424 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 



in South America, an jbscure disease, known, as Verruga, has 

 existed for years. Recently, the possibiHty of the transmission 

 by S3me species of insect, or tick, has been seriously entertained, 

 and we now learn frjm "Science" (August 15th, 1913) that Mr. 

 Charles H. T. Townsend, who was some time ago especially charged 

 by the Peruvian Government with the investigation of the insect 

 transmission of verruga, injected a dog with triturated females of 

 Phlebotomus on July 11th, and on July 17th secured as a result 

 an unmistakable case of verruga eruption. The gnats used for the 

 injection were secured on the night of July 9th, in Verrugas Can- 

 yon, a noted focus of the disease. This is the first experimental 

 transmission of verruga by means of insects, and adds a notable 

 case to the list of insect-bornu diseases. The details of the experi- 

 ment will appear shortly. Further transmission work in laboratory 

 animals will be pursued at once, both by injections and by causing 

 the gnats to bite. C. G. H. 



A NEW LEPTODESMID FROM MONTANA. 



BY RALPH v. CHAMBERLIN, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 



The following description is published separateh' in order 

 that the name may be available for early use. 



Leptodesmus {Chonaplle) el rod i, sp. nov. 



Light brown to very deep brown and brownish black, the back- 

 ground sometimes rather obscurely chestnut. Carinal and anal 

 process in darker individuals orange, in paler even more yellowish; 

 the first dorsal plate also paler, yellowish, oblong anterior margin. 

 The metazonites may be be paler caudally. 



Head with the median sulcus deep. Vertex moderateh' imel>' 

 uneven or coriaceous, bearing several long bristles across vertex 

 and also in clypeal region above those ofTabial border. Antennae 

 of moderate length. First or cervical dorsal plate narrower than 

 the second one, anteriorly strongly convex; caudal margin moder- 

 ately deeply concave mesally; laterally margined. Caudolateral 

 angles with caudal side nearly straight. Dorsum strongly arched; 

 anterolateral corners of plates convexly rounded, in the second to 

 fifth plates a little extended cephalad, but in others more and 



December, 1913 



