160 REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY OF TH# 
rigkeit der Wiesengraser in Finland.” No mention is made of this 
mite in Banks’ Lists of the Acarina of the United States,?* and 
its identity in this country appears not to have been determined 
until the present time. 
As an active agent in the decay of carnation buds it was first 
mentioned by Dr. R. H. Wolcott** in 1905, and during the follow- 
ing year was recognized in New York State. One year later the 
mite was identified at this Station as P. graminum Reuter. Finally 
in 1908, Heald and Wolcott published an account of the species 
under the name Pediculoides dianthophilus.® 
SYSTEMATIC POSITION. 
This species belongs to the Tarsonemidz, which is a small fam- 
ily of the order Acarina. The mite was first described in 1900, 
by Dr. Enzio Reuter, from specimens taken from grass in Finland. 
He placed it in the genus Pediculoides, and gave to it the specific 
name gramimum. In 1907, Dr. Reuter again published on this 
species at this time indicating the presence of characters of ge- 
neric significance. He thereupon erected the genus Pediculopsis 
naming P. graminum as the type.*® 
IDENTITY OF THE SPECIES AND SYNONOMY. 
The very close resemblance between our mounts of the mite 
grown on carnations with the figures of Reuter’s P. graminum, 
suggested the sending of specimens to him for examination which 
he determined as identical with the species which he had described 
as existing on grasses. It would appear therefore, that there can 
be no doubt as to the specific name of the mite grown on carna- 
tions in this State. Specimens of the mite thriving on diseased 
carnation buds in Nebraska were sent to us by Professor Heald 
of the Experiment Station which proved to belong to the above 
species as found on the same host in this State. It therefore ap- 
pears that P. dianthophilus Wolcott is a synonym of P. graminum 
Reuter. : 
Proc: (Us oat Sao ests 
* Science, (N. coy 21! £300, 1005: 
Neb) Sta. bak 103.- 1906. 
*“ Wegen bedeutender Unterschiede, namentlich in der Mundbildung, der 
Gattung Pediculoides gegenuber, habe ich in der demnachst erscheinenden 
grosseren Arbeit fuir diese Art eine neue Gattung, Pediculopsis, errichtet.” 
Festchrift fiir Palmén. N: 7, p. 3, footnote 2. Helsingfors. 1907. 
