592 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



the 3-banded armadillo has its own peculiar flea, Malacopsylla tolypeutis 

 sp. n., nearly allied to M. inermis from Dasypus sexcinctus, and to M. 

 androcli from Ganis griseus. 



Brazilian Tabanidse.* — Adolpho Lutz begins a systematic account 

 of the Brazilian Tabanida3, of which he has collected towards a hundred 

 species. 



Chironomid Larvse.f — R. Lauterborn describes (1) Chironomid 



larva? with freely movable Trichopteron-like case ; (2) peculiar sensory 



organs on the antennae of some larvse (pear-shaped structures with a 



oage of numerous curved setse around a central sensory cone) ; (3) 



stalked gelatinous cases and cylindrical gelatinous tubes from running 



water. 



8. Arachnida. 



Monograph on the Kara-Kurt.$ — K. N. Rossikov gives a full 

 ethological account of the venomous Spider Lathrodectus tredecim- 

 guttatus Rossi, the Kara-Kurt of West Europe, South Russia, and the 

 Steppes. It frequents open, sunny localities, and feeds on insects, 

 Arachnids, Isopods, frogs, young lizards, and even shrews, surrounding 

 its prey with snares. Copulation occurs before the last moult, lasts 

 30-40 minutes, and often ends in the female devouring the male after 

 he has repeatedly effected insemination at intervals of a few days. The 

 eggs are laid the night after the copulation, and the complex cocoons 

 are smaller with each successive insemination. There are eight 

 moultings, the duration of the process increasing from a few minutes 

 to 24 hours. The length of life does not exceed a year. The female 

 keeps close by her nest, the males keep in the background. Many 

 Ichneumonids help to keep down the numbers, and Chrysopa-l&rvdd' 

 were found parasitic in the cocoon. The serious symptoms following 

 the bite are described, but mantis not often effectively bitten. The juices 

 of the whole body are poisonous, as well as the venom itself, and the 

 poison has a paralysing effect on the heart and the central nervous system. 



Parasitism of Larval Phoxichilidium on Bougainvillia.§ — Paul 

 Hallez describes what appear to be larvse of Phoxichilidium femoratum 

 in pyriform sacs — modified hydranths — on Bougainvillia ramosa. No 

 other species of Pycnogonid induces so much modification in its host. 



Terrestrial Mite adapted to Marine Life.|] — N. Passerini describes 

 a terrestrial mite from the blocks of rock deposited around the base of 

 the tower of Meloria where prolonged immersion is inevitable. The 

 mite, which Berlese has named Erythrceus passerinii sp. n., probably 

 utilises the air imprisoned in the capillary passages in the rock. In any 

 case it has become adapted to marine life. 



Habits and Life History of a Social Spider.f — N. S. Jambuna- 

 than found at Saidapet, Madras, a group of " social spiders " (Stegodyphus 



* Rev. Soc. Sci. Sao Paulo, i. (1905) pp. 19-32. 

 t Zool. Anzeig., xxix. (1904) pp. 207-17 (15 figs.). 



\ Arb. Entomol. Bureau Landw., v. (1904) p. 232 (4 pis., Urnap, and 29 figs.). See 

 also Zool. Zentralbl., xii. (1905) pp. 344-8. 



§ Arch. Zool. Exp., iii. (1905) pp. 132-44 (1 pi.). 

 || Bull. Soc. Entoin. ltal., xxxvi. (1904) pp. 179-80. 

 \ Smithsonian Misc. Collections, xlvii. (1905) pp. 365-72 (1 pi.). 



