294 



24 A) all the shields have fused into one long sterni-geniti-ventri- 

 anal shield, of which the four parts are tolerably discernable. 

 The coxa 2 bears a pin anteriorly, and of its two usual hairs 

 the anterior one is a big one (Fig. 24 B). Of the coxa 3 the 

 anterior hair is wholly transforraed in a flat chitiuous hook 

 with a wing (Fig. 24 B). 



Female. (Fig. 25). The two dorsal sïiields ave scaly. The ante- 

 rior dorsal shield perfectly corresponds with that of the nympha. 

 The posterior one, corresponding with the part of the dorsurn of 

 the nympha, occupied by the wrinkled shin, the 4 intermediate 

 shields and the posterior dorsal shield, is aliuost piriform, with 

 truncated anterior margin, and provided with 6 stiff bristles and 

 6 smaller ditto quite posteriorly. When the female is half-fed, 

 the dorsal shield occupies nearly one fourth of the dorsum, which 

 is moreover provided with almost regular, longitudinal rows of 

 hairs. — The sternal shield (Fig. 26) is trapezoidal, somewhat 

 excavated posteriorly, and provided with the usual 6 hairs. It 

 shows, however, the striking peculiarity, that its posterior third 

 part is stronger chitinized than the anterior two third parts, and 

 more lightrefracting, and this may have led Berlese to teil us 

 that »the sternal shield is only a transverse rod with one hair on 

 each end: vitta transversa chitineaV 



The genital shield is long, reaching anteriorly the sternal shield, 

 posteriorly running far beyond the coxae 4. It is provided with 

 two bristles between the coxae 4, has distinct edges posteriorly, 

 and becomes indistinct anteriorly, where the shin is wrinkled in 

 sach a way, as if the genital aperture were not transverse, hut 

 longitudinal, like that of Ophionyssus natricis (Gerv.). 



The anal shield is long, almost piriform, with distinct cribrum. 

 The venter moreover is provided with many hairs, surroundiug 

 the back-half of the genital shield and the anal shield. The 

 legs are slender (Fig. 25). Coxa 1 has a sharp thorn anteriorly. 



