LINCOLNSHIRE MITES. 
RHYNCHOLOPHIDA:.— (Continued). 
C. F. GEORGE, M.R.C.S. 
Kirton-tn-Lindsey. 
RuyncuoLorpuus. The members of this genus, though resembling 
Erythreus, will be seen to differ in many important particulars. 
They have longer legs, some of them very long ones, especially 
the hinder pair, and from this fact one of them has been called 
Jongipes ; possibly it may be the one figured ; of this, however, | am 
not sure. The internode above the tarsus of the hind leg is very 
long, much longer than any other. These mites are very active 
and good runners, and hence perhaps not easily caught. They 
are said to be common, but I have not found this to be the case. 
All the tarsal joints are flattened from side to side, those of the 
first pair are the largest (see figure 4), and are provided with a 
sort of hair pad on the under side, which gives them good foot- 
hold irrespective of the claws. I have one taken in this 
neighbourhood in 1877, which is mounted in Balsam for the 
microscope, and not very well displayed; I had, however, been 
furnished with a few specimens from Guernsey by Mr. Luff, 
which appear to be identical, and it is from these specimens, 
preserved and. mounted by me, that Mr. Soar has made the 
drawings which illustrate this article. The mite is of a red 
colour, the body rather densely covered with short bristles, 
thickly pectinated (see figure 6).. The palpi are shown much 
enlarged at figure 3. The fifth joint is pear-shaped and larger in 
proportion to the fourth than in Z7rythreus ; the proboscis is 
also furnished at the tip with a very curious circlet of hairs, 
best seen in the living or unmounted mite. The eyes are very 
different from those of Zrythreus ; instead of a single ocellus on 
each side, there are two ocelli joined together on a kidney- 
shaped process.‘see figure 2), embedded in the skin. Another 
remarkable organ is the chitinous rod, which lies in the dorsal 
groove in the centre between the two eyes, and is furnished at 
the anterior end with a rather large and globular capitulum 
(figure 2), seen greatly enlarged at figure 5 ; it is furnished with 
several longish hairs, or spikes, which are pectinated, and also 
two stigmatic openings, each having a very fine and rather long 
tactile simple hair. The posterior end of the rod is also slightly 
enlarged, and likewise bears two stigmatic openings, with their 
1907 July r 
