404 BRITISH 0RIBATID2E. 



weeds ; common and generally distributed. I am not 

 aware that it lias been recorded except by myself. 



Genus— DAM^US,* Koch. 



Equals Damceus and part of Oppia, Kocli. 

 Equals Belba, Canestrini and Fanzago. 

 Equals Belba and Damceus, Berlese. 



Afterog aster ince with cephalotliorax anchylosed to 

 abdomen ; without lamella ; with abdomen round or 

 oval,notogaster arched, cuticle of adults fully chitinised, 

 and long thin legs with clavate or moniliform joints. 



To the above definition might be added, if regard 

 were only paid to the species hitherto found in Eng- 

 land, " claws monodactyle," but this would not hold 

 good with some foreign species. Berlese's genus 

 Damams is wholly composed of tridactyle species, while 

 he calls the monodactyle Belba, which scarcely seems 

 a happy arrangement, as Koch originated the genus 

 Damceus, and all his species were monodactyle. In the 

 description of the genus Notasjns, I have already given 

 my reasons for not considering the Belba of Hayden 

 to be the same as the Damoius of Koch. 



This is a distinct genus, well marked by its long 

 legs, and the clavate or moniliform shape of the joints. 

 The adults are usually very hard and chitinous, and 

 most of them are among the largest species of 

 Oribatidoi ; they are seldom polished, and are generally 

 provided with longitudinal ridges on the cephalothorax, 

 which vary in the different species. They are almost 

 all very slow, inactive creatures. They were about 

 the first Oribatidce which attracted the attention of 

 zoologists ; this was doubtless due to their size. 



The Rostrum is usually rather small and narrow, 

 and more or less pointed ; it curves downward and 



* Aa/ioiof, a subduer, a conqueror. 



