22 Arachnida and Myriopoda 



woman who died in a hospital at Turin. The material examined 

 by him had been preserved for about three months, and it is quite 

 probable that the mites made their way into the preserved 

 material. 



Sub-Order— HETEEOSTIGMATA. 



Family— TABSONEMIDAE. 



This isolated family contains a few genera of minute soft-bodied 

 mites, and its exact systematic position is still uncertain. They 

 are placed by Berlese in a sub-order by themselves. The body of 

 these mites often shows traces of segmentation, and there is a 

 clavate organ between the first two pairs of legs. Sexual 

 dimorphism is well pronounced. 



Genus — Pediculoides, Targioni-Tozzetti. 



Pediculoides ventricosus, Newport. 



The Mite Causing Grain-Itch. 



The curious mite called Pediculoides ventricosus is carnivorous, 

 feeding on various soft-bodied larvae, and more rarely on adult 

 insects. This mite readily transfers itself to human beings, and 

 causes a serious eruption of the skin. It has been reported as 

 attacking porters and others handling grain infested by the Wheat 

 Joint Worm or other insect pests in many parts of Europe. In 

 December 19J 3 the cargoes of several steamers which had brought 

 consignments of cotton-seed from Alexandria to London were 

 found to be infested with large numbers of Pediculoides ventricosus 

 feeding on the pink boll- worm. The dock labourers unloading 

 this cotton-seed were much troubled by the bites of the mite, 

 which caused a red rash to appear on their bodies. It was 

 necessary to pay them 50 per cent, more than the usual wage 

 for discharging these cargoes. I remember Colonel Alcock telling 

 me at the time of this outbreak that some of the dockers going 

 homo infected their wives and children, who were also badly bitten 

 by the mites. According to Willcocks, who has written an account 

 of this particular case, workers at the Colchester Oil Mill handling 

 cotton-seed received from Alexandria at much the same date were 



