350 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



African Mantids and Related Forms.* — F. Werner deals with a 

 number of interesting forms of Amorphoscelidas, Mantidse, and 

 Harpagidae, such as Chloroharpax g. n., which links the last two 

 families together, and the very much isolated Auchmomantis g. n. 



Galls of the Lower Rhine.f— J. Niessen calls attention to some 

 new animal-galls and to the abundance of many types in the Niederrhein 

 region. He has collected 540 Zoocecidia, 4 Helmiuthocecidia, 140 

 Acaro-, 120 Heniiptero-, 150 Diptero-, 100 Hymenoptero-, 4 Lepidoptero-, 

 16 Coleoptero-cecidia, and 6 of doubtful origin. 



#. Myriopoda. 



New North American Millepedes.^ — F. Silvestri describes Urochor- 

 deuma bumpusi g. et sp. n. and Rhiscosomides meineri g. et sp. n., both 

 so unique that two new families Urochordeuinidse and Rhiscosomididse 

 require to be established to receive them. 



5. Arachnida. 



Social Mexican Spider.§ — L. Diguet describes the habits of a small 

 spider called in Mexico, the Mosquero, parts of the nests of which are 

 hung up in the houses for getting rid of flies at the wet season. The 

 spider inhabits high altitudes and lives gregariously ; it makes a huge 

 nest (up to 2 square metres) in oaks and other trees. The interior of 

 the nest has a curious spongy appearance. A minute beetle {Melan- 

 ophthalma) acts as a scavenger, and another spider lives as a commensal 

 in the nest. 



E. Simon || establishes for this social spider a new genus, Ccenothele, 

 intermediate between Dictyna and Phryganoporus in the family 

 Dictynidse. He gives a description, and names the spider Cainothele 

 gregalis. The commensal spider is Pozcilochroa convictrix sp. n. The 

 gregarious habit is known in Phryganoporus (Australian) and Stegodyphus 

 (S. Africa and India). 



Species of Arrhenurus in the United States. IT — Ruth Marshall 

 gives an account of the numerous X. American species of this genus 

 of Hydrachnids. It is a highly differentiated and widely distributed 

 genus, and the species, which are usually found in shallow clear waters, 

 may be grouped in four sub-genera. 



Demodex and Disease.** — A. Bon-el, with the collaboration of 

 Gastinel and C. Goresen, brings forward evidence which goes to show 

 that Demodex and sedentary Acarines, unimportant in themselves, may 

 play a part in the diffusion of cancer. The two are often together 

 about the nianimBe for instance. Borrel makes out another probability 

 in the case of leprosy. 



* Ber. Senckenberg Nat. Ges., 1908, pp. 31-56 (1 pi.). 



t SB. Nat. Ver. Preuss. Rheinlande und Westfalens, 1907, 2te Half te, pub- 

 lished 1908, pp. 91-4. 



% Atti (Rend.) R. Accad. Lincei, 1909, pp. 229-33. 



§ Comptes Rendus, cxlviii. (1908) pp. 735-6. || Tom. cit., pp. 736-7. 



% Trans. Araer. Micr. Soc, xxviii. (1908) pp. 85-140 (16 pis.). 

 ** Ann. Inst. Pasteur, xxiii. (1909) pp. 97-128 (4 pis.). 



