa- rently smooth to the naked eye. North of the Orange Eiver. 1 ad. $ (type) and 2 ad. $ , probably from Warmbad (W. Palgravc) : No. of pect. teeth in 5 24, in 3 24 ; length of carapace in J 22 mm., in $ 21^-22 mm. B. Var. ft Eyes farther forward, their distance from the anterior median edge of carapace only 2-24; times their distance from posterior edge. Ventral surface of abdominal and anterior caudal segments perfectly smooth in $ (except at extreme lateral borders of sterna, which are minutely granular, as in principal form). Colour of trunk and cauda olive-green to olive-brown, of interocular area and hands yellow, of legs pale ochraceous. Young wholly dark (with the exception of the legs). (a) 13 $ (4 ad.) and 6 $ (i ad.) from Namies on the border between Namaqualand and Kenhardt Div., Great Bushnianland (Max Schlechtcr) : No. of pect. teeth in $ 19-22, in $ 22-27; length of carapace in ad. 2 20i 21-J mm., in ad. $ 20f mm.; length of largest ? 156 mm., of $ 140 mm. (b) 2 J (1 ad.) from Naroep, Great Bushnianland, Namaqualand Div. (Max Schlechtcr) : No. of pect. teeth 20-22 ; length of carapace in ad. 5 22 mm. ; total length 160 mm. (c) 2 juv. $ and 1 juv. 3 from Jackalswater (half-way between Steinkopf and Henkries), Namaqualand Div. (Max Schlechtcr) : No. of pect. teeth in 5 23-24, in $ 29. The largest female specimen is nearly full grown (length 115 mm.), and may be easily identified from the type specimen of 0. yigas. OPISTHOPHTHALMUS AUSTERUS, Karsch, Mittheil. Munch. Ent. Ver., 1879, p. 128; Kraepelin, Bevis. d. Skorp., ii., p. 94, 1894. Area of Distribution. Western part of the Great Karroo (Wor- cester Div.), Sutherland (?). (a) 11 $ (6 ad.) and 2 $ (1 ad.) from Touws Eiver Station, alt. 2,500 ft., Worcester Div. (F. Pnrccll) : No. of pect. teeth in $ 15-18, in $ 21-23 ; length of carapace in ad. ? ll^-12f mm. and only slightly exceeding that of first two caudal segments, in 156 Annals of tlie South African Museum ad. 3 ll-i- mm., and considerably less than that of first two caudal segments ; upper surface of hand coarsely granular throughout in the J ; interocular area dark reddish brown, scarcely lighter than the sides of the carapace. (b) 1 ad. $> (dry) from Matjesfontein, alt. 2,970 ft. (E. Trimcn) : No. of pect. teeth 15-16 ; length of carapace 12^ mm., somewhat exceeding that of first two caudal segments ; colour of carapace and granulation of hand as in the specimens from Touws River. (c) 1 ad. $ , old spirit specimen, labelled " Sutherland " (alt. 4,776 ft.) (Rev. de Vries) : No. of pect. teeth 18 ; length of carapace 14f mm., slightly exceeding that of the first two caudal segments ; inner part of upper surface of hands very much smoother in the middle than at the sides ; interocular area much lighter than the sides of the carapace. (d) 4 $ (3 ad.), no history attached: No. of pect. teeth 20-22 ; length of carapace 12-12f mm., equalling that of the first and second caudal segments ; interocular area much lighter than the sides of the carapace. OPISTHOPHTHALMUS CHAPERI, Simon, Soc. Ent. France (5), x., p. 387, 1880, 3 . Area of Distribution. The karroo-like country along the southern side of the great Langeberg Eange from its eastern extremity west- wards as far as Ashton (Worcester and Robertson Divisions). (a) 4 ? (ad.) and 3 $ (2 ad.) from the base of the Rabiesberg, near Nuy River Station, Worcester Div. (11. Francke and F. Purcell) : No. of pect. teeth in $ 13-16, in 3 17-19 ; length of carapace in ad. ? 12^-134- mm., in ad. 3 12-12f mm. ; interocular area and inner part of upper surface of hand (except quite distally) ochraceous ; tail yellowish brown ; last segment of the abdominal sterna in the ? with only a very few weak granules on the rudiments of the, lateral keels. (b) 8 ? (4 ad.) and 3 $ (young) from Ashton, Robertson Div. (F. Purcell} : No. of pect. teeth in ? 13-15, in 3 17-18 ; length of carapace in ad. ? 13-14^ mm. ; interocular area and inner basal part of upper surface of hand reddish yellow, the hand much more extensively blackened in the ? , tail dark reddish brown ; last segment of the abdominal sterna in 5 generally with a larger granulated area on each side in the region of the keels. Only the male of this species has been described. The following are the principal characters of the adult female : Colour as in the Species of Opisthophthalmus. 157 male. Carapace slightly longer than the first and second caudal segment (somewhat shorter than these segments in the 3 ) ; inter- ocular area almost entirely smooth, or weakly granular in the anterior part (in the $ finely granular over almost the whole surface or only on the anterior half). Terga granular throughout (more densely and finely so in the from the southern end of the Witzenberg Eange, near Wolseley, Tulbagh Div. (F. Purcell} : No. of pect. teeth 13 length of carapace 12 mm. 158 Annals of the South African Museum. OPISTHOPHTHALMUS MACEE, Thor. 0. capcnsis, C. L. Koch, Die Arachniden, iv., p. 89, fig. 308, 1837, ad. 3 . 0. maccr, Thorell, Atti Soc. ital., xix., p. 236, 1877, ad. $ ; Kraepelin, Eevis. d. Skorp., ii., p. 95, in Jahrb. Hamb. Wiss. Anst., xi., 1, 1894, 3 ? ; Pocock, Ann. Mag. N. H. (6), xvii., pi. x., fig. 5 (1896), $ (hand). O.falla.r, Thorell, Atti Soc. ital., xix., p. 238, 1877, ? . Area of Distribution. Along the south coast from False Bay eastwards as far as Port Elizabeth and probably further (according to Pocock also in Zululand) ; northwards the species extends along the Langeberg Kange into the Divs. of Worcester and Ceres. (a) 4 ? (3 ad.) and 5 3 (3 ad.) from Georgetown at the foot of the Outeniqua Kange (F. P/ircc/l) : No. of pect. teeth in 5 12 -14, in $ 14-19; length of carapace in ad. $ 10f-13 mm., in ad. $ llf-llf mm. ; interocular area in both sexes merely roughened with pits, but not granular, on the convexities behind; the granulation on the sides of the carapace in the ? slightly but distinctly stronger and coarser near the lateral borders of the interocular area than elsewhere ; colour of legs dark reddish brown in the $ , almost black in the $ . Thorell's type specimen appears to be some such form as this. (b) 3 ad. 3 from the town of Knysna and the Knysna Heads (F. Purccll) : No. of pect. teeth 15-17 ; length of carapace 10-11 mm. ; carapace and colour of legs as in the $ specimens from Georgetown. (c) 1 5 from Port Elizabeth (/. L. Draje) : No. of pect. teeth 12-13; length of carapace 11 mm.; granulation of carapace and colour of legs as in the ? specimens from Georgetown, secondary keels of hand much weaker than usual, in parts scarcely raised at all. (d) 2 ad. ? and 2 ad. $ from the Hottentots Holland Mts. (Caledon side) (F. Purccll) : No. of pect. teeth in 11-12, in 3 16-17; length of carapace in $ 11-1H mm., in 3 10^-111 mm. ; whole surface of carapace in the $ finely and evenly granular throughout, in the 5 the interocular area is merely roughened with pits, but not granular, on the convexities behind ; last segment of the abdominal sterna uneven or finely roughened in the middle ; colour of legs as in the specimens from Georgetown. (c) 2 ad. ? and 2 $ (1 ad.) from the village of Sir Lowries Pass, Stellenbosch Div. (F. Pur cell) : No. of pect. teeth in 5 11-12, in 3 15-17; length of carapace in 5 10411^ mm., in ad. 3 10^ mm. ; carapace as in the specimens from the Hottentots Holland Mts. ; colour of the legs in 3 reddish brown, in $ dark reddish brown. i'K of Opisthophifhalmus. 159 (/") 4 ad. 5 and 1 ad. $ from Rabiesberg (at the foot of the Lange- bergen near Nuy Eiver Station), Worcester Div. (R. Fran-eke, F. Purccll) : No. of pect. teeth in $ 13-17, in $ 19-20 ; length of carapace in 2 11-12 mm., in $ 11 mm. ; whole surface of carapace finely and evenly granular throughout in both sexes ; colour of the legs ochraceous-brown in fresh specimens. (g) 2 ad. 5 from the village of Ceres (E. M. Lightfoot and F. Purccll} : No. of pect. teeth 13-16 ; length of carapace in ad. $ 12^ mm. ; whole surface of carapace densely and evenly granular throughout ; colour of the legs light ochraceous-brown, from the apex of femur to the distal end of the leg nearly black on the anterior, upper and posterior sides. (h) 1 ad. ? from near Triangle Station (alt. 3,193 ft.), Wore. Div. (R. M. Lightfoot) : No. of pect. teeth 15-16 ; length of carapace 14 mm. ; granulation of carapace weaker on posterior part of inter- ocular area ; coloration of legs as in the specimens from Ceres (g). I have no doubt as to the identity of Koch's 0. capensis and Thorell's 0. macer, notwithstanding the circumstance that Koch gives only 13 pect. teeth for his specimen. In some of our male specimens the number of these teeth is as low as 14. The last segment of the abdominal sterna is either smooth or more or less granular at the sides, the latter being especially the case in the males. The under side of the humerus is either granular or smooth. OPISTHOPHTHALMUS LATIMANUS, C. L. Koch, O. latiniaints, C. L. Koch, Die Arachniden, viii., p. 65, fig. 640, 1841, $ ; Kraepelin, Revis. der Skorp., ii., p. 91, 1894. 0. cah' us, L. Koch, Verb. zool. hot. Ges. Wien, xvii., p. 233, 1867 (I have not seen this work) ; Kraepelin, loc. cit., p. 93, ? . 8 ? (5 ad.) and 7 $ (5 ad.) from Brakkloof, near Grahamstown v Albany Div. (Dr. Schonland) : No. of pect. teeth in 5 11-13, in $ 14-18 ; length of carapace in ad. $ 12-141 mm., in ad. $ 10|~ 12| mm. These specimens very much resemble Koch's figure of the type in their coloration, but the interocular area and tail are darker, being very dark reddish brown or almost black ; the legs are dark reddish brown, their under surface and the vesicle yellowish brown. In the adult female the secondary keels on the inner part of the upper surface of the hand may be quite obsolete (except quite distally at the base of the finger), or they may be distinctly traceable to the base of the hand as a row of larger, low, anastomosing tubercles. 160 Annals of the South African Museum. In the female the interocular area is either entirely smooth or the anterior half is roughened or very minutely granular ; the second to sixth segments of the terga are very uneven hut shiny, coarsely granular along hind margin and provided each with a smooth, longitudinal keel and with a large transverse elevation on each side ; the last segment of the sterna is distinctly keeled, its surface roughened (also in the middle) with irregular pits and elevations and generally furnished at the sides with a few granules ; the median inferior keels of the first caudal segment are well developed, nearly smooth or more or less crenulated ; the finger-keel is either nearly smooth, or it is hroken up into a row of granules. The male of latiinauiif;, which has not as yet been described, differs from the female in the following characters : Carapace only slightly longer than the first two caudal segments, the interocular area almost entirely covered w r ith the minutest granules ; tcrija finely shagreened without any shiny elevations ; sterna with the first four segments finely roughened and often pitted in the middle (rarely the first segment nearly smooth), the fifth segment finely granular in the middle, more coarsely granular at the sides, keeled ; inferior keels of first caudal segment always granular ; the scape of the pcctincs rectangular at the base and toothed throughout its length ; upper and anterior surfaces of Ji inner us separated by a crest of larger granules ; hand much smaller and relatively narrower, the inner part of the upper surface covered with granules which are not so flat but more isolated than in the 5 , resembling those on the outer part of the upper surface of hand ; secondary keels generally distinct and well developed, sometimes weak ; operculum much broader than long, completely cleft longitudinally. Measurement* in Millimetres of lan/ext male. Total length 84; greatest length of carapace 12f, width llf ; distance of eyes from anterior margin 9 ; width of hand 9f ; length of hand-back 7i, of movable finger 14, of tail 47 ; width of first caudal segment 6, of fifth 4i, of vesicle 4i. According to Kraepelin, who examined the type specimens of latimaiiKs and cairns, these two species differ solely in the possession by the latter of well-developed secondary keels on the hands and a fine granulation on the anterior part of the interocular area. Since both these characters often occur in the females of latimanus, I am compelled to consider calviis as synonymous with latimanus. Pocock :;: records latimanus from the Murchison Range, Transvaal, * Ann. Mag. N. H. (G) xvii., p. -238. Species of Opistkophthalm'us. 161 but from the position of the eyes, the reddish coloration, and other characters of his specimens, I am inclined to think they are merely specimens of glabrifrons with the last abdominal sternite smoother than usual. OPISTHOPHTHALMUS PUGXAX, Thorell, 0. pnijnax, Thor., Atti Soc. ital., xix., p. 232, 1S77, 3 ; Kraepelin, Eev. d. Skorp., ii., p. 105, 1894, 3 5 . 0. curt as, Thor., loc. cit., p. 234, $ . Area of Distribution. Transvaal; also, according to Pocock, Natal, Basutoland and the south-eastern part of Cape Colony. I have seen 7 ad. males and 2 ad. females of this species (some of them kindly lent by the Pretoria Museum). The granulation on the under surface of the last abdominal and anterior caudal segments appears to be the principal character which distinguishes this species from its allies (see Synoptic Table). The interocular area is rather uneven in both sexes, and in the female finely granular anteriorly or free of granules for the greater part in the male finely granular throughout or smooth on the convexites behind, very much as in latimanas, the granulation being finer than in macer. In the male the inferior median crests of first caudal segment are either separate or the space between them is more or less filled up with coarse granulation. The terminal tarsi of the posterior legs have 2 or 1 external spines below. No. of pectinal teeth in $ 10-12, in 3 14-15. OPISTHOPHTHALMUS GLABRIFKONS, Pet. 0. glabrifrons, Peters, Monatsber. Berl. Akad., 1861, p. 514 (I have not seen this work); Kraepelin, Eevis. d. Skorp. ii., p. 104, in: Jahrb. Hamb. \viss. Anst., xi., 1, 1894. O. Iceviceps, Thorell, Atti. Soc. ital., xix., p. 228, 1877 3 (teste Kraepelin) . 0. prcedo, Thorell, ibid., p. 230 3 ; Kraepelin, loc. cit., p. 107, 1894, 3 Area of Distribution. Griqualand West (Cape Col.), Bechuanaland, Mashunaland as far north as the Zambezi (Pocock), Transvaal. 1 have examined the following specimens : (a) 2 ad. 3 and 3 2 (2 ad.) from the Transvaal (kindly lent me by the Pretoria Museum) : No. of pect. teeth in 5 13-16, in $ 18-19 ; length of carapace in ad. 5 17^-18^- mm., in ad. $ 16-16^ mm. ; distance of eyes from anterior margin 2-2i times their distance 162 Annals of the South African Museum. from hind margin ; interocular area smooth and polished, granular only near anterior margin in both sexes ; finger-keel granular ; mesial part of last abdominal sternite in 5 slightly roughened with very weak granulation. Colour reddish. Large specimens (length of largest $ and $? 112 mm.). (b) 1 ad. 5 (dry) labelled " Kimberley " (A. Tucker) : No. of pect. teeth 13 ; length of carapace 15 mm. ; median eyes, finger-keel, sterna and interocular area as in (a) above. Large specimen. (c) 1 ad. $ (dry) from Kanga, near Mafeking, Bechuanaland (Miss M. Good): No. of pect. teeth 17; length of carapace 114; mm. ; finger-keel and median eyes as in (a) above ; interocular area minutely granular in anterior half. Smaller (total length 75 mm.). (d) 2 ad. $ from Mazoe, Mashunaland (./. Ffolliot Darliny) : No. of pect. teeth 15-17 ; length of carapace 10-10-f mm. ; finger-keel nearly smooth in distal part for ^-4- of its length ; interocular area very finely granular, smooth only on the convexities behind ; eyes as in (a). A dwarf form (total length of largest specimen only 67 mm.). (c) 2 ad. $ and 2 $ (1 ad.) from the Transvaal (kindly lent by the Pretoria Museum) : No. of pect. teeth in $ 11-12, in $ 13-15 ; length of carapace in ad. 5 12-124; mm., in ad. J 10 mm. ; distance of eyes from anterior margin 2! -2-^ times their distance from posterior margin ; finger-keel in the J smooth in the distal half but granular in the proximal half, in the female either nearly smooth throughout or almost entirely granular ; secondary keels of hand in $ partially distinct, granular ; interocular area almost entirely smooth and polished in both sexes. In the female a large portion of the upper surface of the hand (the inner basal portion) is almost smooth, being covered only with low, anastomosing elevations instead of isolated granules ; segments 1-4 of sterna in the $ minutely granulated and finely wrinkled in the mesial parts ; the inferior median crests of the four anterior caudal segments quite obliterated in the 3- by the dense granulation of the under surface ; posterior tarsi with one or no external spine on the under side. Bather small specimens (length of $ and $ 74 mm., S. A. Mus. Reg. No. 3745). (/) 4 ad. 5 and 3 ad. $ from the Transvaal (kindly lent by the Pretoria Museum) : No. of pect. teeth in $ 14-15, in $ 15-19 ; length of carapace in ? 13|-15A- mm., in $ 13-13^ mm.; eyes farther back than in any of the preceding specimens, their distance from front margin of carapace 2r to nearly three times their distance from hind margin ; finger-keel nearly smooth, rarely, in the $ , the Species of Opisthophthalmiis. 163 proximal half granular ; interocular area in 5 entirely smooth or with a few minute granules anteriorly, in $ finely granular through- out, except quite posteriorly on the convexities ; last abdominal sternite in 2 coarsely granular in the middle. In the $ the terga, at least the anterior ones, are more or less granular, while the hands are almost devoid of isolated granules on the inner basal portion of the upper surface, resembling those of the previous specimens (e). Secondary keels of hands in $ often very distinct and almost smooth. Tarsi with 0-1 external spines below in addition to the four on the outer terminal lobe (as in glabrifrons generally). Colour of the lighter parts more ochraceous than reddish. Large, up to 101 mm. in length. Although these specimens differ remarkably from the normal forms, I cannot consider them other than a well-marked variety of the widely distributed and variable ylabrifrons. The position of the median eyes is very liable to vary in local races generally, while both in this character and in the smoothness of the finger-keel this form is strongly approached by the previous speci- mens (under (e) above), which are intermediate between the normal form and the specimens here under consideration. The remaining differences are of no specific value. (S. A. M. Reg. No. 2999). The form described by Thorell as 0. prcedo evidently closely resembles the form (/) but differs in having the finger-keel granulated as in the normal glabrifrons. The type specimen has been elabo- rately described by Thorell and again quite recently by Kraepelin. I cannot, however, discover from their descriptions a single reason for separating this form from glabrifrons, although Kraepelin seems to think it more nearly related to pugnax. The characters which these authors appear to rely upon for separating prcedo from glabrifrons are the finely granular interocular area, the fewer pectinal teeth (14-15) and the stronger secondary crests of the hands in the former form. The position of the median eyes is also farther back, as in the form (/) above, and the hands are slightly narrower. Now it is quite impossible to utilise these characters alone for separating the species from glabrifrons, and unless prcedo possesses other and more reliable differential characters than those enumerated which is highly improbable, for they would have been mentioned it must be considered merely as a variety of glabrifrons, intermediate between the normal form and the form (/'). The granulation of the first four abdominal sternites in the $ varies much. In the males described under (/) all these sternites are much roughened, also in the mesial part, being densely and transversely wrinkled ; the four sternites may be almost entirely 12 164 Annah of the South African Museum. devoid of granules in the mesial parts, or the fine wrinkles may he crenulated or even split up into granules in places in the posterior segments, and in one specimen the granules predominate in the third and fourth sternites, are plentiful in the second, and there are even a few in the first sternite. In the ad. $ mentioned under (e) above the sterna are equally weakly granular and finely wrinkled in the mesial part of each of the first four segments. In the remaining (181) VI. Descriptive List of the Rodents of South Africa. By W. L. SCLATEE, M.A., Director of the South African Museum. THIS list of the South African Eodents has been drawn up for a book on which I am now engaged, on the South African Mammals, and it seemed worth while publishing it as a preliminary to the greater and more complete work. The genera are arranged according to the list recently drawn up by Mr. Thomas (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1896, p. 1012), and I have also made use of the new edition of Trouessart's Catalogue of Mammals, which has enabled me to trace a good many obscure references. The synonymy is not complete ; only the more important references are given, and more especially to publications directly bearing on South African forms. The descriptions and measurements are as far as possible based on specimens preserved in the South African Museum, and where a species is not represented in the collections, on the original descrip- tion ; the dimensions are in inches and decimals of an inch in all cases. No complete list of South African Mammals, much less of Eodents, has appeared since 1832 and 1833, when Smuts published his ' Enumeratio Marnmalium Gapensium,' and Andrew Smith his descriptive catalogue, the latter in the South African Quarterly Journal ; a catalogue of this sort, therefore, cannot fail to be useful to naturalists in South Africa, whatever its shortcomings. For these I must ask the pardon of my fellow-workers ; but few realise the difficulties of working at a distance of 6,000 miles from Europe, with imperfect libraries and not a very abundant material. All I can do is to hope that this list may be the foundation for a great deal of future work on this subject, which has been so strangely neglected for so many years. 182 Annals of the South African Museum. The limits which I have somewhat arbitrarily fixed as the boundaries of South Africa are the Cunene Eiver, dividing German South-West Africa from Angola on the west and the Zambesi Eiver on the east, so that my territory includes the British colonies of the Cape of Good Hope and Natal, the South African Eepublic and the Orange Free State, Bechuanaland and Rhodesia, German South- West Africa, and that portion of Portuguese East Africa which lies south of the Zambesi. It is highly probable that a considerable number of new forms remain to be discovered within this region : in the last few years a good many have been described by Mr. Thomas and by Mr. de Winton, especially from Ehodesia. The total number of species mentioned in this paper are 62 ; of these 44 are represented in the South African Museum ; 18 are still wanting. In the following list only one new species is described : Malacothrix pentonyx, on p. 202. FAMILY SCIUEIDAE. GEN. XEEUS. Xerus, HEMPEICH and EHRENBERG, Symb. Phys., i. (1832). Type X. rutilus. Fur harsh, often spiny ; external ears short or absent ; no cheek pouches ; fore limbs with four toes, all clawed, of which the two middle ones are considerably larger than the others, and a rudi- mentary pollex with a flat nail ; hind foot with five toes all clawed, all the claws long and nearly straight ; skull large and broad, with very small postorbital processes. Dentition. i. 1/1 c. 0/0 p.m., 2/1 or 1/1 m. 3/3 == 20 or 22. Molars semi-hypsodont (i.e., with high crowns) and lophodont (i.e., with regular transverse ridges and valleys), not tubercular. XERUS CAPENSIS, THE GROUND SQUIRREL. Sciurus capensis, KERR, Linn. Anim. Kingd., p. 266 (1792) ; A. SMITH, S. Afr. Quart. Journ., ii., p. 127 (1834). Sciurus namaquensis, LICHTENSTEIN, Cat. Eer. Nat., p. 2 (1793). Sciurus levaillantii, KUHL, Beitr. Zool, p. 67 (1820). Sciurus sctosus, SMUTS, Enum. Mamm. Cap., p. 33 (1832). Xerus sctosus, LAYARD, Cat. Mamm. S. Afr. Mus., p. 47 (1862). Descriptive List of the Rodents of South Africa. 183 Xertis capensts, JENTINK, Notes Leyd. Mus., iv., p. 48 (1882) ; NOAK, Zool. Jahrb., iv., p. 131, pi. iii., fig. 10 (skull), (1889) [Kalahari and Damaraland] . Description. General colour above and on the sides pale rufous brown, sparingly speckled with black, the hairs being short, coarse, and close-lying ; a narrow white stripe runs from the shoulders to the haunches, below dull white ; skin black ; head broad ; whiskers black ; eyes large and prominent with a dull whitish line above and below ; ear conch completely absent, the ear being a narrow diagonal slit, half an inch in length ; limbs somewhat paler than the body, with four claws on the fore and five on the hind feet, the thumb being shorter and bearing a rudimentary flat nail ; the claws are large, nearly straight, and black in colour ; tail a little shorter than the head and body, near the root coloured like the body, beyond very bushy and distichous, mixed black and white, the individual hairs being chiefly white with two distinct black bands. Skull with the bony palate extending a quarter of an inch beyond the level of the posterior molars, nasals broad and zygornatic arches stout. Incisors white, premolars 1/1 only. Dimensions (from a skin). Head and body ll'O ; tail 9 - 0, with terminal hairs lO'O ; hind foot 2 - 33 ; from ear-opening to nose 2'0 ; skull length about 2*0, breadth about 1-40 ; upper cheek teeth '49. Distribution. -The central and drier parts of the Colony, extend- ing northwards through the Kalahari and Bechuanaland to Matabele- land and Damaraland ; not found far to the eastwards ; the South African Museum possesses examples from Namaqualand, Colesberg, and Griqualand West in the Colony. GEN. FUNISCIURUS. Funisciurus (sub-genus), TROUESSABT, LeNatur., i., p. 290 (1880). Type F. lemniscatus. Paraxerus (sub-genus), FOESYTH MAJOK, Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 189 (1893). Type F. ccpapi. Fur soft, never spiny ; external ears well developed ; no cheek pouches ; toes as in Xerus, but the claws short and curved; skull much as in Xerus, with very small postorbital processes ; dentition as in Xerus. Mr. Forsyth Major, in his paper on Squirrels, quoted above, placed the three South African squirrels, together with certain other African 184 Annals of the Sou t It African Museum. and Asiatic species, in the genus Xerus, in consequence of their resemblance to the members of that genus in certain characters of the molars and skull. If, however, it is necessary to separate these squirrels from the old genus Sciurus, it seems better, as proposed by Mr. Thomas, to form a quite new genus for them , as the old genus Xerus is a very compact group separated from Sciiirns by very definite though perhaps some- what superficial characters. FUNISCIUEUS CIPAPI, THE GREY-FOOTED SQUIRREL. ns cipapi, A. SMITH, App. Eeport Exped. Explor. S. Africa, p. 43 (1836); ID., Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Mamm., pi. v. (1849); LAYARD, Cat. Mamm. S. Afr. Mus., p. 46 (1862) ; JENTINK, Notes Leyd. Mus., iv., p. 26 (1882); LORENTZ, Ann. k.k. Hofmus. Wien, ix. notiz., p. 65 (1894) [Limpopo Eiver Banks] ; DE WINTON, Ann. Mag. N. H. (6), xix., p. 573 (1897). Description. General colour speckled yellowish grey and black ; fur short, soft, and close, most of the hairs on the back and sides, black at the base and also ringed subterminally with the same colour, below from the chin much paler, nearly white, and hairs not ringed ; whiskers black ; iris black ; ears oval and moderate, measuring about 7 in. in length, covered with sparse hairs ; limbs paler than the back with quite short curved claws ; tail nearly as long as the head and body, bushy, and very dark, composed of long pale yellow hairs, each with a double ring of black ; skull with the palate extend- ing only as far as the level of the posterior molars ; upper incisors orange-coloured, ungrooved, premolars 2/1, the anterior upper ones small, molars somewhat resembling those of Xcrus capensis. Dimensions (from the skin of a female). Head and body 8'50 ; tail 6-50 without, 7'75 with terminal hairs ; hind foot 1*72 ; from ear to nose 1*53 ; skull length about 1'70, breadth 1-0; upper cheek teeth -28. Distribution. This species was first obtained by Sir Andrew Smith on the banks of the Limpopo Eiver, in what is now the Eustenberg district of the Transvaal ; it is also recorded from Damaraland and the Zambesi Eiver ; north of this it has been obtained from Nyassa- land, but the squirrels from East Africa usually identified with this species have recently been shown by de Winton to be referable to other species. Type of the species now in the British Museum. Descriptive List of the Rodents of South Africa. 185 FUNISCIURUS PALLIATUS, THE EED-HEAUED SQUIRREL. Sciurus palliatus, PETERS, M. B. Akad. Berlin, p. 273 (1852) ; ID., Reise Mozamb. Saugeth., p. 134, pi. xxxi., fig. 1, pi. xxxii., fig. 3 (1852) ; JENTINK, Notes Leyd. Mus., iv., p. 16 (1882). Sciurus ornatus, GRAY, Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 13, pi. i. (1864) [Natal] . Description. General colour above and on the outsides of the limbs speckled yellow and black, the hairs black at the base and subter- minally with intermediate reddish -yellow bands and paler yellow tips ; head speckled rufous and black ; below throughout, including the cheeks, chin, inside and lower halves of the limbs bright rufous, the hairs being the same colour throughout ; tail dark rufous with long hairs which are very pale at the base with two black rings following, the terminal half alone being dark rufous ; whiskers black ; eyes dark brown ; ears in the only specimen examined nearly bare of hairs, though said in the original description to be thickly covered. Incisors smooth and dark orange ; premolars 2/1, the anterior upper one small and deciduous. Dimensions (from a skin). Head and body 8'25 ; tail without terminal hairs 4-50, with 6-50; hind foot 1-80; from ear to nose 1-75; skull length (about) 1-90, breadth 1-20; upper cheek teeth '40. Distribution. East and South Africa from Gallaland through German East Africa, Nyassaland and Mozambique to Zululand and perhaps Natal ; the South African Museum possesses a skin from the Umgoye Forest in Zululand. The type described by Peters from Mozambique is now in the Berlin Museum. FUNISCIURUS CONGICUS, THE WESTERN STRIPED SQUIRREL. Sciurus congicus, KUHL, Beitr. Zool., p. 66(1820) ; JENTINK, Notes Leyd. Mus., iv., p. 33 (1882) (in part) ; THOMAS, Proc. Zool. Sqc., p. 265 (1882) [Cunene River] . Description. General colour above yellowish brown, brighter on the shoulders, below very pale yellow ; hairs of the back black at the base and many of them with black tips ; along the sides from the shoulder to the hind limbs runs a narrow pale yellow stripe, below which is a similar dark one ; an incomplete white ring round the eye ; ears moderate, whiskers black ; limbs pale, toes covered with long hairs nearly concealing the claws, tail a little shorter than the head and body, bushy, composed of long hairs which are bright yellow with a subterniinal pale yellow band. 186 Annals of the South African Museum. Anterior upper premolars present ; incisors orange-coloured and not grooved. Dimensions (from a skin). Head and body 7'75 ; tail without terminal hairs 5'75, with 6'25 ; hind foot 1*5 ; from ear-opening to nose 1'4 ; skull length 1'42, breadth -90 ; upper cheek teeth '30. Distribution. West and South- West Africa from the Congo through Angola to Ovampoland ; there is an example obtained by Mr. Eriksson from Ombanga in Ovampoland in the South African Museum. FAMILY GLIEID^E. GEN. GEAPHIUEUS. Graphiunts, F. CUVIER et GEOFFROY, Hist. Nat. Mam., livr. 60 (1829). Type G. ocularis. Tail very bushy and somewhat distichous. Dentition. i. 1/1, c. 0/0, p.m. 1/1, m. 3/3 = 20; incisors not grooved ; molars rooted, exceedingly small, especially the premolar, which is about half the width of the other teeth ; the crowns of the molars are hollowed out, the rims being formed of a ridge of enamel ; scarcely any traces of infoldings can be distinguished. This genus is confined to the Ethiopian region ; the smaller species were formerly placed in the genus Eliomys, of which the Garden Dormouse of Europe (E. melananis) is the type, but they are now considered to be more appropriately assigned to the present genus originally formed for the reception of the large Grey Dormouse of South Africa. In addition to the species below described some half-dozen have been recorded from other parts of Africa. GRAPHIURUS OCULARIS, THE LARGE GREY DORMOUSE. Sciurus ocularis, A. SMITH, Zool. Journ., iv., p. 439 (May, 1829). GrapJiiurus capensis, F. CUVIER et GEOFFROY, Hist. Nat. Mam., livr. 60 (September, 1829) ; SMUTS, Enurn. Mam. Cap., p. 32 (1832) ; A. SMITH, Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Mam., pi. xxxix. (1849); LAYARD, Cat. Mam. S. Afr. Mus., p. 49 (1862); EEUVENS, Myoxidae, p. 50, pi. i., fig. 13, pi. iii., fig. 14 (1890); LORENTZ, Ann. k.k. Hofmus. Wien, ix. notiz, p. 65 (1894) [Marico Disk, Z.A.E.] . Myoxus cattoirii, FISCHER, Synop. Mamm., p. 310 (1829). Graphiurus typicus, A. SMITH, S. Afr. Quart. Journ., ii., p. 145 (1834). Descriptive List of the, Rodents of South Africa. 187 (.rrapliiurus elcyans, OGILBY, Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 5 (1838) [Damaraland] . Graphiurus ocular is, DE WINTON, Ann. Mag. N. H. (7), ii., p. 3 (1898). Description. General colour ashy grey, fur soft and thick, dark slaty at the base, dull white mixed with black at the apex ; patch on the snout and chin, white with a reddish tinge ; cheeks, a patch in front of the shoulder, and a spot on the head at the base of the inner angle of the ear conch, white, a black patch runs from the root of the whiskers through the eye and is continued along the front of the ear ; ears large, rounded, nearly naked but thinly covered round the margin with fine black hairs ; under surface from the chest downwards and the sides between the limbs dull white, the slaty bases of the fur showing clearly ; extremities very slender, tail rather short, bushy throughout and distichous, white mixed with black above, black below, the individual hairs above being black for their basal and white for their terminal halves. Dimensions (from a stuffed specimen). Head and body 6'30 ; tail 3 '85 ; with terminal hairs 4-90 ; from ear-opening to tip of snout 1-14; hind foot -83; skull length 1-34, breadth -78; upper cheek teeth -14. Distribution. This large dormouse seems to be confined to South Africa, where it is widely distributed in suitable localities ; the South African Museum possesses examples from Clanwilliam, Ceres, and Worcester in the west, and from Colesberg, Albany, and Uniondale in the east of the Colony ; it is further recorded from Darnaraland and the Marico district of the Transvaal. The type described by Smith from Plettensbergs Bay (Knysna district of the Colony) is now in the British Museum. GRAPHIURUS MURINUS, THE CAPE DORMOUSE. Myoxus murinus, DESMAREST, Mamm. Suppl., p. 542 (1820) ; SMUTS, Enum. Mamm. Cap., p. 34 (1832) ; A. SMITH, S. Afr. Quart. Journ., ii., p. 146 (1834) ; PETERS, Eeise Mozamb. Saugeth., p. 136, pi. xxxv., fig. 1 (1852) ; LAYARD, Cat. Mamm. S. Afr. Mus., p. 48 (1862). Myoxus conpci, F. CUVIER, Hist. Nat. Mamm., livr. xxxvii. (1822) [Senegal] . Myoxus lalandianus, SCHINZ, Thierreich, iv., p. 393 (1825). Myoxus erythrobroncJuis, A. SMITH, Zool. Journ., iv., p. 438 (1829). Myoxus cinerascens, EUPPELL, Mus. Senck., iii., p. 136 (1842) [Natal] . 188 Annals of the South African Museum. Graphiurus murinus, ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 317 (1875) [rufous var.] . Eliomys murinus, KEUVENS, Myoxidae, p. 40, pi. i., figs. 4, 6, 7, pi. ii., fig. 9, pi. iii., figs. 5, 6, 7 (1890). Eliomys microtis, NOAK, Zool. Jahrb., ii., p. 248 (1887). Description. General colour above mouse-grey, the hair very soft and thick, dark slaty at the base with ashy brown tips ; below, includ- ing the cheeks, chin, and insides of the limbs, dull white, these hairs too being slaty at the base ; in some adult specimens the chin, cheeks, and breast have a distinct rusty red tinge ; feet very slender, covered with sparse pale hairs and furnished below with the usual pads, five to the fore and six to the hind limbs ; from the root of the whiskers to the eyes, and round these, a dark ring, not always well marked, extends ; the ears fairly large, rounded, and nearly naked ; tail almost as long as the head and body, bushy, covered with long hairs which become much longer towards the apex, but the hairs are fairly evenly distributed, so that the tail can hardly be called distichous, its colour is the same as that of the back, the hairs being unicolorous throughout ; four pairs of mammae, one pair axillary, one pectoral, two inguinal. Varieties having a general rufous tinge sometimes occur. Dimensions (from a skin). Head and body 4-1 ; tail without terminal hairs 2'77, with 3'55 ; hind foot '65 ; from ear-opening to nose '95; skull length 1-10, breadth '63 ; upper cheek teeth '15. Distribution. Western and Central Africa from Senegal and Kilimanjaro southwards to Cape Colony ; in South Africa the Dormouse is found in the more wooded districts, especially in the east. The South African Museum possesses examples from the Beaufort West, George, Port Elizabeth, and Kimberley districts, from Pondoland, Natal, and Zululand. The type obtained by Delalande in Cape Colony and described by Desmarest is now in the Paris Museum. GEAPHIUEUS PLATYOPS, DARLING'S DORMOUSE. Grapliiurus platyorjs, THOMAS, Ann. Mag. N. H. (6), xix., p. 388 (1897). Description. In external appearance closely resembling G. murinus, but a little larger, and with the tail distinctly white tipped. Skull very different from G. murimts, being broad and flat, with long nasals, narrow interorbital region, and broad and depressed Descriptice List of the Rodents of South Africa. 189 brain case ; the molars are rather smaller than those of the other species. This form appears to he doubtfully distinct from G. murinus. Dimension;) (of the type Thomas). Head and body 4'20 ; tail 2-75 ; hind foot -90 ; skull length 1'05, breadth -68 ; upper cheek teeth -12. Distribution. The type and only specimen known was obtained at Enkeldorn, in Mashonaland, by Mr. J. ffolliott-Darling, and is now in the British Museum. GRAPHIURUS NANUS, THE DWARF DORMOUSE. Myoxus (Eliomys) nan its, DE WINTOX, Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 799 (1896). Description. Smaller than G. ntiiriinis, general colour rather more ashy, the wood-brown tinge being much less evident, below dull white ; a black patch on the face extending from the whisker roots to round the eyes ; tail club-shaped, very slender at the base and bushy at the apex, of the same colour as the body above, below somewhat paler ; tip of the tail distinctly white. Skull like that of G inuriniis, but smaller. Dimensions (of a specimen measured in the flesh by Mr. Marshall, now in the South African Museum). Head and body 3 '30 (of dried skin 3'52) ; tail without hairs 2'55, with 3 - 12 ; hind foot '60; from ear-opening to tip of nose '85 ; skull length -80, breadth -51 ; upper cheek teeth -12. Distribution. This species was recently described by Mr. de Winton from a single specimen obtained at Mazoe, in Mashonaland, by Mr. J. ffolliott-Darling, now in the British Museum. The South African Museum has recently received a male and two young ones from Salisbury, presented by Mr. G. A. K. Marshall. GRAPHIURUS KELLENI, THE DAMARALAND DORMOUSE. Eliomys keUcni, EEUVENS, Myoxidae, p. 35, pi. i., fig. 1, pi. iii., tig. 3 (1890). Description. Closely resembling G. naniis in size and colora- tion, but the tips of the hairs on the body above have pale rings with dark brown tips. It is doubtfully distinct from its ally. Dimensions (of the type Eeuvens). Head and body 2-50 ; tail with hairs 3'38, without 2-62 ; hind foot -62 ; skull length -70, breadth -48 ; upper cheek teeth -12. Distribution. This species is described from a single specimen 190 Annals of the South African Museum. preserved in alcohol in the Leyden Museum, obtained in Damaraland by M. Kellen, and is not represented in the South African Museum collections. FAMILY MUEIDAE. SUB-FAMILY GBEBILLINAE. GEN. GERBILLUS. Gerbillus, DESMAREST, N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. (l),xxiv., tabl., p. 22 (1804). Type G. aegyptim. Rat-like animals with somewhat pointed muzzles and moderate- sized ears, sparsely covered with hairs : tail long, hairy, and usually slightly tufted ; hind feet elongated, with four rounded tar sal pads ; skull with large and swollen bullae ; upper incisors grooved (in all South African species) ; molars at first tubercular, but after wear consisting of a series of transverse or elliptical laminae ; the anterior tooth in each jaw consisting of three, the middle of two, the posterior of one only. This genus is a very large one, and spread over the greater part of the Old World, and has been studied in considerable detail by Lataste ; the South African species, however, are in a good deal of confusion, which cannot well be rectified until a re-examination of the old types and a comparison of them with freshly collected material has taken place. A recent paper by Mr. de Winton has thrown some light on the subject ; he recognises four species as existing in South Africa : of these, three are closely allied and difficult to distinguish ; the fourth, G. 2)aeba, is considerably smaller and of a rather different colour. GERBILLUS PAEBA, THE BED GERBILLK. Gerbillus paeba, A. SMITH, App. Eeport Exped. Explor. S. Afr., p. 43 (1836) ; DE WINTON, Ann. Mag. N. H. (7), ii., p. 3 (1898). Gerbillus tennis, A. SMITH, Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Mamm., pi. xxxvi., fig. 2 (1849) ; THOMAS, Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 265 (1882) [Damaraland] . ? Gerbillus tenuis, var. schinzi, NOAK, Zool. Jahrb., iv., p. 134, pi. iii., figs. 13-16 (1889). ? Meriones (Eliombomys} caffcr, WAGNER, Arch. f. Naturg., i., p. 18 (1842) ; id., SCHREBER, Saugeth. Suppl., iii., p. 482 (1843). Description. General colour above pale reddish orange, rather darker along the back owing to brown pencilling ; bases of the fur Descriptive List of the Rodents of South Africa. 191 dull lavender-purple ; below and insides of the limbs pure white ; ears moderately long and oval ; tail slender, cylindrical, and tapering, clothed with short, stiff hairs of the same colour as the back, ending in a thin umber-brown tuft. Upper incisors pale Dutch-orange with a median longitudinal furrow, lower incisors pale straw-yellow, slender and long (Smith). Dimensions. Head and body 4-0 ; tail 4 - 50 ; length of upper molars '2. Distribution. The types procured by Sir A. Smith were found north of Latakoo, in what is now Bechuanaland, and are in the British Museum. Thomas and Noak have identified Gerbilles from Damaraland and the Kalahari with this species, and de Winton mentions Namaqualand and the Transvaal as localities. There are no examples in the South African Museum. GERBILLUS AFER, THE CAPE GERBILLE. Gcrbillus afcr, GRAY, Spicileg. Zool., p. 10 (1828) ; A. SMITH, S. Afr. Quart. Journ., ii., p. 159 (1834) ; F. CUVIER, Trans. Zool. Soc., ii., p. 143, pi. xxvi., figs. 5, 9 (1836) ; A. SMITH, Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Marnm., pi. xxxv. (1849) ; LAYARD, Cat. Mamm. S. Afr. Mus., p. 51 (1862) ; DE WINTON, Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 800 (1896) [Rhodesia] ; ID., Ann. Mag. N.H. (7), i., p. 4 (1898). Meriones schlegelii, SMUTS, Enum. Mam. Cap., p. 41, pi. i., pi. iii., figs. 1, 5 (1832) [Port Elizabeth] . Description. General colour fawn brown, darker owing to the intermixture of black hairs on the back, lighter on the sides ; fur soft and thick, pale slaty at the base, the tips lightish brown ; below from the chin backwards pure white, the fur being the same colour throughout ; head rather pointed, ears oval and large, sparsely covered with fine bi'own hairs ; front limbs short, brown outside, white inside and on the hands, with four pale yellow or white claws and five prominent carpal pads ; hind limbs long, the tarsus and toes especially so, the latter covered with white hairs, the three middle toes much the longest and the first the shortest, all with long, pale claws; there are four tarsal pads, the one at the base of the first digit being smaller than the others ; tail about as long as the head and body, fairly thickly covered with stiff hairs, brown above, pale below. Upper incisors yellow, with a prominent, well-marked groove run- ning along slightly nearer the outer than the inner edge of the tooth ; lower incisors the same colour and ungrooved. Dimensions (of a specimen in alcohol). Head and body 5'0 ; tail 192 Annals of the South African Museum. 5%50 ; from ear-opening to tip of snout 1-45; hind foot 1*50, with middle claw 1-63. An example from Mashonaland measured in the flesh by Mr. Darling is given by de Winton as follows : Head and body 5-93 ; tail 6'30 ; hind foot 1-25 ; skull length 1-45, breadth about -86 ; length of upper molars -27. Varieties and Synonym//. The above description is drawn up from examples both stuffed and preserved in alcohol from the immediate neighbourhood of Cape Town. Another Gerbille from Mazoe, presented by Mr. Darling, ap- parently identical with specimens from the same place and donor, described by Mr. de Winton (v.s.) differs from these in several parti- culars, of which the following are the most important : The hind foot is shorter, being 1-15 in. in length as against 1 - 50 in the Cape Colony specimens, the difference is not so much in the tarsus itself as in the length of the three middle toes. The tail of the Mashonaland example has the scales faintly spotted with brown, there are no traces of these spots in the Colony speci- mens ; further, the tail is much darker above and ends in a slight black tuft, whereas the tail of the Colony species is not darker at the tip. In the Mazoe animal the claws of both fore and hind limbs are shorter and very dark, almost black in colour, and finally the general colour of the animal is very much darker than in the Cape examples. Another skin in the South African Museum, in a very bad state of preservation, from Kimberley, is, although of the same size as the typical G. afer, of a very different colour it is of a bright reddish orange and accords very well, as far as the colour is concerned, with G. paeba but it is much larger than that species as described by Smith. Distribution. The Cape Gerbille is not uncommon in the neigh- bourhood of Cape Town and is recorded by Smuts from Port Eliza- beth ; it is probably found all over the Colony, and, if Mr. de Winton's identification is correct, extends northwards to Mashonaland. GERBILLUS BKANTSII, BRANTS' GERBILLE. GerbiHiis brantsii, A. SMITH, Eeport Exped. Explor. S. Afr., p. 48 (1836) ; DE WINTON, Ann. Mag. N. H., (7), i, p. 4 (1898). Gerbillus montaniis, A. SMITH, Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Mamm., pi. xxxvi., fig. 1 (1849). Mcrioncs (Rhombomys) maccalinus, SUNDEVALL, Oefvers. Akad. Forh. Stockholm (1846), p. 120 (1847). Descriptive List of the, Rodents of South Africa. 193 Description. General colour above light rufous-brown, freely pencilled with darker brown, paler on the sides, below dull white ; head short and somewhat bulky posteriorly ; nose-tip black-brown ; ears oval, thinly covered with hairs ; tarsi ashy brown grey ; toes shorter than in G. afer ; tail reddish brown above, with blackish hairs intermixed, a little shorter than the head and body. Incisors above Dutch-orange, below white, much larger than in G. afer, and distance between them and the molars less (Smith). Dimensions. Head and body 6'0 ; tail 5'0 (Smith). Distribution. Sir A. Smith's specimens were obtained near the sources of the Orange and Caledon Eivers in what is now Basuto- land ; the type of M. maccalinus, was collected by Wahlberg in the Maccali ( == Magaliesberg) Mountains in the Rustenberg district of the Transvaal. It is also recorded from the Transvaal by Mr. de Winton. There are no examples in the South African Museum. GEEBILLUS LOBENGULAE, LOBENGULA'S GERBILLE. Gerbillns leucogaster, apud DE WINTON, Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 806 (1896) (nee Peters). Gerbillns lobcnynlac, DE WINTON, Ann. Mag. N. H. (7), i., p. 4 (1898). Description. General colour above pale fawn, finely grizzled with dull black along the back, pure along the sides ; below pure white, the two colours abruptly separated ; in other external characters resembling G. afer. Skull with a narrow facial portion across the nasals and maxillae between the infraorbital foramina. First upper molar persistently cuspidate, the second lobe being divided into a pair of cusps outer and inner in fairly adult specimens (de Winton). Dimensions. --Head and body 5'30 ; tail 6'30 ; hind foot 1'33 (de Winton). Distribution. This form was obtained by Mr. F. C. Selous, at Essex Vale, near Bulawayo, and was first identified by Mr. de Winton with G. leucogaster of Peters, and subsequently considered to be a distinct species ; the type and only other known examples are in the British Museum. GEN. PACHYUEOMYS. Pachyuromys, LATASTE, Le Naturalists, i., p. 314 (1880). Type P. duprasi. 194 Annals of tlic South African Museum. This genus contains animals allied to the Gerbilles, distinguished by their short tails and their peculiarly shaped skulls in which the tympanic bulla is enormously swollen and enlarged so that it projects back behind the level of the occipital condyles and can be seen at the two posterior angles of the skull when viewed from above. The antorbital plate is not nearly so well developed as in Gerbilles. The incisors are very slender and pale and marked with an inconspicuous furrow ; the molars are much reduced in size as compared with those of Gcrbillus. Only two species are recognised in this genus the South African one, below described, and P. duprasi, from North Africa. PACHYUKOMYS AUEICULAEIS, THE NAMAQUALAND GERBILLE. Gerbillus auricularis, A. SMITH, S. Air. Quart. Journ., ii., p. 160 (1834); ID., Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Mamm., pi. xxvi. (1849); DE WINTON, Ann. Mag. N. H. (7), i., p. 5 (1898). Gerbillus brevicaudatus, F. CUVIEK, Trans. Zool. Soc., ii., p. 144, pi. xxvi., figs. 10, 13 [Skull] (1836). Pacliyuromys auricularis, HUET, Le Naturaliste, i., p. 339 (1881) ; THOMAS, Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 265 (1882) [Damaraland] . Description. Form short and thick ; general colour above tawny brown, mottled and pencilled with dull black, the sides somewhat lighter; fur slaty at the base, ochraceous yellow in the middle, and dark brown at the tips ; sides of the muzzle, eyebrows, sides of the head, beneath from the chin backwards, and fore legs pure white ; tarsus covered below with white hairs and provided with a single large somewhat complicated pad occupying the space between the toes ; toes short, claws small and pale yellow in colour ; behind the ear at the base a conspicuous white spot ; ears small, oval, and flesh-coloured, a few white hairs on the inner surface ; tail short and thick, covered with short, stiff hairs, above brown, beneath reddish white. Incisors pale yellow, the upper ones grooved rather faintly. Dimensions (from a specimen in alcohol). Head and body 4'0 ; tail 3-12 ; hind foot -86 ; from ear to nose-tip 1-12 ; skull, length 1-27, breadth '80 ; upper cheek teeth -18. Distribution. The original specimen, described by Smith, came from the Karniesberg in Namaqualand ; it is also recorded from Otjimbique, in Damaraland, and the neighbourhood of Kimberley ; the South African Museum has recently received specimens from near Douglas just north of the Orange River in Griqualand West. Descriptive List of the Rodents of South, Africa. 195 SUB-FAMILY OTOMYINAE. GEN. OTOMYS. Otomys, F. CUVIER, Dents des Mamm., p. 168 (1825). Type 0. irroratus. Euryotis, BRANTS, Het Geslacht der Muizen, p. 93 (1827). Type 0. irroratus. Eat-like animals with short tails, clad with bristles and scales ; hind feet short and ears usually large ; skull with a moderate bulla and an arched nasal profile, upper incisors grooved, molars composed of a series of laminae of enamel united by cement, posterior molar of upper and anterior molar of lower jaw the largest, the former con- sisting of from four to nine lamellae. The genus is a purely African one ; in addition to the South African forms below described only one other species, 0. jacksoni, from British East Africa, is known. OTOMYS IRRORATUS, THE VLEY OTOMYS. Euryotis irrorata, BRANTS, Het Geslacht der Muizen, p. 94 (1827); A. SMITH, Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Mamm., pi. xxii. (1849); GRILL, Victorin Zool. Anteck. K. Vet. Akad. Handl. Stockholm, ii., p. 17 (1858) ; LAYARD, Cat. Mamm. S. Afr. Mus., p. 53 (1862). Otomys bisulcatns, F. CUVIER, Hist. Nat. Mamm., livr. 61 (1829). Otomys irroratus, SMUTS, Enum. Mamm. Cap., p. 45 (1832); DE WINTON, Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 801 (1896) [Mashonaland] ; ID., Ann. Mag. N. H. (7), i., p. 5 (1898). Euryotis typicu.s, A. SMITH, S. Afr. Quart. Journ., ii., p. 149 (1834). Euryotis obscum, LICHTENSTEIN, Verzeichs. Saugeth. u. Vogeln Kaffirland, p. 10 (1842). Description. General colour above and on the sides dark speckled brown, the bases of the fur rather pale slaty, the tips mingled pale brown and black in varying proportions so that there are darker and lighter individuals, below dirty white, the bases of the fur still slaty, and the tips whitish ; ears large, rounded, about f inch in length and breadth, anteriorly fairly well covered w r ith hair ; fore limbs short and slender with five carpal pads, and a rudimentary first digit ; hind foot short with six tarsal pads, of which the proximal one is some- what elongated as in the true rats ; tail less than half the length of the head and body, covered with short stiff bristles hardly showing any tendency to form a tuft at the tip, black above, dirty-white below. Nasal bones of the skull very much expanded in front. 14 196 Annals of the South African Museum. Incisors much curved, very stout, about - 2 in. across the tips, chrome-yellow, each with a deep, well-marked groove running its length about one-third of the breadth of the whole tooth from the out- side edge ; lower incisors also stout and chrome-yellow, strongly grooved nearer the outer edge than those of the upper jaw ; the molars consist of a series of parallel laminae of enamel, the number of which to each tooth can be best expressed in the following formula beginning with the anterior tooth : ^Tl^. Dimensions (of a skin). Head and body 8'0 ; tail 3'25 ; hind foot I'l ; from ear-opening to tip of nose 1'55. Of a specimen measured in the flesh by Darling (cf. de Winton) ; head and body 7 - 75 ; tail 4 - 60 ; hind foot 1'12 ; skull, length 1'60, breath -85 ; upper cheek teeth -40. Variation. The Otomys varies a good deal in colour throughout its range, and Mr. Thomas has shown that the specimens from East Africa (Mianzini) and Nyassaland differ from those of the Cape Colony in possessing an extra lamella to the posterior upper and anterior lower molar, making the numbers 7 and 5, instead of 6 and 4, as in the typical variety ; in two skulls from Entafufu, in Pondo- land, preserved in the South African Museum the lamella formulae are 'llol-l an d jjEfErj'- The skins belonging to these two skulls do not seem to differ in any very marked respect from the typical variety, and they were both collected in the same locality about the same time, so that until other evidence is forthcoming we may conclude that variation in the number of molar lamellae is not of specific importance. Distribution. The Vley Otomys is found over a considerable portion of Africa from Somaliland southwards through British East Africa, German East Africa, Nyassaland, and Angola to South Africa. The first collector of this species was M. Delalande, whose speci- mens were described by M. Cuvier under the name of the " Otomie Namaquois," believing that they came from Namaqualand. The South African Museum possesses examples from the neighbour- hood of Cape Town, Bedford, Knysna and Pondoland, and from Potchefstroom in the Transvaal, and it is also recorded from Mashonaland by Mr. de Winton. OTOMYS UNISULCATUS, THE BUSH OTOMYS. Otomys unisulcatus, F. CUVIEK, Hist. Nat. Mam., livr. 60 (1829) ; SMUTS, Enum. Mam. Cap., p. 46 (1832) ; DE WINTON, Ann. Mag. N. H (7), i., p. 5 (1898) Descriptive List of the Rodents of South Africa. 197 Euryotis unisulcatus, A. SMITH, S. Afr. Quart. Journ., ii., p. 149 (1834); ID., Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Mam., pi. xxiii. (1849). Euryotis pallida, WAGNER, Archiv. Naturg., i., p. 134 (1841). Otomys ruftfrons, WAGNEK, Schreber Saugeth. Suppl., iii., p. 507 (1843). Description. General colour dark grey-brown, paler on the sides and becoming a dirty white below, rather lighter in colour than 0. bisulcatus ; the fur is soft, dark slate at the base, and pale yellow and black at the tips ; ears very large and rounded, measuring about 9 in., thickly covered with hair ; limbs and toe-pads much as in 0. bisulcatus ; tail less than half the length of the head and body covered with short bristles, dark above, light below. Skull with the superior and anterior edges of the perpendicular plate of the antorbital foramina forming almost a right angle. Upper incisors narrower than in the last species (about '15 in. broad at their tips), paler, and with the groove much nearer the outer edge ; lower incisors ungrooved ; formula of the molar laminae '^E^ Dimensions (from a stuffed specimen). Head and body 8'25 ; tail 3 -50 ; hind foot 1'08 ; from ear-opening to tip of snout 1*55 ; skull length 1-40, breadth -70 ; upper cheek teeth -34. Distribution. To M. Delalande's collecting and M. Cuvier's description we are also indebted for our first knowledge of this species, and except for Sir A. Smith the animal seems to have attracted little attention since ; the South African Museum possesses examples from Garies in Namaqualand, Clanwilliam and Malmes- bury, and from Touws River in the Worcester division, and Sir A. Smith records his specimens from George. OTOMYS BBANTSII, BRANTS' OTOMYS. Euryotis brantsii, A. SMITH, S. Afr. Quart. Journ., ii., p. 150 (1834) ; ID., Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Mam., pi. xxiv. (1849). Otomys brantsii, DE WINTON, Ann. Mag. N. H. (7), i., p. 6 (1898). Description. General colour yellowish brown, lighter on the sides and below ; as in the other species the fur is slaty at the base, with yellowish brown intermingled with less abundant black tips ; ears markedly smaller than in the other two species, about half an inch in length and breadth, fairly thickly clothed with hairs ; limbs some- what stouter and broader than those of 0. unisulcatus ; tail thickly clothed with somewhat stout yellow bristles with a dark dorsal band more marked towards the tip, which is almost black ; two pairs of mammae inguinal in position ; tarsal pads six, all circular. 198 Annals of the South African Museum. Nasal bones not expanded, normal ; upper incisors moderate, the groove well to the outer side of the tooth, the outer edge pale, almost white ; lower incisors sometimes faintly grooved, generally smooth ; formula of molar laminae : Dimensions (from an example in spirit). Head and body 5'60 (of a skin 7'0) ; tail 3'40 ; hind foot 1-15; from ear-opening to tip of nose 1-60; skull length 1-50, breadth -75; cheek teeth -30. Distribution. Namaqualand, Sir Andrew Smith's specimen came from the neighbourhood of the Orange Eiver ; there are a con- siderable number of examples in the South African Museum obtained by Mr. Peringuey at Klipfontein, near O'okiep in Namaqualand. SUB-FAMILY DENDKOMYINAE. GEN. DENDEOMYS. Dendromus, A. SMITH, Zool. Journ., iv., p. 438 (1829). Type D. mesomelas. Small, slender, mouse-like animals with long, scaly, and sparsely- haired tails, rather large ears, and with slender limbs with the three middle digits of each elongated. Skull with the infraorbital opening triangular, hardly at all narrowed below. Upper incisors grooved, molars small, the anterior upper one as long as the second and third taken together ; the tubercles fairly distinctly arranged in pairs. DENDBOMYS MESOMELAS, THE CHESTNUT TREE MOUSE. Mm mesomelas, BEANTS, Muizen, p. 122 (1827). Dendromus typiis, A. SMITH, Zool. Journ., iv., p. 439 (1829). Dendromys mesomelas, SMUTS, Enum. Mam. Cap., p. 40 (1832). Dcndromys typicus, A. SMITH, S. Afr. Quart. Journ., ii., p. 158. (1834) ; ID., Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Mam., pi. xxxiv., fig. 1, pi. xxi., fig. 2 [skull and teeth] (1849). Description. General colour chestnut-brown above, paler on the sides, white with a rufous tinge below ; fur soft and thick, dark slaty for the basal three-quarters, tips chestnut-brown ; head and snout acutely pointed ; ears large, thinly covered with hairs, which are thicker along the margin, so as to there give it a darker appearance ; fore limbs short and slender, formed for grasping, the three middle fingers elongated and the fifth much shorter, all clawed except the first ;, Descriptive, List of the Rodents of South Africa. 199 hind limbs elongated and slender, toes long, all clawed except the first, which has a flat nail ; tail as long or longer than the head and body, slender, with rings formed of a series of scales, which are some- what concealed by the numerous bristles, dark above, lighter below. A black dorsal stripe from behind the head to the root of the tail is sometimes present, but is not noticeable in the specimens on which the above descriptions are founded. Dimensions (from a stuffed specimen). Head and body 3-80 ; tail (somewhat contracted), 3-80 ; hind foot '75 ; from ear-opening to tip of nose -90. Distribution. East and South Africa, from Gallaland through Nyassaland to Cape Colony ; the type is said to have come from the Sondags Eiver in Uitenhage ; the South African Museum possesses examples from the immediate neighbourhood of Cape Town. DENDROMYS PUMILIO, THE SMALL TREE MOUSE. Dcndromys piimilio, WAGNER, Munch. Gelehrt. Anzeiger, xii., p. 437 (1841) ; MATCHIE, Saugeth. Deutsch Ost Afrika, p. 49 (1895). Description. Smaller than D. mesomelas, and without the black dorsal stripe ; reddish brown above, cheeks, lower side and feet white ; tail longer than the head and body (Matchie) ; is very doubt- fully distinct from D. mesomelas. Dimensions. Head and body 2-38 ; tail 3'12 to 3'75. Distribution. East and South Africa ; this tree mouse is recorded from various parts of German East Africa, and was originally described from Cape Colony. Unrepresented in the South African Museum collections. DENDROMYS MELANOTIS, THE GREY TREE MOUSE. Dendromys mclanotis, A. SMITH, S. Afr. Quart. Journ., ii., p. Io8 (1834) ; ID., Illustr. S. Afr. Zool. Mam., pi. xlix., fig. 2, (1849) ; PISK, Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 340 (1887) [habits]. Description. General colour above ashy grey with a slight tinge of rufous, below dull white ; a well-marked black line from between the shoulders to the root of the tail ; fur soft and thick, slaty at the base as in the other species ; ears broad and patulous, larger than in D. mesomelas, the tips dark, covered with sparse silvery white hairs, a white spot on the side of the head at the base of the outer margin of the conch ; fore limbs slender, only the three middle toes clawed, the first and fifth inert- rudiments ; hind feet long and slender, 200 Annals of the South African Museum. i/ / especially the toes, of which only the three middle ones bear claws, the fifth bears a flat nail, the first is represented only by a tubercle ; the soles of the carpus and tarsus are without well-defined pads, but covered with a series of closely set hemispherical swellings ; tail longer than the head and body, covered with rings from which spring short bristles, dark above, light below ; eight mammae, one pair axillary, one pair pectoral, and two pairs inguinal. Dimensions (from a stuffed specimen). Head and body 2'80 ; tail 3-0 ; hind foot -60 ; from ear-opening to tip of nose '65 ; skull, length -80, breadth -40 ; upper cheek teeth -15. Distribution. Sir A. Smith's type came from Durban ; the South African Museum possesses examples from the suburbs of Cape Town ; no other locality seems to be recorded, unless certain examples men- tioned by M. Bocage from Angola are referable to this species. GEN. STEATOMYS. Steatomys, PETERS, Bericht Akad. Berlin, p. 258 (1846). Type