﻿125 
  

  

  in 
  England, 
  by 
  Newman 
  (' 
  Zoologist,' 
  1850, 
  p. 
  2684), 
  who 
  endeavours 
  to 
  prove 
  that 
  the 
  

   Strepsiptera 
  are 
  genuine 
  Coleopteva. 
  We 
  find 
  the 
  grounds 
  of 
  his 
  arguments 
  stated 
  

   in 
  extracts 
  in 
  the 
  entomological 
  ' 
  Jahrsbericht 
  ' 
  of 
  Wiegman's 
  'Archivs,' 
  (1851, 
  Bd. 
  ii. 
  

   p. 
  200). 
  Herr 
  v. 
  Siebold 
  is 
  not 
  convinced 
  by 
  the 
  reasons 
  given, 
  that 
  the 
  Strepsiptera 
  

   are 
  beetles. 
  The 
  resemblance 
  of 
  the 
  larvas 
  of 
  Strepsiptera 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  Meloe 
  is 
  refer- 
  

   red 
  to, 
  but 
  that 
  is 
  only 
  very 
  superficial 
  ; 
  the 
  latter 
  have 
  the 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  mouth 
  dis- 
  

   tinctly 
  developed, 
  in 
  the 
  former 
  they 
  are 
  entirely 
  wanting. 
  In 
  both 
  sexes 
  of 
  beetles 
  

   the 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  mouth 
  are 
  always 
  developed 
  into 
  very 
  perfect 
  biting 
  organs 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  

   male 
  of 
  the 
  perfected 
  Strepsiptera 
  they 
  are 
  reduced 
  to 
  two 
  rudimentary 
  jaws, 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  female 
  they 
  are 
  entirely 
  absent. 
  The 
  prothorax 
  in 
  all 
  beetles 
  is 
  seen 
  very 
  strongly 
  

   developed, 
  and 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  forms 
  a 
  large 
  surfoce, 
  furnished 
  with 
  many 
  characters 
  

   indicative 
  of 
  genera 
  and 
  species 
  ; 
  while, 
  in 
  the 
  Strepsiptera, 
  this 
  upper 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   thorax 
  has 
  almost 
  entirely 
  vanished. 
  The 
  reduced 
  and 
  somewhat 
  spirally 
  twisted 
  fore 
  

   wings 
  of 
  the 
  Strepsiptera 
  are 
  very 
  movable 
  appendages, 
  and 
  occupy 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  

   anterior 
  halteres 
  (Schwingkoll)en), 
  corresponding 
  to 
  the 
  hinder 
  halteres 
  of 
  the 
  Dipte- 
  

   ra 
  ; 
  in 
  beetles, 
  the 
  fore 
  wings 
  are 
  simply 
  coverings 
  for 
  the 
  hind 
  wings, 
  and 
  in 
  flight 
  

   are 
  merely 
  lifted 
  up 
  and 
  held 
  immovable, 
  whether 
  they 
  are 
  diminutive 
  or 
  not. 
  All 
  

   the 
  male 
  Strepsiptera 
  want 
  the 
  claws 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  joint 
  of 
  the 
  tarsi, 
  an 
  apparatus 
  so 
  ne- 
  

   cessary 
  for 
  Coleoptera, 
  which 
  use 
  their 
  legs 
  in 
  running, 
  climbing, 
  and 
  clinging, 
  that 
  

   all 
  species 
  are 
  provided 
  therewith 
  ; 
  moreover, 
  they 
  live 
  for 
  months, 
  and 
  even 
  years, 
  af- 
  

   ter 
  they 
  have 
  thrown 
  off 
  their 
  pupa-covering, 
  whereas 
  the 
  male 
  Strepsiptera, 
  from 
  the 
  

   moment 
  they 
  emerge 
  from 
  the 
  pupa, 
  flutter 
  incessantly, 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  live 
  longer 
  than 
  a 
  

   day. 
  Though 
  Herr 
  v. 
  Siebold 
  is 
  now 
  convinced 
  that 
  the 
  Strepsijitera 
  are 
  not 
  Coleo- 
  

   ptera, 
  he 
  still 
  thinks 
  that 
  the 
  attempt 
  made 
  by 
  entomologists 
  to 
  place 
  them 
  in 
  that 
  

   position, 
  must 
  be 
  borne 
  with, 
  and 
  even 
  received 
  with 
  welcome, 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  very 
  good 
  

   practical 
  advantages, 
  from 
  which 
  science 
  may 
  very 
  shortly 
  derive 
  benefit. 
  Hitherto, 
  

   the 
  entire 
  group 
  of 
  Strepsiptera 
  has 
  been 
  neglected 
  in 
  an 
  unprecedented 
  manner 
  by 
  

   German 
  entomologists, 
  but 
  now, 
  since 
  Coleopterists 
  find 
  the 
  Strepsiptera 
  incorporated 
  

   into 
  the 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  Coleoptera, 
  they 
  will 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  adorn 
  their 
  collections 
  with 
  

   these 
  pretty 
  little 
  creatures. 
  They 
  will 
  now 
  pay 
  attention 
  to 
  these 
  insects, 
  will 
  cap- 
  

   ture 
  and 
  pin 
  them, 
  and 
  so 
  must 
  study 
  the 
  circumstances 
  of 
  their 
  existence; 
  they 
  will 
  

   be 
  compelled 
  to 
  observe 
  them, 
  and 
  the 
  insects 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  live, 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   attention, 
  for 
  this 
  is 
  absolutely 
  necessary, 
  if 
  they 
  wish 
  to 
  possess 
  winged 
  Stylopidae. 
  

   In 
  this 
  way, 
  observations 
  and 
  communications 
  respecting 
  these 
  hitherto 
  little 
  known 
  

   creatures 
  will 
  be 
  amassed, 
  from 
  which 
  hereafter 
  the 
  scientific 
  position 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  

   will 
  stand 
  out 
  with 
  greater 
  certainty. 
  As 
  the 
  lecturer 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  called 
  upon 
  

   by 
  several 
  Coleopterologists 
  to 
  indicate 
  some 
  means 
  by 
  which 
  these 
  Strepsiptera 
  may 
  

   be 
  procured, 
  he 
  thinks 
  it 
  right 
  to 
  recommend 
  the 
  following 
  method 
  of 
  rearing 
  them, 
  

   which 
  has 
  even 
  now 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  useful 
  ; 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  by 
  breeding 
  that 
  one 
  can 
  

   obtain 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  winged 
  males, 
  for, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  their 
  smalluess, 
  tenderness, 
  

   and 
  short, 
  hidden 
  life, 
  they 
  can 
  only 
  very 
  rarely 
  and 
  casually 
  be 
  taken 
  at 
  large. 
  In 
  the 
  

   first 
  place, 
  a 
  spacious, 
  light, 
  and 
  airy 
  cage 
  or 
  apartment 
  (Zwinger) 
  must 
  be 
  prepared, 
  

   in 
  which 
  flowering 
  Umbelliferse 
  (which 
  are 
  eagerly 
  sought 
  by 
  Hymenoptera) 
  may 
  be 
  

   placed, 
  and 
  kept 
  fresh 
  by 
  water 
  in 
  glasses; 
  then, 
  nothing 
  must 
  be 
  thought 
  of 
  the 
  trou- 
  

   ble 
  of 
  catching 
  the 
  Apids 
  and 
  Andrenidae 
  which 
  frequent 
  the 
  flowers 
  of 
  the 
  sallows, 
  and 
  

   examining 
  whether 
  they 
  are 
  Stylopized 
  or 
  not, 
  and 
  then 
  carefully 
  placing 
  in 
  the 
  afore- 
  

   said 
  cage 
  those 
  which 
  are 
  Stylopized, 
  which 
  may 
  easily 
  be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  those 
  

   that 
  are 
  not 
  Stylopized. 
  One 
  proceeds 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  with 
  the 
  Stylopized 
  

  

  