A Species of Collembola Found With Termites 



GERTRUDE BACON 



in a grove of live oaks near Claremont, there are great 

 masses of dead leaves under the trees. Under this mantle of 

 dry foliage there is often a considerable amonnt of decomposed 

 material which may retain some moisture for a time. In this 

 location there are many Collembola of various sorts. In places, 

 twigs from the trees are mingled with the damp remains and 

 these are very often inhabited by termites or white ants. These 

 insects live in the tunnels which they make in every direction 

 in the wood. In these spaces and perhaps also in some smaller 

 crannies a small white insect was found quite constantly. At 

 first it was supjjosed that these were l)lind Collembola without 

 the fureula, but when touched they jumped very quickly. It 

 was also found that they had eyes. 



These forms were found to correspond exactly to Eiifnuin- 

 bri/a binoculafa, described by Harald Schoett in his article on 

 North American Apterygogenea, in the Proceedings of the 

 California Academy of Sciences, volume YI, 1896. 



Ltiigth — 1.5 mm. Color — Opaque white. Body — Subcylin- 

 drical, very hairy. On the head and neck the hairs are long 

 and clubbed. Eyes — One on each side of the head. These are 

 located in irregular masses of light brown pigment in some 

 specimens. There seems to be some indication of a bilobed 

 condition of the eye spots. Antennae — Not as long as the body 

 but longer than the head. The segments are: I shortest, II 

 and III sube(iual, IV nearly twice as long as III. Claws — Two. 

 Superior claw has three teeth on the inner margin, the two 

 upper of which are opposite each other. The inferior is lan- 

 ceolate and unarmed. Funula — This does not quite reach the 

 ventral tube. Dentes slightly longer than the manubrium. 

 Mucrones — With two strong teeth and a slender basal one 

 which points distally and almost reaches the middle tooth. This 

 species was found at Berkeley, California, but nothing is men- 

 tioned by Schoett as to the rlistribution. 



It is possible that this species may occur in other locations 

 than in the dwelling places of white ants, but so far we have 

 found them in no other environment. 



(Contributioti from ihc Zoological Laboratory of Pomona College.) 



