Aug. 20, 1917 



Cyclamen Mite 



385 



Table II. — Life-history notes on the larval stadium of the cyclamen mite — Continued 



QUIESCENT STAGE 



Among the numerous eggs, eggshells, and larvae as the generations 

 proceed, one may find numerous resting, or quiescent, forms. When 

 the larvae become sufficiently engorged, they become motionless. In the 

 generations where the adults are present the writer has observed males 

 carrying along behind them, clasped by the grasping posterior legs and 

 supported on the apex of the abdomen, the 6-legged, whitish, smooth, 

 immobile body of one of these quiescent forms whose long axis is placed 

 at right angles to its own. Warburton (11) observed this same phe- 

 nomenon for a similar species studied in England. Occasionally one 

 may observe a male attack another male carrying such a burden and 

 obviously try to wrest it from it. No experiments were carried on at 

 this point to see whether actual fertilization took place before the female 

 reached maturity, as is the case with some mites in other groups. The 

 carrying and dragging of the inert females by the males were observed 

 frequently. 



In the quiescent stage, development is going on, and the resultant 

 will be either a male or a female. On January 30, 191 7, the writer 

 found many quiescent forms on the cyclamen plants. In no case did 

 the writer find a quiescent form with eight legs; it always possessed six. 

 The quiescent stage always gave rise to one of the 8-legged forms, the 

 females predominating. 



The writer has mounted a large series of individuals of the quiescent 

 stage to study internal changes. The development of a fourth pair of 

 legs in each case examined showed whether it was to be a male or female. 



