{ Ixxxi ) 



brought for exhibition a very perfect example of Rumicia 

 phlaeus, ab. schmidtii, of a pale yellow colour, like the original 

 ab. schmidtii, which was not white ; also, a o Polyommatus 

 icarus, ab. obsoleta, and some very blue ?Q of the latter species, 

 all taken in the neighbourhood of Brasted, N. Kent. 



Platyphora lubbocki, Verrall, axd Aenigmatias 



BLATTOIDES, MeINERT, OXE SPECIES. — ^Ir. DOXISTHORPE 



exhibited specimens of Platyphora lubbocki, Verrall, and 

 Aenigmatias blattoides, Meinert, which he had reared in a nest 

 of Formica picea, Nyl., taken in the New Forest in July last. 

 He pointed out that he believed he had proved that these 

 two flies were the S and § of the same species. This had been 

 suggested by Mik in 1898, but considerable doubt had been 

 expressed on the point, and indeed Mik did not give any reason 

 for his supposition. He gave the following history of the 

 two sexes : In 1877 Verrall described Platyphora lubbocki 

 (a new genus and species) on a single specimen bred by the 

 late Lord Avebm-y in one of his ants' nests, the host, however, 

 not being mentioned. On July 6 Dr. AVood captured a 

 specimen in Stokes Wood near Hereford, and in 1909 

 J. J. F. X. King took another in the New Forest. In 1913 

 (on July 11 and 26) I bred two specimens in my F. sanguinea 

 nest ; these I exhibited at a meeting of this society and said 

 they had probably been bred from pupae of F. fusca given 

 to the sanguinea nest as slaves. jVIr. Edwards, however, 

 tells me that they are not the same species as the picea ones 

 (and they may be P. dohrni the ^ of Aenigmatias dohrni, Ender- 

 lein, and bred from F. rufibarbis pupae which were also given 

 to the nest from Weybridge, but we will return to this shortly). 

 I have bred some twelve specimens from my picea nest this 

 year. Aenigmatias blattoides was described by Meinert in 

 1890 from two specimens taken with F. fusca at Copenhagen 

 in 1908, Wasmann bred two specimens in a Formica exsecta 

 nest at Luxemburg from F. fusca cocoons (and he also recorded 

 others from F. rufibarbis nests, but Father Schmitz tells me 

 these are A. dohrni, Enderlein) ; on July 21, 1912, I cap- 

 tured a specimen in a, fusca nest at Nethy Bridge, and this year 

 I have bred some seven specimens from my picea nest. 



Aenigmatias dohrni was described by Enderlein in 1908 



PROC. ENT. SOC. LOND., Ill, IV, 1914. F 



