420 



ARTHROPODA 



and females. A colony of icrmitcs, consistinL; usually of thousands of individuals, 

 forms a nest with numerous ehaiuliers and jiassaues. They are noeturnal, and 

 they burrow, without coiiiinij; to the surface, through old wood (timlx'rs of houses, 

 furniture, picture frames, dead wood in the forest, etc.). 1 hey line these 

 chambers with a cementdike substance composed of refuse which has passed 

 through the alimentarv canal, ^fany sjiecies build ilome-like nests, ten or 

 tifteeti feet hii;h, of chewed earth. In a colony are winged and wingless indi- 

 viduals, the latter with anietabolous dewlopment (U^::. 4(.i4>. 'Idle wingless 

 forms haxe the sexual organs rudimentary, bm, in contrast to ants and bees, 

 may belong to cither se.x. Thev are freipienily blind, ha\"e strong mandibles, 

 and are of two kinds, the workers (c) and the large- 

 headed soldiers (J). The winged forms arc sexually 

 functional (b). Shortly after the metamorphosis they 

 swarm, and then the w ings are bitten otT at the base and 

 'kirn;' and 'queen' either form a new colony or enter one 

 already in existence. After copulation the abdomen of 

 the cpicen, by the formation of numerous eggs, swells to 

 an enormous size (i'). Since the swarming individuals 

 form the prey of birds and other animals, it often haji- 

 pcns that a colony is left without a royal couple. In 

 such cases the line is perpetuated by reserve males and 



Fig. 465. Fig. 466. 



Fig. 465. — Larva of .-Eschiia graiiJis taftcr Rosel von Rosenhofb o\ ir', wing pads; 

 ??;, mask; 5/, spiracles. 



Fig. 400. — EphcDicra ■i-uIi;old ^from Schmanla"). The caudal bristles incomplete. 



females, sexual animals which have not completed the metamorphosis, but are 

 in the wing-piad stage. The termites are able, by c-iuantity and quality of 

 food, to modify the development of the larv;e and to determine which type of 

 individual shall be produced. 



Allied to the Termites are the often wingless Psocid.e, or book lice, Trochs* 

 Other species are winged. Xear here belong the M.\i,hii^hac..\, bird lice, which 

 live upon mammals and especially on birds. Like true lice they are wingless, 

 but have biting mouth parts. Triiiiodtrlfs* dog, ox, etc; Goiiiodcs* Xirmiis.'^ 

 etc., on birds. Sub Order II. A:MrHIBIOTICA. The three families differ 

 in structure, but agree in ha\ing aquatic larva- with tracheal gills (hg. 453"). 

 All of these larvae are prcdaceous; Odonate larva; have a peculiar apparatus for 

 capture of prey. The mentum and submentum of the labium are greatly 

 elongate and ^yhen folded bring the tip like a mask beneath the moutli. 

 The structure can be suddenly extended (fig. 465) and grasps the food. Per- 

 LID.E (Plecoptcra); hind wings larger. Pcrla* Ptrnm'arivs* liniYMT.mvjE, 

 fore wings large, hinder small or absent; May Hies. Epln-wera* (fig. 466), 

 Bcclisca."' ^ Odox.\t,\ (Libellulirke), wings nearly equal, hinder slightly larger; 

 dragon flies, veritable insect hawks destroying' numberless mosquito.s'. Libil- 

 liih/' .Esi-him* Agrioii* Sub Order III. PIIVSOPODA (Thysanoptera). 

 Wings slender, fringed with hairs; tarsi bladder-like at ti]!; mouth parts bristle- 

 like, probably used for sucking. Position uncertain. Thrips* 



