I 



TRÄGÅRDH, TWO MYRIOPODOPHILOUS ANTENNOPHORIN.^. 23 



During the winter months June — September the Julidae 

 are as a rule only to be found down in the ground. Es- 

 pecially under stones and in termites' nests tliey occur in great 

 numbers. The burrows are spherical and exactly large enough 

 just to give room to the JuUdae, when rolled up. The animals 

 are very inactive and actually seem to be hibernating. 



It was thus easy in suitable localities to collect great num- 

 bers of them and yet it was impossible to find any Neomegistus 

 on them, and it was not until the end of October that I found 

 any adult forms on them again. 



This very remarkable fact most likely, as I will endevour 

 to pro ve, depends upon the fact that the Julidse when hiber- 

 nating do not offer any means of subsistence to Neomegistus. 

 It is well known, in the case of the myrmecophilous Åntenno- 

 'phoms, that the members of this genus derive their food from 

 the ants by attaching themselves to the underside of their 

 heads and partaking in their meals, when the ants are feeding 

 one other by throwing up dröps of food-liquid. 



As to Neomegistus, such a relation to the Julidse is of course 

 quite excluded. On the other hand, it is evident that N^eo- 

 megistus does not, as many nymphae of other Mesostigmata, 

 ascend the Julidse only for migratory purposes, but really lives 

 as an adult on them and derives its means of subsistence from 

 them. 



The nature of the food is easily understood from the shape 

 of the mandibles. The mandibles of the genus Antennophorus, 

 Avhich feeds upon liquid food are provided with an fringed 

 appendage, the so-called »lacinia», which undoubtly acts as 

 brusli for the purpose of absorbing (sucking up) the food. 

 In Neomegistus this appendage is still more developed, with 

 very large fringes, which have a remarkable shape, in so far 

 as the ventral edge is quite even so as to form akind of brush, 

 which seems to be thoroughly adapted to answer the purpose 

 of sweeping the surface of the Julidse. 



As the Julidse are well provided with segmentally arranged 

 hypodermic glands opening into pores, the »foramina repug- 

 na.toria», through which they emit an offensive liquid, it 

 seems to me, that the conclusion to be drawn from these 

 facts can be no other than, that the Neomegistus feeds upon 

 the same liquid as the Julidce secret for defensive pur pose. 



These glands are most probably inactive when the Julidse 



