536 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
Larva of Pelophila.* * * § — The Rev. W. F. Johnson and Mr. G. H. 
Carpenter describe the habits and structure of the ground-beetle Pelo- 
pliil i borealis Payk. It has a twofold interest, as a typically Arctic 
spee’es ranging in Ireland far to the south, and because of the primitive 
and generalised characters of the larvte compared with other Carabidae. 
Drowning of a Water-Beetle. f — Herr E. Frey-Gcssner calls atten- 
tion to the case of a quite uninjured and lively water-beetle ( Hydrophilus 
piceus ) which, after being some time out of water, was drowned in about 
two hours when replaced in the (quite fresh) water. 
Spermatophagous Organ in Bed-Bug4 — Sig. A. Berlese describes a 
special organ or bursa associated with the spermatheca in Acantlda lec- 
talar ia L. Its cells seem to bo adapted to ingesting and destroying the 
excess of spermatozoa, and may be described as “ spermatophagous.” 
Classification of Coccidae.§ — Dr. G. Leonardi begins a discussion of 
the vast genus Aspidiotus, which must be split up into eight Aspidio - 
tus, Chrysomplialus, Spatheaspis, Hemiberlesia , Aonidia , Aonidiella , Tar- 
gionia, and Clientraspis. A useful international glossary of the terms 
applied to the external structures is given. 
Dr. P. Buffa || gives a detailed description of a new coccid — Aclerda 
Berlesii sp. n. — living on the reed, Arundo donax. 
Rare Dermatosis.^ - — Dr. S. Cannarsa describes some cases of a 
“ rare dermatosis ” in peasants who had been carrying reeds ( Arundo 
donax), and suggests that the cause is probably to be found in Aclerda 
Berlesii. 
Thermometer Crickets.** — Messrs. C. A. and E. A. Bessey agree with 
Dolbear that the rate of chirping in crickets is very closely dependent 
on the temperature. The form they observed was QScanthus niveus, the 
tree -cricket. The authors give a formula and a plotted curve. 
Australian Termitidge.ff — Mr. W. W. Froggatt publishes the third 
and concluding part of his monograph on the Australian Termitidae. It 
contains detailed descriptions of the different forms of termite in many 
species belonging to the genera Termes and Eutermes, with notes on the 
habits and habitat of each, and includes several new species. 
Cleavage in Apterygota4j — Dr. Agnes M. Claypole finds in Anurida 
maritima several interesting points which connect the centrolecithal 
cleavage of most insects with the simpler holoblastic type. In Anurida 
nearly equal cleavage exists in the early stages ; at a later stage holo- 
blastic division is lost, and the formation of the blastoderm takes place 
by the peripheral migration of the nuclei, surrounded by small masses 
of protoplasm ; no secondary yolk-cleavage occurs. The authoress 
makes these observations the basis of a discussion as to the variety of 
ovum-sleavage in Arthropods. 
* Trans. Entom. Soc. London, 1898, pp. 133-40 (12 figs.). 
t MX. Schweiz. Entom. Ges., x. (1898) pp. 133-4. 
X Ex Rivista Patol. Veg., vi. (1898) 16 pp. and 3 pis. 
§ Riv. Patol. Veg., vi. (1897) pp. 102-34 (8 figs.), 204-36 (9 figs.). 
|| Tom. cit., pp. 135-59 (3 pis. and 18 figs.). 
1 Riv. Patol. Veg., vi. (1897) pp. 21-3. 
** Amer. Nat., xxxii. (1898) pp. 263-4 (1 fig.). 
I f Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. Wales, xxii. (1898) pp. 721-58 (2 pis.), 
fj Trans. Amer. Micr. Soc., xix (1897) pp. 74-82 (1 pi.). 
