affecting the Turnips, Corn-crops, ^c. 
227 
irritation, and which is also red, but invisible, or nearly so, to the 
naked eye, is closely allied, I believe, to our tick, which appears 
to be described by De Geer under the name of Acarus Phalangii, 
from its infestina: the harvest-spider (Phalangium Opilio). It now 
bears the appellation of 
15. Leptus Phalangii. It is of a brilliant scarlet colour, and 
soft. The head is pear-shaped, terminating in an attenuated 
slightly-curved rostrum, and on each side is an appendage forming 
a pair of horns or short legs : these seem to be triarticulate, the 
basal joint the stoutest, third small. The abdomen is large, and 
like an oval bag, attached by a narrow base, forming a neck. The 
back arid belly are sparingly clothed wiih black stoutish hairs. 
To the pectus are attached six long slender legs, remote at their 
base, especially the hinder pair, which are the longest, and those 
before them are shorter than the second pair: they are composed 
of many joints, and clothed with black hairs, which appear thick, 
from their being pubescent I suspect: fig. 51; the natural size 
being shown at t, fig. 50. 
Having now discussed every subject, I believe, relating to the 
" true Wireworms," 1 shall turn to the history of the other animals 
which are improperly included by agriculturists under that deno- 
mination, and may not inaptly be termed " false Wireworms." 
Some of them may be almost as injurious to the crops as those 
just described ; but as portions of their economy still remain 
doubtful, this is a point which I fear cannot be determined satis- 
factorily. 
A general belief prevails amongst farmers that the larger gnats, 
or Tipiilce , ca\\e(), crane-flies, daddy long-legs, &c., are the parents 
of the Wireworms. This we have already shown to be quite a 
mistake, yet it is very far from improbable that the maggots of the 
Tipula Oleracea, &c., may do mischief to farm as well as to garden 
crops ; but as it is most destructive to grass-lands, I shall pass by 
its history until I arrive at that portion of my work. There is, 
however, a larva of a gnat which 1 shall here describe and figure, 
as it is an undoubted enemy to the corn-crops ; and being one of 
the false Wireworms it will come under this head. I regret ex- 
ceedingly that it did not reach my hands in a living state, in order 
that I might have reared it, to ascertain the parent insect. I was, 
however, shown such multitudes of a gnat, called, I believe, 
Tipula maculosa, in walking over a turnip-field in Suffolk, which 
the owner imagined were the produce of the genuine Wireworms. 
that I think it very probable this maggot was the early state of 
that or an allied species.* The larvae alluded to were found in 
great numbers in May, 1841, attacking the roots of Lord 
Prudhoe's wheat, and were transmitted to M r.'Yarrell, who gave 
* Vide Cnrtiss Guide Gen., IIGO, No. 30 and following. 
q2 
