NOTES ON THE BRITISH MYRMECOPHILOUS FAUNA. 69 



Olypliopds formicariae, Lubbock. — -This species was described {Ants, 

 Bees and Wasps, p. -429) from a specimen taken by Sir John Lubbock 

 in a nest of Lasius ftaciis. Michael {loc. cit., p. 311) writes that, in 

 1892, he took a considerable number at the Laud's End in a nest of 

 Lasius jlai'tts. 



Uropoda ricasoliatia, Berl. — Michael {loc. cit., p. 307) records two 

 specimens, <y and 2 , found in an ants' nest near the Land's End. 

 Wasmann {loc. cit., p. 199) records it with Lasius fulitjinosns in 

 Holland. 



Antennophorus uhlnntnni. Hall. — Michael tells me he took two speci- 

 mens in an ants' nest at the Land's End, Cornwall. Of this species 

 Wasmann says :'■■'■ " Another myrmecophilous mite, Antennophorus 

 uhlinanni, occupies a most extraordinary position. Janet observed it 

 in France in the nest of Lasius mixtus, and I have studied it in Holland, 

 at Limburg with Lasius niger a,nd fkirus. It is generally on the ant, 

 in most cases on the underside of the head. It makes use of this 

 favourable position, to tickle the sides of the ant's head with its front 

 feet, which are like antennae — hence its name " antennae- bearer " — 

 till the ant lets fall a drop of food which the parasite licks up. The 

 ants tolerate the impudent rascal simply because they are unable to 

 get rid of it. I have often seen them make desperate attempts to 

 knock it off." This species is here first recorded as British. 



Leolaps nujnnecophilus, Berl. — Michael tells me he has taken 

 this species plentifully in nests of Formica fusca at the Land's End, 

 Cornwall. Wasmann {loc. cit., p. 198) records it with F. rufibarhis var, 

 fusco-rujiharbis. For., in the Rhine district; with F. rufa, in Holland ; 

 and with Aphaenoyaster barbara, L., at Oran. 



Leolaps equitans, Mich. — On May 11th, 1901, I took a number of 

 small mites which I found on and among the egg-masses of Formica 

 rufa, in a nest of that species in the Blean Woods. I afterwards 

 found it again on the egg-masses in a nest of Formica rufa at Oxshott. 

 I sent specimens to Mr. Michael, who writes to me as follows : "In my 

 opinion they are Leolaps equitans, they are a trifle narrower than my 

 Corsican specimens and the hairs on the back are a trifle shorter than 

 those of my specimens .... they have not hitherto been 

 recorded in England." Michael took his specimens with Tetramorium 

 caespitum var. meridionale in Corsica. He tells me they most frequently 

 rode upon the ant, but were sometimes upon the eggs and pupiB. 



Crustacea. — Isopoba. —Plattjarthrus liojj'manseijtjii, Brdt. — Sir John 

 Lubbock {loc. cit., p. 75) writes: "Another very common species (in 

 ants' nests) is a sort of white wood-louse which enjoys the rather long 

 name of Platijarthrus hop'manse(/(/ii. Andre only mentions Plati/art/irus 

 as living with Formica rufa, Mi/rmica scahrinodis and Leptothorax 

 acervorum. I have found it also with Lasius niijer, L. Jiarns and 

 Formica fusca. It runs about and is evidently at home among the ants. 

 Both Flatyart/irus and Beckia, from living constantly in the dark, have 

 become blind ; I say ' have become,' because their ancestors no doubt 

 had eyes. In neither of these cases have I ever seen an ant take the 

 slightest notice of either of these insects. One might almost imagine 

 they had the cap of invisibility." I have taken it with the following 



• See translation of Father Wasmann's "The Guests of Ants and Termite?" 

 {Ent. Record, vol. xii., p. 150). 



