1 Dec., 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAT JOURNAT. 463 
are rather long—outwardly directed set on their four distal joints. The third and fourth 
pairs of legs extend far beyond the posterior border of the body. The legs consti- 
tuting the fourth pair are very robust. ‘Their first joint is broader than long; the 
second is rather more than twice as long as broad, and is furfished on the inner face 
with a stout, sharply pointed tooth-like expansion, and with a short terminally 
widened tactile bristle at the extremity of the joint beyond it; the third joint has a 
longer, stout, backwardly directed seta on its dorsum; the fourth joint is very short, 
and terminates in a single, stout, slightly curved, gradually ipoin ted. claw. The epimera 
of the first pair meet at an angle at the middle line, and then form a narrow longi- 
tudinal keel that extends beyond the origin of the second pair of legs. The epimera 
of the third pair conjoin those of the fourth pair internally, and the four together are 
considerably and equally advanced in front. 
The Female.—Plate LXXL., Fig. 1. This is elongate-oval in shape, being more 
than twice aslong as broad. It measures 241 in length, and 075, in breadth. ‘The 
head occupies less than a seventh of the total length. ‘here are two long set, widely 
separated, opposite the origin of the second pair of legs on the back, five lateral shorter 
ones on each side, three of these occurring between the second and third pairs of legs, 
and two behind the fourth pair, the hindermost being nearly terminal. Between the 
first and second pairs of legs there is a fusiform bladder-like organ. ‘Tie two 
anterior pairs of legs generally resemble these members as occurring in the opposite 
sex; the two posterior, however, are widely different. The third leg has the second 
joint long and robust, and applied longitudinally to the under surface of the body ; 
the third joint is also considerably lengthened. ‘Lhe fourth leg has its first joint very 
short, its second and third joints linear ; and the latter, which is less than a third the 
length of the former, terminates in two appendages, one of which is acicular, the 
other twice the length of this—a long curved hair that gradually becomes exceed- 
ingly fine. The sexual apparatus occupies a broadly oval space between the two 
hinder pairs of legs, and comprises a longitudinal fissure met in front by two back- 
wardly divergent arcuate lines. 
The Larva.—The larva measures 214, in length, and has three pairs of legs 
only. Crossing the back behind the third pair of legs are two divisional lines 
separating from the cephalothorax a posterior and anterior segment, whereof the latter 
is the longer. The anterior of these segments bears a transverse row of three stout 
backwardly directed bristles. The posterior segment has also on its dorsum two 
bristles more than twice the length of the preceding, and terminal ones of about 
equal length that are backwardly and outwardly directed. ‘he back is also finely 
BED red there being a group of transverse striw behind the second pair of legs, and 
ongitudinal ones extending backwards from it. The three pair of legs closely 
resemble one another; the first pair also are apparently two-clawed as are the others. 
The Eqg.—Not identified. It may be presumed, however, that it is elongated 
and relatively very large. (hose of 7. buwi being stated to measure in length a third 
of that of the mature acarus.) 
This Tarsonemus Mite is met with not only in the outer cavities of the 
pineapple fruitlets, but also in other parts of the plant; for example, on the 
stem of the fruit, as well as deep between the white bases of the leafy bracts 
forming the tuft at its free or upper end. It probably nowhere occurs in ~ 
large numbers, but it must be borne in mind that its small size (it would take 
149 males placed end on in succession and touching one another to reach the 
extent of a single inch) and colour are such as to render its detection a matter 
of more than ordinary difficulty. It apparently habitually shuns the light, and 
consequently penetrates the innermost recesses accessible, in accord with the 
antipathy that this act evinces, especially when suddenly exposed. When 
occurring within the fruit, it commonly, but by no means exclusively, resorts 
to the depressions—three in number—that are met with around the base of the 
style at the bottom of the anterior chamber. ; 
With its styliform mandibles it probes the tissue, in order apparently to 
imbibe the juice that this affords. This action on its part results ordinarily in 
the appearance of minute brown specks, and no further damage. Such marks 
are often discernible on the inner wall of the fruitlet cavity that it inhabits, and 
are represented on Plate LXX. (Fig. A 3 a). They may be again sometimes 
met with on the inner faces of the sheathing bases of the leaves. One portion 
of the fruitlet is very liable to experience injury from its method of feeding 
when the Zarsonemus is within the anterior chamber thereof, This is the loose 
