THE GUESTS OF ANTS AND TERMITES. ld ff 
became common. Larve of Gnophos varieyata were found on rocks at 
several places, and an imago was found at Ascona on the 18th. On 
April 7th a stout little Oreopsychid [probably Ptilocephala atra (plumi- 
Jera)| was found flying at Luino. 
The snow was very low on the hills round the lake, some 2000ft. 
lower than at similar dates last year. On the 17th I went to the top 
of the hill behind Locarno, some 4000ft. above the lake, the last 500ft. 
over last winter’s snow, still lying 2ft. deep and upwards, where I last 
year took Hercyna schrankiana, flying freely in the sun, a week earlier. 
My desire, therefore, to make a good bag of larve and pupe of the 
Fumeas was entirely defeated, as I was three weeks or a month too 
soon at each place. To some extent this was recompensed by finding 
cases of Acanthopsyche opacelia freely at Locarno, as well as of Stand- 
fussia zermattensis, as also of a Solenobia, with very large triangular 
case and definitely parthenogenetic habits. Luiiia maggiella (un. sp.) 
cases were also found at various spots in the Val Maggia. These 
various Psychids will, I hope, afford material for fuller observations. 
I may, however, note that even in this late season Acanthopsyche 
opacella must have been emerging for some time before April 10th, 
though larve are still unchanged on April 27th. 8S. zermattensis was 
emerging on 15th, and obviously had been for some days, whilst half- 
grown larve could still be found. 
The Guests of Ants and Termites (with Plate). 
By E. WASMANN, S.J. (translated by H. DONISTHORPE, F.Z.S., F.E.S.). 
(Continued from p. 89.) 
The instincts of the ant guests are, moreover, in harmony with the 
structure of their bodies. Whereas a Lomechusa, or an Atemeles, places 
itself in front of the ants with widespread legs and rolled-up abdomen, 
and taps them with its antenne as if it knew it was irresistible and 
attractive as a rightful guest, a Dinarda ducks down at sight of an ant 
and presents its rapidly moving pointed abdomen, as if to say, ‘* Hold 
me tight if you can.” 
The Lomechusa group in the Staphylinidae comprises in the Old 
World the genera Lomechusa and Atemeles, and the genus Xenodusa in 
the New World. ‘They all possess a very broad body, a concave thorax 
bent up at the edges, and an abdomen rolled up to an abnormal 
position, on the sides of which big yellow tufts of hair are situated. 
The mouthparts also possess a short broad tongue, and more or less 
shortened palpi. It is only after observing the habits of Lomechusa 
strumosa, F., Atemeles emarginatus, Payk., paradowus, Grv., and pubicollis, 
Bris., for fifteen years that I have been able to determine that these 
peculiarities are connected with the true intercourse of hospitality. 
These beetles are fed from the mouths of their hosts, and are licked by 
them with great pleasure, especially on their tufts of yellow hair. No, 
one, therefore, can doubt that Lomechusa minor, Rttr., from Thibet, 
LL. amurensis, Was. (plate, fig. 3) from Amurland, and L. mongolica, 
Wasm., from northern Mongolia, are true ant guests, and that their 
intercourse with ants is the same as that of our L. strwnosa with 
Formica sanguinea, though no one has so far closely observed the life 
habits of these three Asiatic species of Lomechusa. In the same way 
