56 Prof. Westwood on insects infesting the 



covers. The legs are varied in structure ; the anterior 

 (fig. 37) are very short, hut very robust, with the thighs 

 greatly swollen, the tibias very short and subtrigonate, 

 the apical angles produced into curved spines ; the fore 

 tarsi are also very short, with two basal joints of minute 

 size closely soldered together, the terminal joint clavate, 

 with the ungues very robust, each armed with a strong 

 tooth on the inside. The middle legs (fig. 38), on the con- 

 trary, are long and slender, with the joints of the normal 

 size, the tarsi long and composed of five well-defined 

 joints ; the hind legs (fig. 39) have the femora and tibia? 

 thickened, resembling those of the fore legs, but the 

 tarsi are twice the length of the tibiae and five-jointed, 

 with strong terminal ungues. The abdomen is convex, 

 rather wider than the thorax, with three large basal 

 joints ; the following being g^radually narrowed and 

 ordinarily bent beneath the thorax (figs. 34 and 35). In 

 fig, 34, which is drawn from a transparently-mounted 

 individual, the male genital organ is seen to be retracted 

 within the abdomen nearly throughout its entire length. 

 In fig. 36 the extremity of the male organ is detached, the 

 ai3ex of the penetrating portion slightly bifid, and extend- 

 ing beyond the extremity of the preceding tubular j)ortion. 

 The pair of minute claspers seen in the male of 

 Sycopliaga were not observed in the male Blastopliaga. 



Description of tlie female. — Referring to the general 

 description of this sex given in my former paper, various 

 additional details merit attention. The head (fig. 40) is 

 nearly round, with the eyes large and strongly granu- 

 lated. The mandibles (fig. 46), seen sideways, are affixed 

 as usual, and are opened and closed by the ordinary 

 muscles at the basal angle. The large serrated appen- 

 dages described as palpi by Gravenhorst are not 

 separately movable, not being articulated at the j^oint 

 of their connection with the base of the mandibles; 

 consequently, when the mandibles close, the appendages 

 (which lie flat on the under side of the head) are pro- 

 jected more obliquely towards the sides of the head, and 

 when the mandibles are opened the appendages are 

 brought nearer together, the serratures on the appen- 

 dages thus probably acting as files or saws in assisting 

 the insect in escaping through the opening which it has 

 commenced making through the walls of the pericarp of 

 the fig in which it has been reared. 



