SOLIFUGAE 97 



intervals: she is limp and motionless except for rhythmic contrac- 

 tions of her body at a rate of approximately one per two seconds. 

 The eggs of Galeodes may number more than 200. They are in the 

 form of white and glistening spheres that reflect the sunlight with a 

 beautiful metallic lustre as if made of mother-of-pearl: they adhere 

 to one another in compact heaps. In Solpuga caff r a the eggs are of a 

 light, but dirty yellow colour, while in S. hostilis there are darker 

 markings. Within a day or two after oviposition the female begins 

 to take an interest in feeding. Eremobates formicaria lays more than 

 one batch of small white spherical eggs per season, but closes the 

 mouth of the burrow and leaves them to their fate. 



The appearance and detailed structure of the newly hatched 

 first larva appears to vary considerably in different genera. In 

 Galeodes the young larvae emerge from the eggs within a day or 

 two after they are laid. At first they are soft, white and helpless. 

 They are unable to move, but after two or three weeks, during 

 which they are closely guarded by their mother, the first moult 

 takes place and from then on the young creatures rapidly become 

 more active. Their integument hardens and progressively assumes 

 the various external characters of the mature animal. Eventually 

 they disperse. The number of moults and the length of time re- 

 quired to reach the adult condition is not known with certainty in 

 any species of the order Solifugae. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 



Identification 



Kraepelin, K. (1901) Arachnoidea: Palpigradi und Solifugae. Das 



Tierreich, 12, 1-159. 

 MUMA, M. H. (1951) The Arachnid Order Solpugida in the United 



States. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 97, (2), 31-142. 

 RoEWER, C. F. (1934) Solifugae, in H. G. Bronn's Klass. Ordn. Tier- 



reichs, 5, iv (4), 1-608. 

 (1941) Solifugen 1934-46. Verof. deuts. Kolon.-Ubersee-Mus., 3, 



97-192. 



Biology 



Bernard, A. (1897) 'Wind-scorpions', a brief account of the Galeodidae. 

 Sci. Prog. (N.S.), 1, 317-43. 



BoLWiG, N. (1952) Observations on the behaviour and mode of orienta- 

 tion of hunting Solifugae. J. Ent. Soc. S. Afr., 15, 239-40. 



