446 



THE INSECTA. 



^348. 



The Phosphorescent Organs of the Lampyridae and certain Elateridae/^^' 

 consist of a mass of spherical cells, filled with a fiucly-granular substance, 

 and surrounded by many numerous trachean branches/'''" This substance 

 which, by day-light, appears of a yellow, sulphur-like aspect, fills, with the 

 Lampyridae, a portion of the abdominal cavity, and shines on the ventral 

 surface through the last abdominal segments, which are covered with a 

 very thin skin; while, with the Elateridae, the illumination occurs through 

 two transparent spots situated on the dorsal surface of the prothorax. The 

 light produced by these organs so remarkably rich in tracheae, is undoubt- 

 edly the result of a combustion kept up by the oxygen of the air of these 

 vessels. This combustion explains the remission of this phosphorescence 

 observed with the brilliant fireflies, and which coincides, not with the move- 

 ments of the heart, but with those of inspiration and expiration/^' 



CHAPTER IX. 



ORGANS OF GENERATION. 



§ 348. 



The Insecta always multiply by means of genital organs situated in 

 different individuals,'^' and, invariably, are provided with copulatory organs.l 

 With certain species, namely, with the Apidae, and Termitidae, the females 



IS For the phosphorescene of these Coleoptera, 

 Bee Cams, Aiialekt. &c. p. 16S ; Burmeister, 

 Handb. I. p. 534, and Lacordaire, Introduce. &c. 

 II. p. 140. 



i'J The intimate structure of these organs has 

 been studied with Lampyris italica by Peters 

 (Muller's Arch. 1841, p. 229), and by Morren 

 (Isis, 1843, p. 412). This last author says that this 

 insect contains i)hosphorus, but adduces no fact in 

 support of this assertion. 



* Malteuci has made numerous experiments on 

 the phospliorescence of Lampyris italica ; from 

 which it appears that the phosphorescent sul).stance 

 burns by means of tlie oxygen contained in the 

 tracheae, witliout any increase of the temperature, 

 and without any indication of the presence of 

 phosphorus ; see Matteiici, Lemons sur les i)he- 

 nom. pliys. li. corps vivants, Paris, 1847, p. 151, 

 and Compt. Rend. XVII. 1843, p. 309, also in Fro- 



riep^s neue Not. No. 583, p. 16S, and in Schleiden 

 and Frorieph Not. No. 9, p. 135.* 



1 Hartig has declared that certain species of 

 Cynips are hermaphrodites ; hxd Ratzehurs; and I 

 have sliown tliat this assertion is based on an erro- 

 neous interpretation of the organization of the 

 females of Cynips ; see Gerniar's Zeitsch. f. 

 Entora. III. p. 322, Taf. I.; and IV. p. 380, 396. 



The true hermaphrodites which have as yet been 

 found in the other orders of insects, notably among 

 the Lepidoptera, ought to be regarded as monsters. 

 King (Verhandl. d. Qessellsch. natui'f. Freuude in 

 Rerlin, I. p. 363, and Jahrb. d. Inseckt. I. p. 254), 

 Ochsenheimer (Die Schmetterl. von EuropalV. p. 

 185) and Lrfihvre (Ann. d. 1. Soc. Entom. IV. 

 1835, p. 145) have given a list of the cases of 

 hcrmaiihroditism with insects. See also Burmeis- 

 ter, Ilandb. I. p. 338.t 



Tarious Insecta, among which were Dorthesia, 

 Alaerodes, &c. The wax consists of fibres which 

 are jierpendicular to the secreting surface, and is 

 a true product of the integument independent of 

 any special glandular apparatus. — Ed. 



* [ § 347, note 20.] See, also, a note by me upon 

 the intimate structure of the phosphorescent organs 

 in Pyrophorus phosphorus. Proceed. Boston Soc. 

 Nat. Hist. 1850, p. 290. — Ed. 



t I § 348, note 1.] See, also, for cases of true 

 hermai)!iroditism in the Insecta, Wing (Trans, of 

 the Ent. Sue. London, V. p. 119) and fVesmail 

 (Bull, de I'Acad. d. Brux. 1849, 11. p. 378). — Ed. 



J [ § 348. J The copulatory organs of the Insecta 

 present wide and manifold variations, as lias been 

 shown especially by the recent researches of La- 

 cnze Duthiers, Recherches sur I'Armure genitale 

 des Insecces, in the Ann. d. Sc. Nat. 1849, XII. p. 

 353, 1850, XIV. p. 17 ; also his Recherches sur 

 I'Armure genitale femelle des Insectes Orlhopt^res, 

 id Ibid. XVII. 1852, p. 207, and Recherches sur 

 I'armure genitale femelle dea Insectes ll^mipt^res, 

 Ibid. XVIII. 1852, p. 337, finally the same of the 

 Insectes Nevropteres, Coleopti^res, Dipttrcs, io 

 Ibid. XIX. 1853, p. 25, et seq. — Ed. 



