556 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Notes on Species of Aleurodes.* — James Burton communicates 

 ■some observations on a species of Aleurodes, probably A. brassicse, which 

 he studied on a fuchsia. The fly is almost exactly 1 mm. in length, 

 and covered with a mealy exudation. The last segment bears on its 

 dorsal aspect a peculiar structure. " It is formed of a short, hollow, 

 crater-like base, from which projects a sort of papilla covered with 

 hairs." (The author speaks of the " honey-dew " of Aphides being 

 emitted from two tubes near the end of the body ; but is not this an 

 error ?) The mealy substance consists of very short curved rod-like 

 pieces. The yellowish larva moves feebly and throws out a fringe of 

 filaments. It appears to increase in size, and develops a number of long 

 glass-like brittle processes from the back and sides, and becomes a box- 

 like pupa. The side of the box is composed chiefly of the wax fringe, 

 and the sides of the box are ornamented with curved glass-like hairs. 

 Out of the broken box the fly emerges. 



Hatching, Breeding, and Oviposition in a Mantis.f — C. B. Williams 

 and P. A. Buxton have made some observations of Sphodromantis 

 yuttata from Algeria. The eggs lie in groups in the middle of the 

 complex ootheca, and each group of eggs has a passage to the exterior. 

 Through these passages the young emerge, many at once. The vibration 

 made by one young one perhaps excites those in the vicinity. The 

 young Mantis appears head first and hangs down over the egg of the 

 ootheca on a double thread secreted from two posterior papilla. At no 

 other stage is any thread or silk produced. The tergites of tke meso- 

 and meta-thorax and of the abdomen are covered, except for a narrow 

 dorsal line, with very minute backward directed spines, which help in 

 the early movements. There is a mouft immediately after emergence. 

 The changes in the form and habits of the young ones are described. 

 A careful description is given of the structure and construction of the 

 ootheca. Parthenogenesis does not occur. 



-'a^ 



Inoculation of Locusts. — E. Sergentf describes experiments in 

 Algiers in inoculating locusts {Schistocerca peregrina) with the American 

 Coccohacillus acridiorum. Xo mortal infection results, and it is suggested 

 that this may have been due to the presence in the locusts of two 

 autochthonous bacilli which may have had an immunizing effect. 



In another region M. Beguet§ found that the locusts were sus- 

 ceptible at all stages to infection by the bacillus. About 10 p.c. in 

 the field died of paralysis and diarrhoea. The infection spreads by 

 cannibalism. 



Apterygota of Seychelles.! — George H. Carpenter reports on a 

 collection of nme new Thysanura and fifteen new Collembola, besides 



* Journ. Quekett Micr. Club, xiii. (1916) pp. 7-14. 



+ Trans. Bntomol. Soc. London, 1916, pp. 86-100 (4 pis. and 3 figs.). 



t Ann. Inst. Pasteur, xxx. (1916) pp. 209-24 (10 figs.). 



§ Ann. Inst. Pasteur, xxx. (1916) pp. 225-42. 



li Proc. Roy. Irish Acad., xxxiii. (1916) pp. 1-70 (IS pis.). 



