HEMIMERUS 



217 



Fam. II. Hemimeridae. 



Apterous, tilind Insects with exserted head, having a constricted 

 neck, mouth placed quite inferiorly ; the 

 thoracic sterna large, imbricate. Hind 

 body elongate, the segments imbricate, the 

 dorsal plates being large and overlapping 

 the ventral; the number of visible seg- 

 ments being different according to sex: 

 a pair of long unsegmented cerci at th e 

 extremity. Coxae small, ividely separ- 

 ated. Development intra-uterine. 



t, female. Africa. 

 (After Hausen.) 



Iii describing the labium of Mandibulata, 

 p. 97, we alluded to the genus Hemimerus as 

 reputed to possess a most peculiar mouth. 

 When our remarks were made little was 

 known about this Insect ; but a very valuable 

 paper x by Dr. H. J. Hansen on it has since 

 appeared, correcting some errors and supply- 

 ing us with information on numerous points. 

 M. de Saussure described the Insect as possess- F 114 _ n- 

 ing two lower lips, each bearing articulated 

 palpi, and he therefore proposed to treat 

 Hemimerus as the representative of a distinct Order of Insects, 

 to be called Diploglossata. It now appears that the talented 



FIG. 115. Under side of head and 

 front of prothorax of Hemimerus. 

 a, base of antenna ; b, articulation 

 of antenna ; c, labrum ; d, man- 

 dible ; e, condyle of mandible ; f, 

 articular membrane of mandible ; 

 g, stipes of maxilla ; h, exterior 

 lobe ; i, palpus of maxilla ; k, sub- 

 mentum ; I, mentum ; m, terminal 

 lobe of labium ; n, labial palp ; o, 

 plate between submentum and ster- 

 num ; p, prosternum ; q, cervical 

 sclerites. (After Haiiseii.) 



Swiss entomologist was in this case deceived by a bad prepara- 

 tion, and that the mouth shows but little departure from the 

 ordinary niandibulate type. There is a large inflexed labrum ; 

 1 Ent. Tidskr. 1894, p. 65. 



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