270 



A Sarcoptes of a Bat 



BY 



Dr. A. C. O VD EH A ITU. 



with Plate 11. 



From Mr. S. A. Poppe in Vegesack , Bremen , I received some 

 time ago a few tubes with Acari, with the request to determine 

 them. The tubes contained 18 well known species, but one of the 

 tubes with Acari found on a bat, Vespertilio nmrimls , contained 

 some curious globular bodies with a piece of dark coloured mem- 

 brane adhering to them. With an ordinary magnifying glass I detected 

 that these bodies were parasites which had buiTowed themselves 

 into the membrane , the hole through which they made their en- 

 trance being still visible (see Plate 11. fig. 1), and once between 

 the two lamellae of the membrane they were swollen by sucking 

 the blood or lymphatic fluid of the bat. The edges of the hole 

 mentioned above were dark coloured , nearly black , as if burnt 

 by heal and turned somewhat upwards. 



Fig. 2. When I returned this cui'ious body, I saw the underside 

 coloured much lighter, yellowish brown, and I could distinctly 

 discern numerous ovoid whity spots, which afterwards proved to 

 be eggs. 



Fig. 3. Seen from the side, the lens-shaped body appeared to be exactly 

 in the middle of the membi'ane , so that the membrane , which 

 was cut with a pair of scissors all around it , surrounded it like 

 the ring surrounds Saturn. The edges of the hole are distinctly 

 seen turned a little upwards. 



With very fine steel needles I succeeded in tearing the upper 



