38 



The mycelia is sealed generally in mucilage while the stomata extend 

 above it. In this photograph a close observation discloses a spermato- 

 phore just below the stoma (Figure 10). The spermatophore has been 

 flattened, and slightly elongated by the weight of the snail and embedded 

 in the mucal crust (Figure 11). The sperm sac was ruptured expelling 

 the sperm. The sperm sac was believed damaged by the snail, but the 

 author acknowledges the possibility that it may have been previously 

 damaged. 



The action of glattening the spermatophore and rupturing the sperm 

 sac are both important, in that either would be sufficient to prevent 

 sperm transfer in the citrus rust mite. This is the first definitive 

 example that the ambulatory movement of the tree snail has any effect 

 on the citrus rust mite sex determination. Should sufficient spermato- 

 phore become damaged, there would be an increase in the ratio of males 

 in the next generation. 



The slime trail as it hardened often broke up into small irregular 

 shaped platelets ranging from 20 p to 5 p or less across (Figure 12). 

 If disturbed the platelets apparently collapsed or fell off taking with 

 it the mycelia and debris. This left a clean fruit surface. The 

 formation of these platelets could possibly be due to stress from the 

 mycelia, surface drying and shrinkage or simply surface stress due to 

 preparation for scanning electron microscope (S.E.M.) work. 



The ability of the slime (mucilage) to adhere to various surfaces 

 inherent to the fruit surface were examined. The fruit stoma (Figure 

 13) was generally free of mucilage adhesion to its surface. The surface 

 adhesion of the mucilage to the citrus rust mite spermatophoe is 

 demonstrated in Figure 14. The sperm sac is ruptured and a 



