Clare Island Survey — Acarinida. 39 59 



Coast of Mayo at Westport and Mulranny. the nympha coleoptrata occurred 

 in both of these localities in July and September. I have also found the 

 adult female under stones in a brackish place a little above high-water mark 

 at Howth, county Dublin, in September. 



This species may be readily recognized by its golden-brown colour, the 

 incised dorsal shields, and the peculiar form of the epistome, which, as Berlese 

 points out, is intermediate in character between the species of Cyrtolaelaps 

 and Gamasus. The legs, especially the last pair, are very long. 



Although Berlese's name for this species was published before that of 

 Oudemans, it is a question whether Koch's Seius excisus is not identical with 

 the present species and should, therefore, have priority over both. The 

 figure of the dorsal surface of his Seius excisus, shows clearly the incised 

 dorsal plate, the undulate outline of the second dorsal shield, the prominent 

 spines of the epistome, and the long attenuated legs. While his figure of 

 the ventral surface of the animal, though not complete, is sufficiently like 

 that of Gamasolaelaps. 



Berlese considers that Metaparasitus suboles, Oudemans, is certainly 

 identical with the present species, in spite of the fact that the figures 

 accompanying Oudemans and Voigts' later description of the species 

 depict the male genital foramen on the sternal shield a short distance from the 

 front margin. There is evidently some discrepancy here as Berlese illustrates 

 it on the front margin of the sternal shield, the usual position for it in the 

 family Gamasidae. 



Distribution. — Assuming that L. Koch's species from northern Siberia is 

 identical with the British form, this species must have a very wide range on 

 the western coasts of the Palaearctic region. The recorded localities are 

 Bremen under stones (Oudemans and Voigts). Siberia; Yenisei: south of 

 Troitzkoj (L. Koch). 



Cyrthydrolaelaps Berlese. 



This interesting genus was described by Berlese from specimens taken 

 on the Spanish coast by Dr. Trouessart. A short account of the male 

 previously unknown, the protonymph, and the nympha coleoptrata is contained 

 in the present paper. As Berlese points out the general characters are very 

 similar to those of the genus Cyrtolaelaps except for the curious structure of 

 the ambulacra. Instead of the usual hyaline lobes present on the ambulacra 

 of the typical gamasid, these organs are reduced, in the adult, to form two 

 pairs of long blade-like hairs. This modification would appear to be an 

 adaptation to suit the peculiar aquatic habitat of the species, which lives 

 between tide-marks on the sea-shore. 



