﻿6Q6 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  carnivorous 
  beetles, 
  such 
  as 
  differeut 
  species 
  of 
  CaraMdce. 
  They 
  live 
  

   in 
  or 
  around 
  the 
  fat 
  body, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  twine 
  around 
  tbe 
  intestines 
  

   of 
  their 
  host, 
  and 
  finallj^ 
  pass 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  anus. 
  As 
  the 
  carnivorous 
  in- 
  

   " 
  sects 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  devour 
  the 
  larvfe 
  of 
  other 
  insects 
  living 
  in 
  damp 
  

   places, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  difficult 
  to 
  see 
  how 
  they 
  should 
  become 
  tenanted 
  by 
  

   young 
  hair-worms 
  encysted 
  in 
  their 
  victims, 
  but 
  why 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  so 
  

   common 
  in 
  grasshoppers 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  easy 
  to 
  determine. 
  Grasshoppers 
  

   probably 
  take 
  the 
  minute 
  larva3 
  with 
  their 
  food, 
  and 
  fields 
  recently 
  in- 
  

   undated 
  are 
  of 
  course 
  more 
  liable 
  to 
  abound 
  with 
  them. 
  They 
  also 
  

   live 
  in 
  fish 
  and 
  frogs, 
  and 
  " 
  Diesiug 
  speaks, 
  on 
  the 
  authority 
  of 
  Kirkland, 
  

   of 
  a 
  young 
  girl 
  in 
  Ohio 
  who 
  had 
  expelled 
  per 
  ano 
  a 
  Gordius 
  varius. 
  It 
  

   is 
  the 
  popular 
  belief 
  in 
  Europe 
  that 
  they 
  live 
  in 
  man, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  

   may 
  be 
  introduced 
  in 
  drinking 
  water 
  from 
  brooks 
  and 
  pools, 
  or 
  in 
  eating 
  

   fish 
  not 
  properly 
  cooked. 
  In 
  this 
  country 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  occur 
  not 
  un- 
  

   commonly 
  in 
  the 
  bodies 
  of 
  grasshoppers, 
  and 
  are 
  useful 
  in 
  keeping 
  them 
  

   in 
  check. 
  

  

  Description 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  occurring 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  — 
  The 
  following 
  

   descriptions 
  are 
  taken 
  from 
  Villot's 
  Monograph, 
  and 
  embrace 
  all 
  up 
  to 
  

   this 
  time 
  known 
  to 
  inhabit 
  this 
  country, 
  a 
  few 
  notes 
  of 
  ray 
  own 
  being 
  

   added 
  : 
  

  

  Gordius 
  aquaticus 
  Linn 
  (Plate 
  LXIII, 
  Fig. 
  7, 
  a, 
  f, 
  i, 
  and 
  k). 
  — 
  Anterior 
  end 
  rounded, 
  

   distinctly 
  swollen. 
  Posterior 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  bilobate, 
  recurved 
  beneath 
  ; 
  lobes 
  

   distinctly 
  hollowed 
  within 
  and 
  abundantly 
  provided 
  with 
  papillae 
  ; 
  a 
  crescent-shaped 
  

   fold 
  of 
  the 
  epidermis 
  beneath 
  the 
  ano-genital 
  opening. 
  Posterior 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  

   female 
  truncated 
  perpendicularly 
  to 
  the 
  axis; 
  ano-genital 
  opening 
  central, 
  surrounded 
  

   with 
  a 
  reddish-brown 
  circle. 
  General 
  coloration 
  varying 
  from 
  milk-white 
  to 
  brown 
  ; 
  

   a 
  horny, 
  transparent 
  cap 
  and 
  a 
  deep-brown 
  ring 
  at 
  the 
  anterior 
  extremity; 
  body 
  be- 
  

   sprinkled 
  with 
  numerous 
  circular 
  spots 
  of 
  a 
  yellowish- 
  white. 
  Epidermis 
  smooth, 
  divided 
  

   into 
  lozenges 
  by 
  salient 
  lines 
  crossing 
  obliquely. 
  Dimensions 
  very 
  variable 
  ; 
  length, 
  

   28-89 
  centimeters 
  ; 
  breadth, 
  | 
  to 
  1 
  millimeter. 
  

  

  Habitat: 
  Europe 
  and 
  North 
  America 
  (Leidy 
  and 
  Girard). 
  A 
  male 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  

   from 
  Grylius 
  nexjlectus 
  June 
  5, 
  Pittsburgh, 
  Pa. 
  (B. 
  C. 
  Jilison), 
  and 
  a 
  female 
  from 
  Tops- 
  

   field, 
  Mass., 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  museum 
  of 
  the 
  Peabody 
  Academy 
  of 
  Science 
  at 
  Salem. 
  I 
  have 
  

   received 
  a 
  female 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  from 
  Prof. 
  C. 
  V. 
  Eiley, 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  parasite 
  of 
  

   Caloptenua 
  si^etus 
  in 
  Missouri. 
  It 
  is 
  probably 
  common 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  country 
  east 
  of 
  

   the 
  Eocky 
  Mountains. 
  

  

  Gordius 
  lineatus 
  Leidy. 
  — 
  Posterior 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  obtuse; 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  

   bilobed 
  and 
  furnished 
  with 
  papillis. 
  Length, 
  .5 
  to 
  7 
  inches. 
  (Leidy). 
  Essex 
  County, 
  

   New 
  York. 
  Diesiug 
  cites 
  it 
  among 
  the 
  synonymes 
  of 
  Gordius 
  aquaticus. 
  

  

  Gordius 
  rohustus 
  Leidy. 
  — 
  Posterior 
  extremity 
  a 
  little 
  compressed 
  and 
  obtuse. 
  Body 
  

   stiff, 
  marked 
  with 
  transverse 
  folds 
  6 
  inches 
  long. 
  Pemberton, 
  N. 
  J. 
  From 
  a 
  grass- 
  

   hopper 
  (Leidy). 
  Diesiug 
  refers 
  it 
  to 
  Gordius 
  aquaticus. 
  A 
  female 
  which 
  agrees 
  with 
  

   this 
  species, 
  from 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  Steno])elmata 
  fasciata 
  Thomas 
  (identified 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Thomas), 
  

   "Wahsatch, 
  Utah 
  (L. 
  E. 
  Eicksecker), 
  is 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  museum 
  of 
  the 
  Peabody 
  Acad- 
  

   emy 
  of 
  Science. 
  The 
  posterior 
  extremity 
  is 
  compressed, 
  except 
  at 
  the 
  extreme 
  end, 
  

   which 
  is 
  cylindrical. 
  The 
  ano-genital 
  orifice 
  is 
  sunken. 
  The 
  body 
  appears 
  as 
  if 
  irreg- 
  

   ularly 
  segmented, 
  being 
  marked 
  by 
  transverse, 
  impressed 
  lines. 
  Head 
  conical, 
  more 
  

   acute 
  than 
  in 
  aquaticus, 
  and 
  paler. 
  This 
  specimen 
  was 
  10 
  inches 
  long, 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   size 
  and 
  proportions 
  as 
  G. 
  aquaticus, 
  and 
  would 
  at 
  first 
  be 
  mistaken 
  lor 
  it. 
  

  

  Professor 
  Leidy 
  states 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  Entomologist 
  (ii, 
  194) 
  that 
  a 
  female 
  of 
  this 
  

   species, 
  about 
  6 
  inches 
  long, 
  was 
  found 
  parasitic 
  in 
  a 
  grassho^Dper, 
  Orchelimum 
  gracile, 
  

   in 
  New 
  Jersey. 
  

  

  Gordius 
  subs2nralis 
  Diesiug. 
  — 
  Body 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  brown 
  ; 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  attenu- 
  

   ated 
  in 
  front, 
  of 
  a 
  clear 
  brown, 
  brilliant, 
  irised. 
  Head 
  surrounded 
  with 
  a 
  ring 
  of 
  an 
  

   obscure 
  brown. 
  Caudal 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  terminated 
  by 
  two 
  diverging 
  lobes, 
  

   spiral, 
  recurved 
  beneath, 
  smooth, 
  joined 
  to 
  their 
  base 
  by 
  a 
  membranous 
  fold 
  ; 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  female 
  obtuse, 
  a 
  little 
  compressed. 
  Dimensions 
  of 
  the 
  male: 
  Length, 
  8 
  inche3-2 
  

   feet 
  2 
  inches; 
  thickness,i-|of 
  a 
  line; 
  female, 
  10 
  inches-2 
  feet 
  6 
  lines 
  ; 
  thickness, 
  J-f- 
  of 
  

   a 
  line. 
  

  

  Habitat 
  : 
  Common 
  in 
  a 
  pond 
  525 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  Fort 
  Eiley, 
  Kansas, 
  which 
  would 
  

   place 
  the 
  habitat 
  in 
  Central 
  Colorado, 
  where 
  it 
  lives 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  Siredon 
  (Ham- 
  

   mon). 
  Diesing, 
  who 
  made 
  the 
  species 
  known 
  in 
  18C0, 
  referred 
  to 
  it 
  a 
  Gordius, 
  which 
  

   Leidy 
  had 
  mentioned 
  without 
  a 
  specific 
  name 
  in 
  18.57. 
  

  

  Go7-dius 
  fasciatus 
  Baird.* 
  — 
  Body 
  farrowed 
  with 
  cross-lines, 
  attenuated 
  in 
  front 
  and 
  

  

  * 
  Proceedings 
  Zoological 
  Society 
  London, 
  1853, 
  21, 
  pi. 
  xxx, 
  f. 
  6. 
  

  

  