Strepsiptera. INSECTS. Styeops Wasp. 201 
impregnating fluid contained in the receptacle is cut off 
ception or error in speaking of eggs of males, workers. 
at pleasure by an instinctive act of the female in ovi- 
and females. No difference is to be observed in the 
position. The worker-bees, or females with undevel- 
food of the solitary species of Hymenoptera ; the larvae 
oped organs being incapable of impregnation, in the 
of the sexes of the genus Pompilus feed upon spiders. 
rare cases in which their ovaries are sufficiently devel- 
Diptera, or caterpillars ; one undeviating course is to be 
oped to mature a few eggs, these produce only male 
observed ; the larvaj of both sexes of Melittohia alike 
brood.” 
feed on that of Anthophora; the eggs deposited nearest 
Mr. Smith remarks that “in the entire range of 
the entrance of a burrow invariably produce males. 
the history of bees, nothing is to be met with, wliich 
which are the first that come forth ; this does not appear 
excites our astonishment so greatly as the manner in 
to be dependent either upon the quality or quantity of 
which the Hive-bee is said to possess the power of 
food.” 
replacing the loss of their queen. Indeed, so contrary 
Mr. Tegetmeier, in the year 1859, reared drones 
is this to all our experience, that without a personal 
from eggs deposited by worker-bees. To the writings 
confirmation of so remarkable a phenomenon, some 
of that excellent apiarian and amiable, intelligent writer. 
feeling of incredulity will force itself upon the mind. 
and to Bagster’s book, and Be vans’, and Kirby and 
and suggest the possibility of mistaken observation. 
Spence, and Huber, and many another writer, I refer 
If the only thing necessary to produce difference of sex 
the reader who wishes to know about the Bee. Books 
is difference of aliment, there must be some miscon- 
will never exhaust the history of that wonderful insect. 
SuB-OEDEB — STREPSIPTEEA. 
These insects form an order, either distinct from all 
account of the anatomy, functions, and development of 
other orders, or they are Hymen optera, with a coleop- 
Stylops. 
terous aspect, while others might call them Coleoptera, 
The late Mr. Newport paid great attention to the 
with a great resemblance to Hymenoptera. 
history and development of the Strepsiptera ; the fol- 
Many authors now place them with the Heteromera, 
lowing is from his anniversary address at a meeting of 
among the Coleoptera, near Sitaris, or the curious genus 
the Entomological Society — 
Rhipidius, parasitic on the cockroach. Meanwhile we 
“The diminutive, parasitic Strepsiptera, the giant 
may regard them, with Kirby, as a separate order. All 
of which scarcely exceeds one-fourth of an inch in 
the Strepsiptera are of very small size, the largest, with 
length, are of especial interest to this Society. Dis- 
its wings expanded, not being a quarter of an inch in 
covered and first described by our venerable friend. 
width. The male only is winged; the females are 
Mr. Kirby, we have adopted the Stylops as our emblem ; 
grub-like insects, which never leave the bodies of the 
any elucidation of its heretofore obscure natural history 
bees. If the abdomens of a number of Andrenidce be 
must therefore be of particular interest to us. This 
examined, it is most probable that the female of Stylops 
has been supplied by Dr. Siebold, who now shows that 
will be found ; her presence is known by the protrusion 
the Strepsiptera undergo a singular metamorphosis ; 
of her head and a portion of the thorax between the 
that the males and females differ from each other — the 
abdominal segments on their superior surface, resem- 
metamorphosis of the males being complete, they alone 
bling the point of a small bud of a brown colour, or 
being furnished with wings; the females, on the con- 
rather a flattened scale.” The larvae of Stylops may 
trary, have neither legs, wings, nor eyes, and greatly 
be bred by placing a bee infested by it in a small box 
resemble larvae. These females are viviparous, and 
covered with gauze, and by supplying the bee with 
never quit the bodies of the Hymenoptera, in which 
fresh flowers, such as it frequents when at liberty. If 
they live as parasites. The young Strepsiptera, at the 
the bee he frequently examined it will probably be 
moment that they burst the eggs in which they are 
found that in eight or ten days her abdomen will seem 
developed within the body of the parent, have six legs. 
as if covered with dust. This dust will be found to 
and are furnished with organs of manducation. These 
consist of a number of exceedingly minute animals. 
are the diminutive objects described in Mr. Westwood’s 
which are the larvae of the Stylops. By applying a 
paper in a former volume of our Transactions as the 
magnifying glass to the transverse aperture on the 
parasites of Stylops, and as such they were regarded 
thorax, these minims will be seen to be issuing from ic. 
at first by King, and also by Dr. Siebold. These little 
When the bee settles on flowers, many of these dust- 
hexapodous larvae infest the surface of the abdomen of 
like animals are left on the flowers, and bees visiting 
bees, within which their parent mothers live and die. 
them are likely to have one or more of them attach 
In this way the young Stylops is carried into the nests 
themselves to their bodies, and thus be carried into 
of the Hymenoptera, and, escaping on the bodies of the 
their nests. Each female Stjdops produces many hun- 
larvae, penetrate their soft skins, and become parasites 
dreds of these little larvae, and it is hence probable that 
on them, as their parents have been in the bodies of the 
the majority of them perish in this larval condition, as 
female bees. These larvae shed their skins, become 
the perfect insect is comparatively rare. The reader is 
apodal, and move very slowly. They have then a 
referred to Mr. Newport’s paper in the Transactions of 
distinct mouth and jaws, and a simple coecal intestine. 
the Linnaean Society, vol. xx. for a full and illustrated 
but no anal aperture. The body is formed of nine 
VoL. II. 82 
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