Mr, R. She] ford's Studies of the Blattidx. 515 



VII. A New Genus of Symbiotic Blattibje. 



Genus Spheeoiihila, nov. 



Superficially resembling Attaphila, Wheel., buttegmina absent iu 

 the male ; subgenital lamina of male provided with two styles ; 

 femora unarmed beneath ; no arolia between tarsal claws ; frons 

 swollen ; eyes reduced ; ocelli present; antennse short, but conform- 

 ing to normal Blattid type. 



The only known species was taken from the nest of 

 the wasp, Polyhia •pygmmi. Fab., in French Gniana. 



We have in this httle cockroach an example of the 

 difficulties which beset the systematist when he has to 

 deal with aberrant species modified by peculiar habits and 

 environment to a similar general facies. 



The genus Attapliila contains two species of myrme- 

 cophilous cockroaches, A. fungicola. Wheel., and A. hcrgi, 

 Bol, found respectively in the nests of Attn fcrvens, Say, 

 in Texas, and Atta lundi, Gner., in Uruguay. Wheeler, 

 who first made known the genus (Amer. Nat. vol. xxxiv, 

 p. 851, 1900), suggests that among the Blattidse it occupies 

 " a peculiar if not unique taxonomic position ; " and Bolivar 

 (Comm. del Mus. Nac. d. Buenos Aires, p. 333, 1901) 

 creates for its reception the sub-family Attaphilinse, regard- 

 ing the peculiar antennal characters of high importance. 

 This sub-family takes its place in the first of the two great 

 divisions in which the Blattidse have been brigaded, viz. 

 that in which the femora are spined beneath. SphceoioMlcc 

 cannot be placed in this division, for the femora are un- 

 armed beneath ; much less then can it be placed in the 

 sub-family Attaphilinae, though its general resemblance to 

 Attaphila is most striking. Must then a new sub-family 

 be created for the reception of Sphecophila 1 I think not ; 

 the multiplication of sub-divisions for the reception of 

 anomalous genera is a practice to be deprecated for many 

 reasons, chief among which is the consideration that it 

 tends to obscure the relationships which must exist 

 between these anomalous genera and genera of more 

 normal type. In my opinion Attaphila may be regarded 

 as an aberrant Phyllodromiine, akin to Lohoptera, Br., or 

 Temnopteryx, Br., and Sphecophila as an aberrant member 

 TRANS, ENT. SOC. LOND. 1906. — PART IV. (jAN. 1907) 3-i 



