The Parasites of the Termites. 



PLATES 51, 52. 



By Joseph Leidy, M.D. 



In common with many other observers, the writer has always felt an interest 

 in the history of Ants, including also those insects of another order, the Termites 

 or White-ants. A species of the latter, the Termes Jlavijpes, belonging to this 

 country, occurs abundantly in the dry sandy forests and fields of southern New 

 Jersey; in some places being found beneath almost every piece of decaying timber 

 and in every old stump. It is frequent beneath discarded railroad ties as they lie 

 decaying at the sides of the road, but I have heard of no complaint of the insect 

 attacking the sound ties in use, nor indeed the sound timbers of any kind in the 

 neighboring fences and buildings. In the vicinity of Philadelphia, the Termites, 

 though less frequent and abundant than in New Jersey, are yet common enough, 

 and are often to be found beneath stones as well as in old rotting timbers. 



The passage-ways of the insects, beneath stones, and the galleries they hollow 

 in wood, are plastered with a brownish material apparently consisting of their own 

 excrements. 



In watching the Termites from time to time wandering along their passages 

 beneath stones, I have often wondered as to what might be the exact nature of 

 their food in these situations. Observing some brownish matter within the trans- 

 lucent abdomen of the insects, I was led to examine it with the object of ascer- 

 taining its character. On removing the intestinal canal of an individual I observed 

 the brownish matter was contained within the small intestine, which is compara- 

 tively large and capacious. The brownish matter proved to be the semi-liquid 

 food; but my astonishment was great to find it swarming with myriads of parasites, 

 which indeed actually predominated over the real food in quantity. Repeated 

 examination showed that all individuals harbored the same world of parasites 

 wonderful in number, variety, and form. 



Wishing to learn something more of the extraordinary parasitic community of 

 the Termites thus accidentally discovered, I was led to refer to the literature con- 

 cerning these insects; but I found no description of the parasites. The only 

 authority I met who appears to have noticed them is M. Ch. Lespes in an excellent 



82 (425) 



