1899J 157 



SOME FRESHWATER MITES FROM CO. DUBININ. 



BY D. FREEMAN, M.A., M.B. 



For many reasons the determination of species of the 

 HydrachnidcB has hitherto attracted the attention of but 

 few persons in Great Britain or Ireland, the chief one 

 being, I suppose, that no work has yet been published with 

 figures and descriptions of the British species. Papers, how- 

 ever, are now in progress in " Science Gossip " which will 

 supply this want, so that any one interested in these little 

 " spidery" creatures can easily work at the group, with very 

 little cost for a text-book. 



In the years 1884 and 1885 I collected Hydrachnids in the 

 neighbourhood of Dublin : the captures which were identified 

 were determined from the works of C. L- Koch, A. Duges, P< 

 Kramer, and C. Neuman. The literature of this family of 

 mites was then largely in a scattered, even fragmentary state, 

 Neuman's monograph being then, I believe, the principal 

 modern authority dealing with the whole group. Since 1885 

 I did little or no work until the appearance of Dr. R. Piersig's 

 great monograph (publication not yet completed), when I 

 revised old work, using his nomenclature where possible. 

 The following species occurred : — 



Atax crassipes, Miiller (Bruzelius).— Common and generally distri- 

 buted. 



Hydrochoreutes filipes, Neuman. 



Hydrochoreutes cruciger, Neuman. — The last two species are given 

 with Neuman's nomenclature. Piersig suggests by query that 

 Neuman's species are synonymous with H. ungulatus (Koch) 

 Piersig, but my captures were identified from Neuman, and are not 

 now in a condition to be compared with Piersig's figures and 

 descriptions. H. filipes and H, cruciger are not common ; two 

 examples of the former and one of tiie latter were taken in the Royal 

 Canal (May). 



Curvipes conglobatus, G. L. Koch. 



Curvipes Iongipalpis Krendowskij.? 



Curvipes nodatus Muller.? 



Curvipes fuscatus, Hermann. 



Hygrobates Iongipalpis, Hermann. — Common everywhere. II. im- 

 pressus, Neuman, — $ II Iongipalpis, according to Piersig, occurred, 

 occasionally in the Royal Canal. 



