ANT AND TERMITE GUESTS 



197 



and family of guests for a particular ' normal ' host 

 species, host genus, and host family, and this at the 

 same time; or we must assume that they, by the way 

 of a natural racial evolution, by adaptation to the 

 myrmecophil and termitophil mode of existence, arrived 

 at that which they represent in systematic classifi- 

 cation namely, particular species, genera, and families. 

 The first assumption, however, gives no natural explana- 

 tion whatever of the origin of adaptive characters, but 

 is an obvious denial of the same ; therefore the latter 

 assumption remains as the only natural explanation 

 of the facts concerned. 



For the further elucidation of this evidence it may 

 be furthermore mentioned that, for instance, the various 

 species of the wandering Ant genus Eciton in Brazil 

 have not only various species, but even very many 

 varied genera of Hemiptera as guests, which are only 

 adapted to this kind of host. This applies namely 

 to the guests of the mimicry type which are extra- 

 ordinarily specialized. Thus, for instance, the genus 

 Mimeciton is only fitted for existence for and with Eciton 

 prcedator, the genus Ecitoxenia only for and with 

 Eciton quadriglume, the genus Ecitophya (Fig. 38) 

 only for and with Eciton Burchelli (Foreli), etc. ; and, 

 in addition, the species concerned of the host genus 

 Eciton are very closely related and partly so closely 

 resemble each other that a constancy theorist could 

 only regard them as ' races ' of one and the same 

 species and would therefore not require for them a 

 special ' creative act/ but the guests God must have 



