530 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
Hymenopteron. It is almost apterous, and much resembles a very lean 
flea, both in gait and colour. 
Mimicry in Oak-Galls.* * * § — Herr F. Thomas regards the coloured 
spots on the small galls of Qynips ostreus Hrtg. as a mimicry of Coc- 
cinelleae, and the curved or circular stripes on those of HryopJianta 
longiventris Hrtg. as a mimicry of a Helix , to protect them against the 
attacks of birds. 
Larch-Galls.]* — Hr. C. v. Tubeuf adopts Dichelomyia laricis Fr. L. 
as a substitute for Henschel’s “ nomen nudum ” Cecidomyia Kellneri , for 
the name of the gall-producing insect on the larch (chiefly in the Alps), 
and describes the remarkable production of axillary buds round the gall, 
which bear very broad leaves, the result of lateral cohesion. Under the 
name Phytoptus laricis sp. n., the same author describes a new gall- 
producing species on the larch. 
Centrosomes in Spermatocytes of Lepidoptera.f — Hr. F. Meves 
notes that in certain stages of spermatogenesis in Lepidoptera there are 
vesicles filled with fluid and lined by a single layer of large cells called 
spermatocytes by Platner. In these cells the centrosomes are readily 
demonstrable by Heidenhain’s iron-haematoxylin method. They lie 
directly on the cell-wall at the side turned towards the centre of the 
vesicle. Even in the resting stage there are two, and they are often 
separated by a minute interspace. There is no sphere nor “ centro- 
desmosis.” The bodies in question are more or less sharply curved 
hooks, with the loop turned towards the cell and the ends outwards. 
Meves compares this case with other observations on centrosomes in male 
sex-cells. 
New Dipterous Parasite.§— Hr. Th. Adensamer found a peculiar 
parasite almost buried in the wing of a Javanese bat ( PhyllorMna ), and 
has been able to work out its structure. It seems to be a pupiparous 
Bipteron, but it is not referable to any known form. Among the pupi- 
parous Hiptera the Nycteribidse and Streblidae are known as parasites of 
bats, and representatives of both occur on Pliyllorhina ; but it is not easy 
to refer this new form to either of these families. It will be necessary 
to find the male before any decision is made. The author names his 
discovery Ascodipteron phyllorhinse g. et sp. n. 
Myriopoda. 
Rheno-Prussian Diplopoda.|| — Hr. C. Verhoeff begins by noting that 
the old belief in the unity of the Myriopoda is almost given up ; the 
Biplopoda cannot be profitably slumped in the same series as the 
Chilopoda. Some time ago the number of known Myriopods was esti- 
mated at about 1000 species ; now it is recognised that 10,000 would be 
nearer the mark. After a discussion of the geographical distribution 
* SB. Gesell. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, 1897, pp. 45-7. See Bot. Centralbl., lxxi. 
(1897) p. 377. 
f Forstl.-naturw. Zeitschr., r vi. (1897) pp. 120-4, 221-9 (5 figs.) See Bot. 
Centralbl., lxxi. (1897) pp. 377, 378. 
I Anat. Anzeig., xiv. (1897) pp. 1-6 (2 figs.). 
§ SB. Akad. Wiss. Wien, cv. (1896) pp. 400-16 (2 pis.). 
j| Ver. Nat. Yer. Rheinld., liii. (1896) pp. 186-280. 
