250 



The Irish Naiurahsi. 



December, 



account of the mite in a recent papcr^ and figured it.s principal 

 details. The faunistic importance of the animal justifies, I 

 believe, a somewhat fuller reference to it in this magazine, and 

 by the courtesy of the Royal Dublin Society's committee of 

 scientific publications I am able to reproduce (Plate 7) the 

 figures. 



The genus Lohmajinia was formed a few years ago by 

 MichaeP for two continental species, one German, the other 

 Italian, and Berlese has, in the paper just quoted, described two 

 or three additional species from Italy. The genus is therefore 

 new to the British Islands. Its species are remarkable among 

 the Oribatidae for their elongate, pale appearance, resembling 

 the immature (nymph) forms of the typical, rotund and 

 blackish members of the famil}', whose firm, dark cuticle has 

 given rise tu the term " Beetle-mites." In Lohmannia the 

 abdomen is elongate ; each short, stout leg terminates with 

 a single claw, the second pair of legs being situated close 

 to the first, and the fourth pair close to the third (Plate 7, 

 figs. I, 2, 5). The chelicerae (fig. 3) are powerful and well 

 adapted for gnawing vegetable tissues. The dorsal plate of 

 the abdomen is flexed far round on the ventral surface where 

 it touches the lateral " cover " that bounds the anal and genital 

 areas (fig. 2). 



Dr. Berlese describes Lohmannia insignis as follows : — 

 Terreo badio-fuliginea, abdomine vix pallid lore, pedibus laete badio 

 depictis. Corpus elongatum. Aiiticum conicuiu, apice peracutum sat 

 convexuni. Abdomen ad dorsum planum, rectangulum, antice recte 

 truncatum, postice rotundatum, pilis aliquot brevibus, simplicibus 

 ornatum Derma uitidum. Organe pseudostigmatica (ex pseudostigmis 

 dorsualibus exorta), louga exilia ramusculis exilibus ornata. Pedes 

 crassiusculi, fuscescentes, uniungues, tarsis anticis ovalibus, sat latis. 

 Inter cougeneres maxima." 



The features which seem specially to distinguish L. insignis 

 from other species of the genus are the simple bristles on the 

 abdomen, and the slender, pectinate pseudostigmatic organs 

 (fig. 4). It is not often that an animal, which forces itself on 

 our attention by damaging cultivated plants, is found to be 



^ G. H. Carpenter, " Injurious Insects and other Animals observed in 

 Ireland during the year 1904." Econ. Proc, A\ Dublin Soc, vol. i., pp, 

 281-305, pis. xxiii.-xxvi. 



2 A. D, Michael. Oribatidaein " Das Tierreich." Berlin, 1898. 



