352 NEOTROPICAL PSELAPHIDAE 



of the floor mold described so well by Jacot (1935). Their ornamented integu- 

 ment, oily trichomes, unhurried walk, reduced oral equipment, and specialized 

 antennae and dorsum are hall-marks of the true guest or symphile. 



Their presence with ants has long been known (Mueller, 1818; Dury, 

 1884, 1898; Schwarz, 1890, 1896; Wickham, 1889, 1892, 1894, 1900, 1901; 

 Hetschko, 1896; Raffray, 1908; Knaus, 1908; Krueger, 1910; Wheeler, 1910 

 [including much data on ant guests as a group and the early work of Was- 

 mann]; Blatchley, 1910; Mann, 1911, 1915, 1918; Crawley, 1916; Gallardo, 

 1916; Donisthorpe, 1927; Bruch, 1929, 1931; Park, 1932, 1935; Reichensperger, 

 1931, 1933). From this imposing array little more is known than that the 

 clavigerines are always with ants, and are unmolested by their hosts. 



Two species have been studied: Claviger testaceus of Europe by Mueller, 

 Hetschko and Krueger; Adranes lecontei of North America by Park. 



Summarizing what is known of these two species we arrive at the fol- 

 lowing generalities: 



1. Lecontei and testaceus are wholly unmolested by their hosts. They 

 stalk about the dark, moist galleries, haunting the brood chambers, and when 

 approached by an ant do not hurry away but either pass on, stop and twirl 

 the antennae, or crouch so that the worker must pass around or over the 

 beetle. 



2. The host ant workers assiduously suck the beetle's trichomes, lick 

 their integuments, at all hours of the day and night in this arhythmic social 

 medium (Park, 1941). I have seen lecontei licked for two minutes at a time, 

 by several ants together. 



3. The beetles ride about upon the gaster of the ant. This phorecy has 

 been seen repeatedly in lecontei. The author has watched a lecontei riding on 

 its host {Lasius aphidicola Walsh) for ninety consecutive minutes before the 

 ant was relieved of its heavy burden. 



4. The beetles are fed regurgitated liquid food by the host workers, in 

 the same manner as one worker will feed her sisters. 



5. When not being fed, or transported, by the workers, the beetles strike 

 at the society by scraping, puncturing, and sucking, the eggs, larvae, and 

 pupae of the host. Scavengerism is not their metier although they may scrape 

 at a shred of cast pupal membrane — this work is carried out by the more 

 primitive synoeketes and synechthrans of the nest, chiefly the former. 



6. The juvenile mites {Antennophorus wasmanni) which balance upon 

 the aphidicola workers also climb upon the lecontei. 



These exquisite adjustments of the blind testaceus and lecontei suggest 

 long association with their hosts, with selection pressures very different from 

 free-living pselaphines and it is to be expected that the modern clavigerids ex- 

 hibit many specializations of their pselaphid organization. 



The forty-two genera of Clavigerinae have been eagerly sought by col- 

 lectors and consequently the distribution has been fairly well outlined, as a 

 by-product of the collection. It seems clear that the clavigerines have followed 

 their hosts, and are known over all major faunal regions save New Zealand. 



