Entomologische Nachrichten. 
Begründet von Dr. F. Katter in Putbus. 
Herausgegeben 
von Dr. Ferd. Karsch in Berlin. 
XX. Jahrg. Juni 1894. No. 11. 
Pulex imperator Westwood. 
Prof. Taschenberg’s note in the last No. (7) of the 
„Nachrichten“ induces me to publish a copy of the original 
notices concerning this imperial flea. 
At the meeting of the Entomological Society of London 
in May 4. 1857 it is in record — Proc. Ent. Soc. Lond., 
new series, Vol. IV, p. 70 — that „Mr. Westwood exhibited 
a gigantic species of flea, for which he proposed the specific 
name of imperator. The specimen, which is about twenty 
times the size of the common Pulex irritans, was found 
dead in a bed at Gateshead.“ 
At the meeting of March 7. 1859 it was stated — op. 
eit. Vol. V, p. 60 — that he exhibited an insect which 
he had received some time previously from Dr. Backhouse, 
of Gateshead, as a gigantic flea, and which he had exhibited 
to the Society on the 4. of May 1857 (whitout howewer, 
having previousliy bad an opportunity of carefully examining 
it), and for which he then suggested the name of Pulex 
imperator. He had howewer, recently examined the insect 
more minutely, and had ascertained that it was the very 
young larva of a Blatta, much distorted by being erushed 
flat in rather an oblique position, and with most of the 
limbs broken off. A small portion of the base of the multi- 
annular antennae was visible in such a situation as to seem 
like a part of the mouth, but on microscopically examining 
it, as well as the portions of the legs still remaining, it 
became evident that the insect was not a flea, and on 
dissecting the mouth its true character was at once de- 
tected.‘ 
I was present on the occasion when the correction was 
made, and can vouch for its having been done in all seri- 
ousness and accompanied by explanatory drawings. West- 
wood himself never affected publicly, to treat it as a 
11 
