THE REDISCOVERY OF A PECULIAR GENUS AND SPECIES 



OF ORIBATIDAE. 



By H. E. EwiNG, 

 Ames, Iowa. 



Years ago Mr. Theo. Pergande made a drawing of a very 

 peculiar species of the order Acarina. The specimens of this 

 species were collected by Mr. E. W. Allis, at Adrian, Mich., 

 in October, 1885. This acarid, with many others, it appears, 

 was found in connection with a study of the eggs and larva3 

 of the 17-year locust. Some time later when Mr. C. L. Marlatt 

 was ready to publish his bulletin upon the 17-year locust, he 

 asked Mr. Nathan Banks to determine the Acarina for him. 

 Mr. Banks looked over the mite figures (^these were very accu- 

 rately drawn, and represented beautifully the characters of the 

 different species), and named what he couM. It was Mr. 

 Banks' intention to describe these species when he had examined 

 the specimens. Later he did describe some of them, but the 

 slide of this species he could not find! 



Notwithstanding the fact that this slide was never found, 

 the figure and name of this interesting species were published in 

 Mr. Banks' treatise on the Acarina.* Whether or not Mr. 

 Banks thought at the time his paper was published, that this 

 genus was good, it is hard to tell. No comment whatever, is 

 made upon this genus or species, and in his key to the genera of 

 the OribatidcB given on the opposite page from the picture, this 

 genus is omitted. 



While looking over some slides in the cabinet of the Depart- 

 ment of Zoology, Iowa State College, I came across a slide of 

 this species which had the following data upon it: "/« galls on 

 elm hvigs. Ames, Iowa, April 16, 1894." The slide contained 

 about a dozen individuals well preserved but poorly mounted. 

 I dissolved off the cover-glass and obtained the specimens with- 

 out injury for my work upon the species. I found that this 

 species represents in almost exact detail all the peculiar charac- 

 ters shown in Mr. Pergande's figure ju.st referred to. These 

 characters are given in the following pages. 



*A Treatise on the Acarina, or Mites. Proc. U. S. Xat. Mus., Vol. XXVIH, 

 p. 70, Fig. 1.36. 



209 



