422 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Nov., '12 



Notes and News. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL GLEANINGS FROM ALL QUARTERS 

 OF THE GLOBE. 



Note on Anatis 15-punctata and A. caseyi n. sp. (Coleop.). 



The varied marking of A, i?,-piinctata is no new thing. Say's mali 

 with ocellated spots is as frequent in this vicinity as the typical 

 fornr. All shades of red and yellow are found and many which are 

 so dark that the spots are, as commonly stated, very "indistinct." 

 However, I have recently taken one which is entirely outside of any 

 description I remember to have seen. It is jet black, with abso- 

 lutely no discernible spots, indistinct or otherwise. The thoracic 

 markings are pure white, while on all my other varieties the thor- 

 acic markings are invariably some shade of yellow. To speak of 

 this insect as i^-punctata is so flagrant a misnomer that I venture 

 to suggest that this variety be called Anatis caseyi, in memory of the 

 fact that at least one coccinellid appears to have succeeded in es- 

 caping the notice of so indefatigable an investigator. O. S. WEST- 

 COTT, Oak Park, 111., June 29, 1912. 



The Splitting of Insect Tracheae. 



In studying the tracheae of mosquito larvae, I found the following 

 method to be very useful. This method consists in flattening the 

 tracheal tubes between a glass slide and a cover glass and then split- 

 ting the tubes in half longitudinally. 



The technic is carried out as follows : First, the tracheal tubes are 

 dissected from the insect and are then transferred to a clean glass 

 slide. The tracheae should remain free from any torn tissue and if 

 possible a small quantity of blood should remain on the tracheae. If 

 there is not sufficient blood, a drop of water will answer fairly well. 

 A clean cover glass should then be put on, pressed down lightly, and 

 the excess of water wiped off to allow the cover glass to fit closely. 

 In working with very small tubes, the success of the operation de- 

 pends upon the care exercised in causing as close a contact as possible 

 between the cover glass and the glass slide. 



After thorough drying, which usually takes a day, the cover glass 

 can either be lifted off or shifted a little to the side so as to uncover 

 the lower half of the tube. If the cover glass is not removed, it 

 should be securely attached to the glass slide in order to prevent fur- 

 ther shifting, which may injure the specimen. Prepared in this way 

 the tracheae are ready for microscopic examination. 



