IO 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



ON BRITISH FRESHWATER MITES. 



By C. F. George. 



No. IV. 



THE species of Arrenurus described so far, have 

 all of them the peculiar development of the 

 last joint but two of the hind leg ; and I believe 



and extraordinary-looking mite ; has a very wide and 

 rather short tail, of a bright yellow ; the ccecal mark- 

 ings are dark brown, the central part white, and the 

 posterior part of the body, where it joins the tail, is 

 of a beautiful blue ; the impressed line does not extend 

 so far forward on the body as usual, and the last joint 

 but two of the hind legs is without the peculiar 

 process described in A. globator, A. buccinator, 



Fig. r-$.— Arrenurus sinuator, 



Fig. 16. — Arrenurus albator, cf. 



Fig. 14. — Hind leg of Arrenurus sinuator, £ , 



Fig. 15. — Second leg of Arrenurus sinuator. 



Fig. 17. — Tail of Arremirus albator, £. 



Fig. 18. — Arre?mrus crassicaudatus. 



Fig. 19. — Arrenurus ferforatus, $. 



there are several more species described by Koch, 

 which possess this peculiar process, such as Arre- 

 nurus iulnilator ; these species, however, have not 

 yet fallen into my net, and I shall now mention some 

 in which this process is absent. 



Arrenurus sinuator (Midler). — This very pretty 



A. mandator and A. viridis (see figure of hind leg) ; 

 the claws are double, and each claw is also divided. 

 This claw is not peculiar to Arrenurus, but will be 

 found in other water mites. 



Arremcrus albator (Miiller). — This mite is in many 

 respects like the preceding one, but it is lighter in 



