114 ■ [October, 



HtMENOI'TEEA. 

 Tapinoma erratica, on the common ; Ceropales variegata, one, by sweeping ; 

 Miseophus bicolor, $ , one, by sweeping ; Astata stigma, $ , two, on a sandy spot 

 on Cliobham Common : tliis is, I believe, the first record of the capture of the 

 (J in this country ; Andrena fiieata, two $ , at flowers ; Andrena costana, one 

 (J , by sweeping ; Odgnerus renifonnis,* Gmel., new to Britain, one specimen, $ , but 

 the exact locality not noted : I am indebted to Mr. Fredk. Smith for the discovery 

 of this novelty amongst my captures ; Elampus Panzeri, three, on rushes, by sweep- 

 ing. — E. Saunders, Wandsworth : September, 1876. 



Note on parasitic Acari. — In the report of the proceedings of the Entomological 

 Society given in your last number (September), there is an intei-esting account by 

 Mr. McLachlan of some dragon-flies infested by red mites. He remarks that the 

 history of these Acari is involved in much obscurity, as it is diSicult to understand 

 how they could all find access to dragon-flies if the parasite be necessarily limited to 

 one group of insects, as its specific name of lihellulcB would indicate. 



Is it not probable that various insects, and even other allied animals, as 

 Arachnidans, may be infested by the same mite ? 



The Phalangiid(B, or harvest-men, are frequently found with a number of little 

 bright red Acari, fixed to their long legs and bodies.f These have been named 

 Trombidium phalangii, Duges, others are termed Tr. culicis, Tr. aphidis, Tr. 

 libellulce, respectively, from the insects upon which they have been found ; while 

 another is designated Tr. parasiticum, because it has been met with upon 

 various kinds of insects. These little parasites require more careful examination, 

 for, according to Paul G-ervais,J they vary in form if they are more or less distended 

 with uoiu'ishment. 



Duges, who paid some attention to these Arachnidans, say9,|| that all these 

 parasitic kinds are only immature forms of mites, which, in their mature states, live 

 a free and independent life. The parasites have only six legs, wliile all the perfect 

 animals have eight. He more especially studied the history of the Tromb. phalangii, 

 and says, that when full grown, these larvae (?) detach themselves from their victim, fall 

 to the ground, bury or hide themselves, and turn into smooth oval pupre (?), like minute 

 reddish-yellow eggs. They remain in this state, he says, for twenty days, and then 

 emerge in the form of red, velvety, eight-legged mites, with free active movements. 

 Numbers of these pretty little Trombidii may be found in moss and other situations, 

 and it is a very interesting fact (if it can be fully proved) that tliey are all parasitic 

 in their larva-state. — R. H. Meade, Bradford : September IQth, 1876. 



* Description of Odynervs remformit, 5 , translated from S:iu.ssure " Gugpes Solit.," p. 227. — 

 <J . Clypcus bidentate, yellow, as well as the mandibles ; the under-side of the antenn:B yellowish, 

 the spot under the wing, and th.at of the metathorax, very small or absent, the 0th abdominal 

 segment with its band shortened at the sides. Legs almost entirely yellow, intermediate coxaj 

 with a yellow spine. The 9 i.s apparently very like the § of spiiiipes, but differs by the yeUow 

 line of the clypeus, and the spots of the metathorax. 



There is a (»ood figure of the 9 in Saussurc, pi. xx, fig. 1. The S may at once be known by the 

 simple intermediate femora, and the long yellow spines on the intermediate coxaj. — E. S. 



t See Monogra]ih on the British species of Phalangiidce, by R. H. Meade, in Annals and 

 Magazine of Natural History. Second Series, vol. xv, p. 393. 



X Walckenaer, Insectes aptferes. Vol. iii, p, 181. 



li See Ann dea Sci. Nat. Scries 1, vol. i, p. 36. 



