CHROMOSOMES OF TIGER BEETLES 463 
of this material, tripolar or multipolar spindles, which probably 
explain a certain irregularity in the number of chromosomes. 
Figures 120 to 127 show the extreme varieties of multipolar 
spindles found in the material under consideration. Figure 120 
shows a first spermatocyte telophase more than twice the nor- 
mal size. Size relations seem to indicate that figure 124 is an 
anaphase of this same condition. A large number of spindles 
(figs. 121, 122, and 125) showed indications of being absorbed 
in the cytoplasm. This destruction seemed always to take 
place about the time the chromosomes were in anaphase, as no 
telophase multipolar spindles were found. Even though indi- 
vidual chromosomes, or rather chromatin bodies, were found 
near the pole, the central region still held other chromatin bodies, 
which seemed to be attracted equally by all poles (figs. 122, 
125 to. 127). In figure 127 is a collection of irregular bodies 
being acted upon by six different centrosomes. 
Figure 117 shows an elongated abnormal spindle, the fibers 
of which are bent around another abnormal spindle (fig. 118) 
shown in cross-section. The spindle in figure 118 stands per- 
pendicular to the plane of that in figures 116 and 117. 
An attempt to ascribe a cause for these abnormal processes 
would be, in general, very unsatisfactory. Randolph (’08) says, 
“In one case of abnormal spindle it is known that the material 
came from an earwig which had very recently molted; and it is 
possible that there is a connection between the two facts.” 
Since molting is a normal process, and further since only one 
abnormal spindle was observed in one specimen, it seems pre- 
mature to suggest even a possible association of the two facts. 
It has been suggested that the chromosomes of the primary 
spermatocyte divisions in the tiger beetles are crowded and very 
irregular. This crowded condition was characteristic of all 
species studied. In many cases the chromosomes were so inter- 
laced that the whole spindle presented a very abnormal appear- 
ance. In fact, it may be possible that the large number of 
abnormal mitotic figures found in the first spermatocyte divi- 
sion were conditioned partly by the crowding and interlacing of 
these irregular chromosomes. 
