CHROMOSOMES OF THE REDUVIIDAE 337 



Apiomeris crassipes is one of the Reduviidae in which we find 

 a single sHghtly unequal pair of idiochromosomes. The spermato- 

 gonial number is twenty-four, the first spermatocyte thirteen and 

 the second spermatocyte twelve. I made twelve counts of the 

 first division and thirty-four of the second. These counts were 

 made from metaphase plates which were perfectly flat and in 

 which the chromosomes were well separated. The counts of the 

 first division showed a range from thirteen to sixteen; one with 

 thirteen, six with fourteen, four with fifteen, and one with six- 

 teen. Figure 4, A, 5, C, D, E and F are metaphase plates showing 

 these variations and I think that even the most optomistic will 

 admit that these figures seem to show a real variation. Things 

 look somewhat differently though when such figures are viewed 

 from the side (fig. 4, G, H and /). These figures show clearly 

 that some of the bodies, which in pole view appear to be chromo- 

 somes, are not really chromosomes at all but in all probability 

 are yolk granules. At any rate, they do not behave as chromo- 

 somes and, it seems to me, behavior is about the best test for a 

 chromosome. To be sure, chromosomes differ in their behavior 

 and within the last few years several types of behavior have been 

 described, but these bodies do not behave like any of the described 

 types. The chromosomes are clearly bipartite. The granules 

 are spherical and never at any stage show signs of constriction. 

 They may or may not lie in the same plane as the chromosomes. 



Counts of the second maturation division also show similar 

 variations. The normal number in this division is twelve. Out 

 of thirty-four counts, there were six with twelve, eleven with 

 thirteen, six with fourteen and eleven with fifteen bodies resem- 

 bling chromosomes. Some of these variations are shown in figure 

 4, J and L. Side views (fig. 4, M and A^ of these metaphases again 

 show the granules as spherical unconstricted bodies. 



I have no anaphases of Apiomeris showing conclusively that 

 these granules do not divide, but have made some counts of 

 the second maturatioij division in Conorhinus where anaphases 

 are present. The normal number of chromosomes in this division 

 of Conorhinus is thirteen, but since one of the triad group in the 

 middle lies below the two, only twelve show. One hundred 



