PARACOROTOCA AKERMANI (wARREN). 299 



Zululand has considerable interest, but we are confronted 

 with the difficulty as to whether certain resemblances are to 

 be reg-arded as indicating- genetic affinity, or convergence of 

 structure arising from the effect of the same environment, 

 since the two termitophiles inhabit the nest of the same 

 species of termite. Some light, however, is thrown on the 

 matter by a general compainson of the modifications of the 

 termitophilous insects. 



In external appearance Par ac or o toe a akermani closely 

 resembles Corotoca melantho /S'c/tiVicZ^e, from Brazil, Ijut in 

 the characters of the mouth-parts it shows a closer affinity to 

 Termitoptochus indicus Silv. from Singapore, and in 

 internal anatomy there is a marked similarity to Termito- 

 mimus of S. Africa. 



I. OBSERVATIONS IN THE FIELD. 



Habitat. — Par a corotoca akermani has been found only 

 in the nests of the common Eutermes of Natal. This tei-mite 

 is usually known as Eutermes trinervius {Ravih.), but Mr. 

 Claude Fuller, who is studying the subject, informs me that 

 the insect is really Eutermes trinervi for mis Holm. 



Dr. Conrad Akerman, after whom the species is named, 

 discovered the first specimen near Pietermaritzburg in March, 

 1913. Subsequently he obtained further material, and it is 

 through his kind assistance that a sufficient number of speci- 

 mens have been available for this investigation. The beetle 

 is exceedingly scarce and excessively troublesome to find, and 

 even now, after the expenditure of much energy, the field 

 observations are far from complete, since the pupa stage has 

 not been found, and none of the female specimens exhibited 

 the viviparous development of young. It is inherently 

 probable, however, judging from the internal anatomy, that 

 Paracorotoca resembles Corotoca in being viviparous. 



In March, 1915, without a knowledge of Dr. Akerman's 

 discovery, Mr. David Boyce of the Durban Museum found 

 three specimens of Paracorotoca in a Eutermes nest near 

 VOL. 4, PART 2. 21 



