I. TRÄGÅRDH, DISCOMEGISTUS NOV. GEN. 5 



flexible. On their ventral surface there is a median, longitu- 

 dinal narrow ridge, where 16—20 sraall verruciform projec- 

 tions are noticeable, the structure having a faint resem- 

 blance to the tentacles of the Cephalopoda, with their suc- 

 kers. 



The sides of the bristles are finely striated, as indicated 

 in fig. 3. It is possible that the structures, which have the 

 appearance of being striae, are in reality fine filaments, which 

 are now (when the mite is dead) directed obliquely towards 

 the middle, but which are otherwise spread out to both sides 

 like the vane of a feather. I have not been able to verify 

 this surmise, on account of the impossibility of obtaining a la- 

 teral view of the bristles. On some bristles, which were broken, 

 T believe to have observed that the »striae» ended with free 

 tips. If this is true, the bristles, with the vanes spread out, 

 would together form an aditional, extremely thin marginal 

 shield, presumably acting as an adhesion-organ. There are 

 in all about 52 pairs of them and one odd one in the 

 median line posteriorly. 



Ventral side (Fig. 4). 



Tritosternum with very short trunk and comparatively 

 broad, finely hairy slips, which are of uniform width in the 

 proximal ^s. 



No jugular shields. 



The sternal shield is distinctly separated from the ventral 

 shield by a narrow strip of soft cuticle, which bends in an 

 even curve forwards from the middle of coxse IV. It is thus 

 very short, but broad, its greatest width — between coxae III — 

 being nearly equal to three times its own length. It is very 

 weakly chitinized, but lias a distinctly scaly texture. 



There are only 3 pairs of hairs, a fact which may safely 

 be considered as a proof of the metasternal shields not being 

 fused with it, as in that case there would inevitably be 4 

 pairs of hairs. 



The anterior pair is inserted near the anterior margin, a 

 little nearer the middle than the sides of the sternum, the 2nd 

 pair is inserted a little more laterally than the 1st one and 

 a httle behind the middle of the shield; the posterior pair 

 is inserted on a level with the middle of coxse III and half- 

 way between the lateral margin and the genital shield. 



But where are the metasternal shields? 



