32 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Spermatogenesis in Stenobothrus biguttulus.* — Pol Gerard 

 describes the spermatogenesis in this small Acridiid. A testicular tube 

 shows the following zones : of spermatogonia, growth, maturation- 

 division, spermatids, and of spermatozoa. These zones are described 

 in detail. We cannot do more, however, than refer to the author's 

 twenty-six general conclusions. A very important point, corroboratory 

 of other work, is that half of the spermatocytes of the second order 

 have nine chromosomes and half have eight. So in the spermatids, 

 half have a heterotropic chromosome which the others lack. 



New Phorid.| — Ivar Triigardh describes the female of Crypto- 

 pteromyia jeanssoni g. et sp. n. from Pietermaritzburg. There are 

 three ocelli ; the compound eyes have only fourteen facets ; the clypeus 

 is as in Puliciphora, that is not very large ; the antennas are 6-jointed, 

 of the Phorid type ; the thorax is square, with short pyriform vestiges 

 of wings. The new genus is referred to a position between entirely 

 wingless forms {Puliciphora, Chonocephalus, and Wandolleckia), and 

 Ecitomyia and Xanionotum, which have reduced vestiges of wings. The 

 author points out that Thaumatoxena andreinii and Th. wasmanni are 

 hardly separable, and that Enderlein's genus Termitodeipnus must be 

 included in Thaumatoxena. 



New Primitive Insect.} — A. Schepotieff describes Protopieron 

 indicum g. et sp. n. from the Malabar coast, one of the Thysanura, 

 nearest Acerentomon and Campodea. The chitinous cuticle is weak ; 

 there is no sharp distinction between thorax and abdomen ; there are 

 twelve abdominal segments, the first four with appendages ; there are 

 no wings, cerci, or special copulatory parts ; the mouth-parts are 

 entognathus and suctorial ; there are six Malpighian vessels ; the gut is 

 straight ; the tracheal system is without anastomoses and spiral fibres ; 

 there are two stigmata ; the nervous system consists of supra-cesophageal 

 and sub-cesophageal ganglia, and a ventral chain of eleven ganglia ; 

 the genital apertures are paired. 



Schepotieff divides the Thysanura in the following way, regarding 

 ■Protopieron as most primitive of all : — 



( Lepisniatidas. 

 Euthysanura j Gastrothecoidea. 

 ^Machiloidea. 



Thysanura. Dicellura ... l£ a Pyg id8e .\ 



irrojapygidae. 



i Campodea. 

 Prothysanura j Acerentomon. 



\ Protopieron. 



In many respects this new primitive type approaches the Myriopods, 

 notably Scolopendrella. 



* Arch. Biol., xxiv. (1909) pp. 543-625 (3 pis. and 11 figs.). 

 t Zool. Jahrb., xxviii. (1909) pp. 329-47 (1 pi. and 1G figs.). 

 X Tom. cit., pp. 121-38 (3 pis.). 



