210 Amnils liutomologiml Society of America [Vol. III. 



Xow in regard lo the question of who is to he ^^iven crecht 

 for the genus Oripoda for whieh this species stands as a type. 

 Mr. Banks writes that he never has seen any of the individuals 

 of this species, and that the species never has been described. 

 Mr. Pergande was not a special student of the Acarina. and did 

 not give a name to the species. While the author himself 

 is the only one who has ever actually studied specimens of this 

 species with the idea of finding out the systematic value of their 

 characters, yet 1 am not res])onsible for the name or figure in 

 any way. In llic International Code, I can find nothing which 

 states that the person who first describes, or in any way makes 

 recognizable a new species or genus, must have actually seen the 

 species he is naming or describing. Morally it does not appear 

 ]jroper to describe species upon secondhand information, still, 

 some of the greatest advances in 'science are made in the inter- 

 pretation of facts observed by others. Under these conditions, 

 it appears to me that to give both Mr. Banks and Mr. Pergande 

 credit for the genus and species is the best way out of the diffi- 

 culty: in reality the conditions are very similar to a joint author- 

 ship. 



The genus Oripoda I count as a very distinct and ]3eculiar 

 genus. The form and shape of the cephalothorax arc entirely 

 (lift'erent from that of any other species of the Oribatidae: the 

 queer shapes and forms of the segments of the second pair of 

 legs represent a great exaggeration of the variations from the 

 common type, as is shown in a few^ of the known species; while 

 the whole body is drawn out to such an extent as to make the 

 creature look out of all proj^ortion when compared with the 

 other members of the group. The genus may be described as 

 follows: 



(jcn. ()rii'()I)A Banks and Pergande. 



Pteromorphc-c very long and narrow, extending almost the 

 entire length of the body, and attached to the cephalothorax 

 as well as to the abdom.en. Cei)halothorax very long and narrow 

 with the sides almost parallel; covered above by a single, 

 chitinous ]jlate which projects slightly, like a hood, over the 

 mouth-parts (Fig. 1). Cephalothorax completely bare above 

 except for a single })air of bristles. Pseudostigmata entirely cov- 

 ered above by the pteromorpha\ and occu])ying an extreme 

 postero-lateral position on the cei)halothorax. Tarsi of the first 

 two pairs of legs very short and truncate anteriorly ( Figs. .") and 



