53 



on an hemiptercus insect from an australian 

 Opossum's Nest. 



By E. Bergroth, M.D. 

 (Communicated by A. M. Lea.) 



[Read April 2, 1914.] 



Specimens of the species dealt with in this paper were 

 kindly communicated to me for determination by Professor 

 E. C. Stirling, Director of the South Australian Public 

 Museum. They were found under so interesting circumstances 

 that the following report referring to their occurrence may 

 be quoted from The Adelaide Observer of March 8, 1913: — 

 "In preparing opossums in as life-like surroundings as pos- 

 sible for the new gallery, the Museum taxidermists found it 

 desirable to procure a hollow limb, and obtained one near 

 Adelaide. On sawing it off the limb was found to contain 

 an opossum's nest, with the opossum (Trichosurus vulpecula, 

 Kerr) at home in it. On further examination the nest was 

 found to be swarming with insect life. Among these were 

 noted thousands of larvae of a small moth ; thousands of 

 Acaridce, or mites, and Psocidce, or book-lice; two kinds of 

 tick, one a very peculiar sort ; several interesting beetles, one 

 of which is new to Science ; and hundreds of a bug in all 

 its stages. This last-named insect smells exactly like the bed- 

 bug, but when matured is winged. It appears, however, to 

 have the same unpleasant habits, as most of the larvae and 

 some of the mature specimens appeared to be gorged with 

 blood. Seven pupae of two kinds of flies were obtained, and 

 many unidentified larvae; of these latter two are very curious, 

 and they probably belong to one of the lace-winged flies, 

 of which some extremely beautiful species are known in South 

 Australia. It is hoped, therefore, to rear some of the larvae 

 to the mature forms." The bugs mentioned in the above 

 notice proved to belong to a new species of the genus Clerada, 

 Sign., of the family 31 yodochidce. Although the type of this 

 genus is widely distributed both in the Old and the New 

 World, nothing is known of the habits of it or of any other 

 species of the genus, and only solitary specimens of them 

 seem to have been taken. On the whole, very little is known 

 of the food of the 31yodochidce, and although most of them 

 are supposed to be phytophagous, exceptions from this rule 

 doubtless occur. It is quite possible that the new Clerada is 

 a regular inhabitant of opossums' nests, but, if so, I think 

 this must be regarded as an acquired habit. The Clerada,. 



