79 



28. Scutovertex spooti Oudras. = bilineatus Michael. 



I have received frora Dr. A. R. Spoof, of °Abo, Finland, 2 

 larvae, 27 nymphae and 46 adults. With this material I am able 

 to rectify iny conimanication about this insect published in the 

 Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, vol. 43, p. 112. 



When in 1899 I determined my single specimen, received from 

 Dr. Spoof in 1896, T used the table on p. 29 of Das Tierreich, 

 Oribatidae. With this table, such as it is, my species with tridactyle 

 claws and without pseudostigmata and pseudostigmatic organs 

 could not but be new to science ! and I called the species Scuto- 

 vertex spoofi. And a Camisia-like nympha, which Dr. Spoof 

 indicated as the young of it was took by me for its young one. 



Being all at once provided with good material I immediately 

 observed that my former nympha did not in the least correspond 

 to any of the 27 real nymphae ! 



My new nymphae at once reminded me of a figure in Mi- 

 chael's British Oribatidae. Indeed my species proved to be Scu- 

 tovertex bilineatus Michael. Among the 46 adult ones there was 

 only one specimen, transparent enough to enable me to observe 

 distinctly the two ridges on the back (not delineated in my figure 

 in the Tijdschr. v. Entom., vol. 43, tab. 5, Fig. 6). 



Michael's drawing (British Oribatidae, vol. 2, tab. 54, Fig. 8) 

 shows racwodactyle claws, the table (key) to the species of Scuto- 

 vertex in his British Oribatidae vol. 2, p. 567, and that in his 

 Oribatidae (Das Tierreich), p. 29, mentions wowodactyle claws; in 

 his description of the legs in his British Oribatidae, vol. 2, p. 572 

 and in his Oribatidae (Das Tierreich), p. 29, he calls them mono- 

 dactyle. And yet my specimens are distinctly ^Wdactyle. It seems 

 that the lateral claws of British specimens are less developed, for 

 Michael describes them (British Oribatidae vol. 2, p. 572) as 

 follows: »but there is a miuute projection at each side of the 

 claw, and two longish, fine hairs, sharply hooked at their distal 

 ends, on either side of each claw." And yet Michael has delineated 



