i QL YSF.2 Al Blo/S En. BLOLOGIA CENTRALI-AMERICANA, ARACHNIDA ACARIDEA. BY Pror. OTTO STOLL, M.D. 1886-1893. IntTRODUCTION EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. TROMBIDIDZ ACTINEDIDE TETRANYCHID” ° HypRACHNIDA& BpvELLIDA . Evpopip”. Ixopip#& ORIBATIDA NICOLETIELLID® GAMASIDE . SARCOPTIDE INDEX PLATEs. e ry ° ° a ° ° CONTENTS. o ry INTRODUCTION. CoMPARED with the work that has been done in Europe upon the Arachnida Acaridea from the time of the classical writers, Linneus, De Geer, Hermann, and Latreille, up to that of Dugés, Koch, Nicolet, P. Kramer, Mégnin, Michael, Neuman, Berlese, Canestrini, Nalepa, and many others, the American literature of this group of animals is exceedingly scanty. Thomas Say (1821), one of the first entomologists in the United States, paid some attention to this neglected group. Later on (1836), Dana and Whelpley, as well as Haldeman (1842), described and figured some North- American species of Hydrachnide. In our times we meet with the well-known names of Riley and Packard in connection with North-American Acarids of various groups, and Mr. Harry Garman has published a paper on the Phytoptide. In 1886, Messrs. Herbert Osborn and Lucien M. Underwood gave a “ Preliminary List of the Species of Acarina of North America” in the ‘Canadian Entomologist.’ In Mexico, M. Alfred Dugés has published several valuable articles on various species of Acarids inhabiting that country, and M. Conil in Buenos Ayres has done the same for some species of the Argentine Republic. A certain number of American Acaridea have been described by European authors, and some of the larger and more conspicuous species were already known to the founders of Entomology, to Linnwus, De Geer, and Fabricius. In modern times C. L. Koch has described several Ixodide from various parts of America, and Trouessart and Mégnin have studied some forms of Dermaleichide which live on American birds. ‘To Antonio Berlese and R. Canestrini we are indebted for some most valuable papers on Acaridea from the La Plata region and from Brazil. But nevertheless we are far from possessing a knowledge of the American Acarid fauna comparable to that which we have long had of the European forms. In the following pages an attempt has been made to fill, to some extent, the gap which at present separates the forms known from North America and those described by Vi INTRODUCTION. the above-quoted Italian authors from various parts of South America, and to charac- terize some new types from Mexico and Central America. ‘The materials which I had at my disposal were derived from various sources. During a stay of nearly five years in various parts of Guatemala, I tried to make myself acquainted with the Acarid- fauna of that country, by studying, as far as the unsettled life of a medical practitioner would allow, the living forms. I had then with me a Hartnack microscope of but moderate powers (objectives 4 and 7), the lenses of which became damaged by the long influence of the excessive humidity of the climate of the Costa Grande. Moreover, I laboured under an almost total want of modern literature on Acarids, having only some of the works of the older writers with me. These unfavourable circumstances will account to some extent for the differences the reader may find in the execution of the drawings and the descriptions of some species, several of which are too delicate for preservation in alcohol, the only method then within my reach. Many of my drawings, especially of Gamaside, have been entirely omitted from the present memoir, as being too incomplete to allow a comparison with the European forms; and even amongst those which I have admitted there are some which I should have liked to revise again from the specimens themselves. Fortunately, this lack of preserved materials has in numerous cases been made up by dried specimens obtained by other naturalists who have travelled in Central America. The fact that other collectors have frequently fallen in with the same species as myself shows that my researches, though far from complete, were sufficient at least to give an idea of the composition of the Acarid fauna of a tropical country, and to enable me to come to some general conclusions as to the geographical distribution cf the various groups. The most striking fact elicited by the study of the Acarid fauna of Central America is undoubtedly the great similarity between the types with which we are familiar in the temperate regions north of the European Alps and those occurring in the gloomy shadow of the tropical forest. Under the bark and in the fissures of putrefying tree- trunks in the tropics we meet with some minute Gamaside which only by a close microscopical examination can be distinguished from European species living under similar conditions. Upon various beetles of the families Copride and Passalide are found, with others, such well-known forms as Gamasus (Holostaspis) marginatus and G. coleoptratorum, species already described by authors of the past century. Among the fallen leaves and in the decaying fruits of Theobroma, Lucuma, and other tropical INTRODUCTION. Vii trees, which lie scattered over the damp ground of the forest, we frequently observe the slow-moving Oribatide, or the soft velvety Trombidide, the larve of which may be found attached to the wings of dragon-flies, grasshoppers, and other insects. The larger species of Muscide carry on their thorax the hypopial forms of Tyroglyphide, just as they do in Kurope; and the Belostomide, which we find in the ponds of the high valleys and barrancas of Guatemala, have their legs infested by the larve of Hydrachnide, in the same way as are those of Kanatra and Nepa in Europe. It isa remarkable circumstance that not one of the species described in the following memoir represents a generic type entirely new or peculiar to Central America. With the exception of the holotropical genus Megisthanus (fam. Gamaside), and the chiefly American genus Amblyomma (fam. Ixodide), all the genera enumerated by me likewise occur in the Palearctic Region. reographical Distribution of the Genera of Acarids hitherto found in Central America. Fam. TROMBIDID. Gen. TromBipiuM. Palearctic Region (Europe, N.E. Siberia). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Central and South America). ‘Ethiopian R. (Senegambia, Gold Coast, S.W. Africa, Cape of Good Hope). Gen. RuYNCHOLOPHUS. Palzearctic Region (Europe). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Central and South America). Gen. Linopopes. Palearctic Region (Europe). Neotropical R. (Guatemala, Buenos Ayres). Fam. ACTINEDIDZ. Gen. ACTINEDA. Palearctic Region (Europe, Siberia). Neotropical R. (Central and South America). Fam. TETRANYCHID. Gen. TETRANYCHUS. Palearctic Region (Europe). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Mexico, Guatemala). Vill INTRODUCTION. Fam. HYDRACHNID. Gen. ATAx. Palearctic Region (Europe). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Mexico*, Guatemala). AKthiopian R. (East Africa +). Gen. Nesaa (Curvipes). Palearctic Region (Europe, Bering’s Island). Neotropical R. (Mexico, Guatemala). fKthiopian R.: East Africa t. Gen. LiMNzsia. _ Palearctic R. (Europe). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Guatemala). fKthiopian R. (German East Africa t). Fam. BDELLIDA. Gen. BpELLA. Palearctic Region (Europe, N.E. Siberia, Bering’s Island). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Guatemala, Brazil, Paraguay, La Plata). Fam. EUPODIDA. Gen. ScyPHius. Palearctic Region (Europe, N.E. Siberia, Japan). Neotropical R. (Guatemala). Fam. IXODIDZ. Gen. Ixopzs. Palearctic Region (Europe, Bering’s Island). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Central and South America). fEthiopian R. (South Africa [¢este C. L. Koch] ). Gen. AMBLYOMMA. Nearctic Region (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Central and South America). Oriental R. (Java, Philippine Islands, Bintang, Continental India [teste C. L. Koch ]). * Toe Mexican species described by M. Alfred Dugis as Atax alzatei belongs, according to a private communication of Herr F. Koenike, to the genus Nesea. t Herr F. Koenike, the well-known specialist in this group, writes me that he possesses specimens of Ataw collected by Dr. Stuhlmann during his expedition with Emin Pasha. ¢ According to the above-quoted communication of Herr F, Koenike. INTRODUCTION. Australian R. (New Holland [feste C. L. Koch]). AMthiopian R. (South Africa [teste C. L. Koch]). Gen. Araas. Palearctic Region (Europe, Egypt, Persia). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Mexico, Guatemala, Paraguay). Ethiopian R. (Ovampo Land). Fam. ORIBATIDA. Gen. OriBata. Palearctic Region (Europe, N.E. Siberia, Algeria). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Central America, Brazil, Paraguay). Gen. HoptorHora. Palearctic Region (Europe). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Guatemala, Brazil). Fam. NICOLETIELLIDZ. Gen. NIcOLETIELLA. Palearctic Region (Europe). Neotropical R. (Guatemala). Fam. GAMASIDA. Gen. Uropopa. Palearctic Region (Europe). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). “Neotropical R. (Central America, Brazil, Paraguay). Gen. HotostasPis. Palearctic Region (Europe, Bering’s Island). Neotropical R. (Central America, Brazil, Paraguay, La Plata). Gen. Gamasus. Palzearctic Region (Europe, Japan). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Central America, Brazil, Paraguay, La Plata). Gen. CEL@NopsIS. Palearctic Region (Europe). Neotropical R. (British Honduras, Panama, Brazil, Paraguay, La Plata). Gen. PacHyL#.Laps. Palearctic Region (Europe). Neotropical R. (Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay). BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Arachn, Acar., January 1893. x INTRODUCTION. Gen. MerGIsTHANUs. Oriental Region (Malacca). Australian R. (New Guinea, Queensland). Neotropical R. (Mexico, Guatemala, Paraguay). AKthiopian R. (Gold Coast *). Gen. Dermanyssvs. Palearctic Region (Europe). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Guatemala). Fam. SARCOPTIDZ. Gen. TyRoGLyPHUus. Palearctic Region (Europe). Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Guatemala). Gen, Mrenin1a. Palearctic Region (Europe). Neotropical R. (Guatemala). Gen. Preroticuvs. Palearctic Region (Europe) . Nearctic R. (U.S.A.). Neotropical R. (Guatemala, Brazil, Guiana, Ecuador, Patagonia). Oriental R. (Himalaya, India, Java, Philippine Islands, China). Australian R. (New Holland, New Guinea, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Tahiti, &c.). AAthiopian R. (Gold Coast and other parts of Africa). Gen. ProctoPHYLLODEs. Palearctic Region (Europe). Neotropical R. (Guatemala). There can be no doubt that the geographical distribution of the various families, genera, and even species of many Acarids will eventually be found to be much larger. Several are already known to extend over more than one of the z00-geographical regions, 2. €.:— Atax crassipes, O. F, Mill. t—Europe, Guatemala. Actineda baccarum, L.t—Europe, Guatemala, Paraguay (Rio Apa), Buenos Ayres. Holostaspis marginatus, Herm.—Europe, Guatemala, Brazil (Matto Grosso), Paraguay (Asuncion, Rio Apa), La Plata (Buenos Ayres). Undoubtedly the migrations of the Acarids may account, to some extent, for the uniformity of types, especially as regards the wholly or partially parasitical species. * I possess a new and very interesting species belonging to this remarkable genus from Accra (Gold Coast), which I propose shortly to describe elsewhere. T See page 47. t See page 45. INTRODUCTION. xl In some instances, as in the Dermaleichide, the passive migration on birds’ wings is no doubt the usual mode of dispersion; and as the regions of Central America form a sort of rendezvous and winter station for many birds of passage which are infested by Dermaleichide, contact and interchange of Acarid forms of this particular group are continually taking place. Much less extensive, though yet considerable, is probably the passive migration and the dispersion of those Acarids which, in some stages of their existence, adhere to insects and to bats, and which, therefore, are carried by insects or on bats’ wings, such as various Tyroglyphide, Gamaside, Trombidide, and Hydrachnide; the Hydracnnide attach themselves to Hemipterous water- insects which at night abandon their ponds and take wing. In the course of many successive generations these Acarids may thus spread over large areas. Amongst the non-parasitic species, the active migration of those of open habits and rapid loco- motion, such as the Trombidide, Actinedide, &c., may influence the dispersion of types and the mutual penetration into different faunas. How far the aerial trans- portation by wind and storm, which are such powerful agencies in the migration of winged insects and young spiders, may facilitate the passive migration of Acarids is, as yet, entirely unknown. But, taken as a whole, the various modes of migration, numerous as they are, only serve to explain the similarity of types in more or less contiguous land-areas, such as North, Central, and South America, and the wide range of single species. The almost universal occurrence, however, of certain genera, such as Ixodes, Argas, Actineda, Trombidium, Rhyncholophus, Holostaspis, Oribata, Atax, and the world- wide distribution of the fundamental types of Acarids, must have another and more general cause. ‘This, most probably, is owing to the early dispersion of the primary Acarid types from their centres of origin, and in the comparative persistency of those types, due to a relatively perfect correspondence between the once acquired differentiation of their essential organs and their modes of life. Bearing in mind the fact that the local faunas of two so very different and widely separated regions as Central Europe and Central America possess a comparatively large number of identical generic types and of closely allied species of Acarids, we have perhaps a right to generalize and to presume :— (1) That this uniformity is, geologically speaking, very ancient, and originated in a comparatively early geological period when the relative positions of the continents, the islands, and the seas were altogether different from what they are now. 62 xil INTRODUCTION. (2) That the Acarids long ago arrived at that degree of organic development (progressive or regressive) which was the fittest for their various modes of life, not partaking in the great and rapid changes of generic and specific characters which, in the course of the more recent geological epochs, have more or less affected so many of the higher organized types of the animal kingdom. The presence of Megisthanus in Central America, a well-characterized Gamasid genus which has not yet been found in any of the extratropical regions, is a fact of peculiar interest. In his original paper Signor T. Thorell * described three species from Java and two from New Guinea. One of the latter (1M. testudo, Thor.) has also been mentioned by Signor G. Canestrinif as occurring in Queensland. One species has since been added by Signor A. Berlese from Paraguay, and most probably the “‘Gamase géant” of A. Dugés§, from Brazil, belongs to the same genus. I have already had occasion to mention the fact that this remarkable type also occurs in tropical Africa ||. It therefore belongs to the tropical regions of not less than four different zoo-geographical areas, viz.: the Oriental (Java), the Australian (New Guinea and Australia), the Neotropical (Central and South America), and the “Ethiopian (Gold Coast)—a fact which it would be very difficult to explain by a migratory dispersion of recent origin from one starting-point. It is far more reasonable to regard these now so widely dispersed Megisthani as the surviving members of a once, that is in former geological periods, coherent group of Gamasids which have been separated in consequence of the slow but material changes of the earth’s surface, principally by the successive breaking down of large masses of the earth’s crust and the filling up of the thus formed gulfs by the seas. The genus Megisthanus is by no means the only example of the occurrence of one and the same animal type at different regions which at the present time are separated by large tracts of sea, and which for long periods have not had any direct land communication whatever with one another. * T. Thorell, Descrizione di alcuni Aracnidi inferiori dell’ Arcipelago Malese, 1882. t+ G. Canestrini, Acari nuovi o poco noti, p. 14 (Atti del R. Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, t. ii. ser, vi. 1884). t A. Berlese, Acari Austro-Americani, 1888. § A. Dugés, Recherches sur l’ordre des Acariens, 3° Mém., 1837. || See above, p. x, note. INTRODUCTION. xiil The remarkable distribution of some of the higher animals, such as the Prosimiw among mammals, the Ratite among birds, the Crocodilide among reptiles, is well known, and every student of terrestrial Invertebrata who has paid some attention to the geographical distribution of his favourite group must be acquainted with similar facts. I may be allowed here to mention the Gasteropod genus Clausilia, the Nenia group of which is now limited to the high valleys and mountain chains of Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, and, with one species only, to the island of Puerto Rico, and which has its nearest allies not in the New, but in the Old World, in the Lami- nifera group (Neniatlanta, Bgt.), which now lives on the top of La Rhune, a mountain near the coast of the Bay of Biscay, and in the Garnieria group, the members of which inhabit the mountainous districts of China, Siam, and Cambodia. On some pieces of bark in the virgin forests of the Pacific slope of Guatemala I discovered a new species of Diplommatina *, a Gasteropod type, the autochthonous members of which had previously only been known from India and the neighbouring archipelagos. In the woods near Retalhuleu (N.W. Guatemala) I found a new species of the Myriopod genus Polyxenus, the type of which is the well-known P. lagurus, L. Another species of this well-defined Chilognath genus has been mentioned by Mr. Humbert from Ceylon, and one species has been described from North America by Say. A not less characteristic Myriopod type, the genus Siphonophora, abounds under the bark of the fir trees near the summits of the volcanos Agua and Fuego in Guatemala, whilst a nearly allied species has been found in Madagascar by my friend, Prof. C. Keller. Another species has been described from Ceylon by Mr. Humbert. In the woods of the Volcan de Agua, at an elevation of about 10,000 feet, I met with a species of land-leech belonging to the genus Cylicobdella, Grube, which is closely allied to, if not identical with, C. lumbricoides, Gr., discovered by Prof. Fritz Miiller at Desterro in Brazil. Similar instances of an almost world-wide distribution might, no doubt, be found among other groups of Invertebrata whose facilities for active or even passive migration are very limited. Unfortunately our present knowledge of the Acarids is too fragmentary to allow any more definite speculations as to the phylogeny of this group. Whether it is, geologically speaking, as ancient as some other groups of the Arachnida, or * This species has since been described and figured as Diplommatina stolli in the ‘ Biologia Centrali- Americana’ (Mollusca, p. 20, Tab. I. figg. 19a, 6), by Prof. E. von Martens. XIV INTRODUCTION. whether it is of a more recent origin, whether its various families, some of which are not very closely allied to each other, took their origin from one or from several types, are questions we shall probably never be able to answer. Arachnoid Arthropods appear early in the strata of the primary periods, and it is quite possible that Acaroid types were among them, though the delicacy and minuteness of their structure made their preservation highly improbable. It is even possible that a closer examination of those sedimentary layers which are fine enough for the preservation of more delicate organisms, such as some of the tertiary strata (those of Oeningen for instance), may lead to the discovery of the larger and more chitinized forms, such as the Ixodide, Gamaside, and Oribatide. At present only one Acarid species is known from the Tertiary deposits of Oeningen. A larger number of Acarid types have been described from the Balticamber. The brown coal of Rott and the Green River beds of Wyoming have furnished a few isolated forms. But though, as yet, any direct proofs of the geological antiquity of the Acarid type beyond the Oligocene are wanting, the above-quoted fact of a most extensive geogra- phical distribution of the principal genera, and the general uniformity and similarity of the European and extra-European local faunas, as far as they are known at present, are highly in favour of a pretertiary origin of the Acarid types. If we compare the Acarid fauna of those parts of Europe where it has been some- what carefully studied with that of Central America, we are compelled to say that Central America is comparatively poor as regards the number of species, far more so than we should be inclined to anticipate when we take into consideration its great variety of soil and climate and its general richness in vegetable and animal productions. I willingly admit that the districts to which my personal researches were confined are not very extensive, and perhaps other parts of Guatemala, such as the high valleys of Alta Vera Paz, or the forests of the alpine mountains of the “ Altos,” or even the richer slopes of the Atlantic coast, may have a more varied Acarid fauna; but as the various collectors in other parts of Central America did not, in so conspicuous a group as the Oribatide, meet with any other species than those which I obtained in Guatemala, it seems to me probable that even those parts, when searched more carefully, will not prove very much richer or more varied in Acarid forms, though undoubtedly they may yield some new species which escaped my notice. I am therefore inclined to believe that there really exists a comparative scarcity of Acarid species, at least in Western Guatemala, and that the principal cause of this is to be found in INTRODUCTION. XV the atmospheric and climatic conditions of that country. For organisms of such delicate construction, the hygrometric equilibrium of which is so easily disturbed, the extreme aridity of the “ verano” or dry season, which in Western Guatemala lasts for several months, must prove much more fatal than does even the European winter with its frozen and snow-covered ground. On the other hand, the torrential ‘ aguaceros ” of the “‘invierno” or rainy season probably cause the destruction of numerous non- parasitic soft-bodied and unprotected Acari. It is for these reasons probably that we find the greatest variety of species in those genera which are protected to some extent by their entirely or partially parasitic habits, such as the Ixodide, Gamaside, Hydrach- nide, and Dermaleichide, or which, like Trombidiwm, are capable of a somewhat rapid locomotion, which enables them to reach, in case of need, a shelter to protect them from being drowned or dried up. The various stages of the tough-skinned ‘“‘ Garra- patas” (ticks) are enabled, however, to withstand alike the heat and dryness of the ‘“‘ verano” and the deluges of the “invierno.” The limited number of species is, in some instances at least, counterbalanced to a certain extent by an abundance of individuals. This is the case in some species which are more resistant, or better protected against the influences of the climate, than the majority of their congeners—for example, with Trombidium muricola, Tetrany- chus guatemale-nove, Atax alticola, Amblyomma miatum, Orihata centro-americana, Holostaspis marginatus, and the various species of Dermaleichide. I regret that I had not sufficient opportunities for observing the vertical distribution of the Central-American Acarids. My ascents of the volcanos Agua and Fuego were both made in the dry season, in the unfavourable months of January and February, when, at night, the temperature on the summits was as low as — 2° C., and when, from cold and aridity, Arthropod life was reduced to a few species of Insects, Myriopods, and Spiders, these living under the bark of the scattered fir trees and under stones *. But, judging from what I have observed in the Swiss Alps, where I found a small number of such conspicuous types as Rhyncholophus, Erythreus, Oribata, and Gamasus * When I passed the night in the crater of the Volcan de Agua, 19/20 February, 1881, I found in the morning the water in our jar covered with a crust of ice, Under the bark of a fir tree near the edge of the crater I found the dead body of a small species of venomous snake, which had evidently been killed by the cold. Notwithstanding, I discovered under a flat stone in the crater itself an ants’ nest, the inhabitants of which were winged. This species has since been described by my friend, Prof. A. Forel, as Leptothorax stolli. XVl INTRODUCTION. reaching the snow-line, and where one of them at least (hyncholophus nivalis, Heer) even surpasses it*, I am inclined to believe that within the tropics Acarids will be found at as high an elevation as any other Arthropod group. Pror. OTTO STOLL, M.D. Kiisnacht, near Ziirich, January 1893, * According to the observation of the late Prof. Heer, Rhyncholophus nivalis reaches an elevation of 9580 feet (top of the Piz Levarone). Fig. Fig. EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. TAB. I. . Trombidium mexicanum (pp. 1, 44): la, palpus; 14, mandible; 1c, first tarsus ; 1d, second tarsus. . Trombidium trilineatum (pp. 4, 45): 2a, palpus; 2 4, tarsus; 2c, texture of the skin. . Trombidium albicolle (pp. 5, 45): 3a, palpus. TAB. II. . Trombidium hispidum (pp. 2, 44): la, palpus; 16, mandible; le, first tarsus ; 1d, second tarsus. . Trombidium guayavicola* (pp. 4, 45): 2a, palpus; 2c, tarsus. . Trombidium muricola (pp. 5, 45): 3a, 3 4, varieties of the same. TAB. III. . Trombidium nasutum (pp. 2, 44): la, palpus; 16, second tarsus; le, first tarsus ; ld, anterior margin of sternum; le, mandible; 1 f, texture of the skin; lg, skin with hairs. . Bdella splendida (pp. 15, 48): 2a, tarsus; 26, top of the rostrum; 2c, mandible. . Larva of Bdella (?) sp.+ (p. 16) : 3a, first tarsus, showing the texture of the skin ; 36, mandible; 3¢, palpus; 3 d, second tarsus. TAB. IV. . Trombidium quinquemaculatum (pp. 8, 45).: 1a, palpus; 14, fourth joint of first leg ; lc, first tarsus. . Rhyncholophus erinaceus (pp. 6, 45): 2a, palpus, with top of labium; 24, section of leg with hairs; 2c, tarsus. * = T. muricola, var. ft Probably belongs to Rhyncholophus. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Arachn. Acar., January 1893. C XVill Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. © cS) Cw) EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. TAB. V. . Actineda flaveola* (pp. 7, 45): 1a, ventral surface. . Actineda antiguensis (pp. 7,45): 2a, palpus ; 26, mandible; 2c, tarsus (lateral view) ; 2 d, tarsus (dorsal view). . Actineda retalteca (pp. 7, 45): 84a, tarsus (lateral view); 36, mandible; 3, tarsus (ventral view). TAB. VI. . Tetranychus guatemale-nove (pp. 8, 46): la, palpi; 14, tarsus with ambulacra ; 1c, acicular mandibles. . Scyphius maniacus (pp. 17, 48): 2a, last joint of palpus; 26, mandible; 2c, tarsus ; 2d, hypostome. TAB. VII. . Atax alticola (pp. 9,46) : 1 a, ventral surface ; 1 6, dorsal surface of another specimen showing unusual position of eggs; lc, fourth joint of hind leg, showing the swimming bristles; 1d, fourth joint of first leg; le, claws; 1f, palpus; 1g, genital lamine. . Limnesia guatemalteca (pp. 18, 46): 2a, ventral surface; 26, palpus; 2c, genital lamine ; 2d, tarsus of hind leg; 2 e, top of the mandible. . Limnesia puteorum (pp. 14, 48): 8a, palpus; 36, genital lamine; 3c, tarsus of third leg. TAB. VIII. Atax septem-maculatust (pp. 9, 46, 47): 1a, ventral surface; 1 6, mandible ; lc, palpus; 1d, genital lamine; 1e, hair of first leg. . Limnesia leta (pp. 14, 48): 2a, part of ventral surface, showing the disposition of the epimera and genital lamine; 20, palpus; 2¢, mandibles; 2d, tarsus of hind leg. TAB. IX. . Atax septem-maculatus, var. ypsilon + (pp. 10,47): la, ventral surface; 1 4, genital lamine; 1c, palpus. . Limnesia longipalpis (pp. 18, 47): 2a, part of the ventral surface, showing the dispo- sition of the epimera and genital lamine; 20, mandible; 2c, palpus. * A. flaveola, A. antiguensis, and A. retalteca = A. baccarwm, Linn., varr. ~ Probably nymphal stage of’ A. alticola. Fig. 1. Fig. 1. Fig. 1. Fig. 1. Fig. 1. EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. XIX TAB. X. Atax dentipalpis, 2 (pp. 10, 47): 1a, ventral surface; 1 6, palpus; 1c, mandible ; 1 d, posterior margin of the abdomen, with the genital lamine (ventral view). . Nesea guatemalensis, ¢ (pp. 11, 47): 2a, part of the ventral surface, showing the disposition of the epimera and genital arev ; 20, palpus. TAB. XI. Nesea guatemalensis, $ (pp. 11, 47): la, part of the ventral surface, showing the disposition of the epimera and genital lamine; 14, genital lamine; 1c, palpus; 1d, mandible; 1 e, section of the fourth joint of hind leg; 1/, tarsus of first leg. Nesea numulus (pp. 12, 47) : 2a, part of the ventral surface, showing the disposition of epimera and genital ares; 20, genital are; 2c, palpus. TAB, XII. Amblyomma mixtum, & (pp. 19, 49): la, the same, full of blood after suction ; 16, genital aperture; 1c, anal aperture; 1d, top of mandible (pseudochela) ; le, stigmatic plate (peritrema); 1 f, radula of the arca maxillaris, viewed from beneath ; 1g, tarsus of hind leg; 1/, palpus; 17, tarsus of first leg. Amblyomma miztum, 8 (pp. 19, 49) : 2a, genital aperture; 24, anal aperture. Amblyomma foreli, (pp. 21, 50), tarsus of hind leg: 3a, top of mandible (pseudo- chela) ; 3, palpus of the same. (See also Tab. XIV. fig. 3.) TAB. XIIT. Ixodes boarum, 2? (pp. 18, 19): la, ventral surface; 1 6, dorsal surface of a young individual; lc, sucking-apparatus, showing the palpi, the radula of the arca maxillaris, and the mandibles (pseudochele); 1d, tarsus; le, stigmatic plate (peritrema). (See also Tab. XIV. fig. 4.) TAB. XIV. Amblyomma crassipunctatum, 3 (pp. 22, 50): la, anal aperture; 1 4, genital aper- ture; lc, stigmatic plate (peritrema) ; 1d, palpus; 1e, tarsus of first leg; 1, tarsus of hind leg; 1g, top of the mandible ; 1 #, radula of the arca maxillaris. . Amblyomma sabanere, 2 (pp. 23, 50): 2a, coxa of hind leg; 24, tarsus of hind leg; 2c, tarsus of first leg ; 2d, radula of the arca maxillaris; 2, stigmatic plate (peritrema) ; 2,f, palpus; 2g, top of the mandible; 2h, genital aperture; 27, anal aperture. . Amblyomma foreli, 2? (pp. 21, 50): 34, stigmatic plate (peritrema) ; 3 4, first tarsus ; 3c, genital aperture; 3d, anal aperture. (See also Tab. XII. figg. 3-3 4.) Ixodes boarum, 2 (pp. 18, 49), anal aperture. (See Tab. XIII.) XX Fig. 1. Fig. 1. EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. TAB. XV. Oribata centro-americana (pp. 24, 50): 1a, ventral surface; 1 4, lateral view of the cephalothorax with pteromorphe; 1c, mandible; 1d, palpus with part of the epistomium ; le, tarsus; 1/, eggs. . Oribata rugifrons (pp. 25, 50): 2a, ventral surface; 26, mandible; 2c, leg; 2d, palpus. . Larva of Oribata sp. (p. 26): 8a, mandible ; 34, palpus with part of the epistomium ; 3c, tarsus; 3d, hair. . Hoplophora retalteca (ventral view) (pp. 27, 50): 4a, lateral view; 46, mandible ; 4c, epistomium, with right palpus of the retracted mandibles ; 4d, palpus; 4e, tarsus ; 4 f, eggs. TAB. XVI. . Nicoletiella neotropica (pp. 27, 50): la, palpi; 16, microscopical texture of the epiderm; 1c, mandible. . Uropoda echinata (pp. 28, 51): 2a, hypostome and palpi; 24, tarsus; 2c, micro- scopical texture of the epiderm; 2d, chela of the mandible ; 2 e, tarsus of first leg. Uropoda inequipunctata (pp. 29,50): 8a, ventral view; 34, chela of the mandible ; 3c, tarsus ; 3d, anal orifice. Celenopsis uropodoides, 2 (pp. 35, 52), ventral view: 4 a, chela of the mandible ; 4 6, tarsus of first leg; 4¢, genital orifice; 4d, microscopical texture of the skin. (See also Tab. XIX. figg. 3-3 0.) TAB. XVII. . Uropoda centro-americana (pp. 30, 51): 1a, buccal parts in the ventral view, coxe of first leg, palpi, corniculi labiales, and labium—the whole protected by the anterior margin of the dorsal plate (the mandibles are wanting); 14, tarsus of first leg; 1c, tarsus of second leg; 1d, chela of the mandible; le, sternal plate ; 1 f, spiraculum. . Nymph of Uropoda centro-americana (pp. 80, 51): 2a, ventral view ; 20, tarsus. . Uropoda piriformis (pp. 31, 51): 3a, ventral view, without the legs; 34, tarsus ; 3¢, hypostome and palpi; 3 d, chela of the mandible. . Uropoda discus (pp. 29, 51): 4a, ventral view of the first pair of legs, palpi, and mandibles ; 4, palpus; 4c, tarsus of second leg. TAB. XVIII. Megisthanus gigantodes, @ (pp. 81, 51): 1a, ventral view; 1, genital orifice ; 1c, tarsus of second leg ; 1 d, ventral view of the buccal parts. . Megisthanus gigantodes, 8 (pp. 31, 51): 2a, ventral view; 26, chela of the mandible (deprived of its appendages by maceration in a solution of caustic potash) ; 2 c, ventral Fig. 1. Fig. 1. Fig. 1. EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. Xxl view of the buccal parts; 2d, genital orifice; 2e, microscopical texture of the epiderm; 2 f, adhesive grooves at the end of the sternal plate; 2g, chela of the mandible with its appendages. TAB. XIX. Megisthanus armiger, 3 (pp. 84, 51): La, ventral view; 1 4, lip and palpi; 1c, chela of the mandible ; 1 d, genital orifice ; 1 e, tooth-bearing joints of second leg. . Pachylelaps heros, var. mexicanus, 3 (pp. 37, 38, 52): 2a, ventral view; 2 b, chela of the mandible; 2c, genital orifice; 2d, ventral view of the buccal parts, lip, corni- culi labiales, and palpi; 2e, leg of the second pair. Celenopsis uropodoides, ¢ (pp. 35, 52), dorsal view: 3a, chela of the mandible with its appendages ; 3 4, lip with corniculi labiales. (See also Tab. XVI. figg. 4-4.) Celenopsis megisthanoides, 2 (pp. 36, 52) : ventral view of the buccal parts, with the lip, corniculi labiales, and valpi. TAB. XX. Celenopsis megisthanoides, 9 (pp. 386, 52): la, ventral view; 16, chela of the mandible. Holostaspis marginatus (pp. 39, 52): 2a, ventral view ; 24, lip, corniculi labiales, and palpi; 2c, chela of the mandible; 2 d, tarsus of second leg. TAB. XXI. Pterolichus momotorum, 3 (pp. 89, 52): 1a, anal appendages with the adhesive discs ; 1 4, chelze of the mandibles and palpi. Pterolichus momotorum, 2 (pp. 39, 52): 2a, ventral view. . Proctophyllodes sialiarum, 3 (pp. 42, 53). Proctophyllodes sialiarum, 2? (pp. 42,53): 4a, leg of the second pair ; 4 4, chela of the mandible; 4c, egg with embryo. . Megninia pteroglossorum, 3 (pp. 40, 52): 5 a, nymph of ?; 5, larva. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Arachn. Acar., January 1893. d BIOLOGIA CENTRALI-AMERICANA. ZOOLOGIA. Class ARACHNIDA. Order ACARIDEA. Suborder I. ACARINA-TRACHEATA, Kramer. Fam. TROMBIDIDA. [Kramer, Grundziige zur Systematik der Milben, in Arch. fiir Naturg. xliii. p. 226 (1877). ] TROMBIDIUM. Trombidium, Latreille, Gen. Crust. et Ins. i. pp. 144, 145 (1806). 1. Trombidium mexicanum, sp. n. (Tab. I. figg. 1-1 d.) Corpus oblongum, pyriforme, depressum, postice rotundatum, tomentoso-hirsutissimum ; tomentum e pilis quadrifidis sistens, colore uniformi coccineo, ex sericeo nitente; superficies dorsualis impressionibus trans- versalibus induta. Pedes breviusculi, coccineo-sericei, tomentosi; subtus (exceptis tarsis) pilis longis pinnatis in seriem dispositis instructi. Palpi longi, marginem corporis anteriorem superantes ; pilis tomen- tosis pinnatis induti; appendicula lobiformi lanceolata, haud lata, longe pilosa. Mandibule fusiformes, ungue falciformi acuto armate. Oculi coccinei, in tomento fere absconditi. Long. 5-6, lat. max. 4 millim. Hab. Mexico, Presidio (Forrer). Two examples. Body oblong, pyriform, depressed from above and below; shoulders protracted between the coxe of the second and third pairs of legs; posterior part of the body cylindrical, its hind margin rounded; dorsal surface with a few transverse im- pressions; colour uniform, a bright scarlet; the whole body thickly covered with velvety, quadrifid hairs. Coxe of the second and third pairs of legs separated by the protracted shoulders. Legs rather short, when compared to the mass of the body, of about equal length, the anterior ones a trifle thinner and longer than the others; slightly compressed, higher than broad, thickly covered with short red hairs which give them a whitish silky lustre; beneath bearing brushes of long, straight, pinnate hairs, which in the fore legs are but imperfectly developed and limited to the first three joints (counting from the coxa); the brushes are wanting from all the tarsi; front tarsi obliquely truncate at the top, their lower surface covered with very short hairs which are arranged into a sort of tactile brush, their claws much smaller than those BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Arachn. Acar., December 1886. B* 2 ACARIDEA. of the other pairs; the tarsi of the second, third, and fourth pairs bearing long pinnate hairs. Palpi long, extending far beyond the front margin of the body ; covered with velvety, pinnate hairs, which on the surface of the appendicula form long fringes. The fusiform mandibles are terminated by a broad, falciform, sharply pointed claw, which is much shorter than the mandible itself. The description of this beautiful species is drawn from two dried and pinned speci- mens, which were collected by Mr. Forrer. | 2, Trombidium hispidum, sp. n. (Tab. II. figg. 1-1 d.) Corpus ovato-trigonum, margine anteriori in apicem trigonum protracto; immaculatum, tomentoso-hirsutum, uniformiter coccineum ; pilis rarioribus, disseminatis, elongatis, pinnatis, ex tomento exsertis indutum, precipue in regione humerali et versus marginem posteriorem. Pedes ineequales, in paribus 1° et 4° lon- giores ; tarsus primi paris fusiformis, unguibus minimis. Palpi exserti, pilis elongatis induti ; appendicula pyriformi, latiuscula. Mandibule breves, ungue elongato, angusto, falciformi, subtilissime denticulato, apice obtusulo. Long. 2, lat. 1 millim. Hab. Guatemata, Retalhuleu (Séol?). Body triangular, its anterior margin protracted into a sort of triangular clypeus ; colour uniform, scarlet. Body and legs thickly covered with a short velvety pile, out of which spring long, disseminate, pinnate, and slightly curved hairs, which on the shoulders and towards the end of the body are longer and more thickly set than on the remaining parts of the dorsum. The legs are comparatively longer than in 7. mexicanum, and without brushes on the lower surface. The front tarsus is fusiform, its claws con- siderably smaller than in the others; the latter are truncate at their top, and bear pinnate hairs, each of which is inserted on an elevation of the integument. The palpi bear elongate, pinnate hairs, which on the second and third joints are arranged in a row ; the appendicula is broader than in 7. mexicanum and bears much shorter hairs. Mandibles short, with a rather cylindrical body, and a long, narrow, slightly curved claw ; the concave edge of the latter is, almost imperceptibly, denticulated. The description and figures are made from living specimens, which were found run- ning amongst dead leaves in the cacao-plantations near Retalhuleu. 3. Trombidium nasutum, sp. n. (Tab. III. figg. 1-1 g.) Corpus fere rhomboideum, depressulum, postice rotundatum, latitudinem maximam inter coxas secundi et tertii pedum paris exhibens, coccineum, tomentoso-hirsutulum ; tomentum e pilis brevibus quadrifidis constans ; pars cephalothoracis frontalis in apicem carnosum producta, clypei instar bases palporum obte- gens; cox lateribus corporis infixe; utriusque lateris coxe anteriores inter se valde approximate, ab coxis posterioribus (inter se approximatis) ejusdem lateris valde distantes ; dorsum impressiones plures transversales exhibens. Primum et quartum pedum par secundo et tertio paullulum longiora; tarsus primi paris pedum fusiformis, unguibus duobus minimis armatus. Palpi marginem clypei superantes ; appendicula lanceolata, setas longiores pinnatas gerente. Mandibule breves, falci brevi, lata, intus subtilissime denticulata armate. Long. 1, lat. 0°5 millim. Hab. Guatema.a, Retalhuleu (Séol/). TROMBIDIUM. 3 Body rhomboidal, broadest between the coxe of the second and third pairs of legs; scarlet, velvety ; the frontal part of the cephalothorax forming a sort of fleshy clypeus, which covers the basis of the palpi; a few transverse furrows run across the dorsal surface of the living animal. The coxe are inserted on the sides of the body; the first and second pairs, which are grouped near together, widely separated from the posterior coxe formed by the third and fourth pairs of legs. The first and fourth (?) pairs of legs are longer than the second (?) and third, each thickly covered with short velvety hairs. Front tarsi spindle-shaped, bearing two very small claws on the top; the other tarsi obliquely truncate, their claws almost simple. The palpi bear long pinnate hairs, which on the third and fourth joints are arranged into rows; the appendicula is lancet-shaped and bears on its surface several long setaceous hairs, which, however, are rather shorter than in 7. mexicanum. 'The mandibles are short and terminated by a short, broad, falciform claw, the inner edge of which is denticulate. This species is found amongst dead leaves in the forests round Retalhuleu. The description and figures were made from the living animal. 4. Trombidium quinque-maculatum, sp. n. (Tab. IV. fige. 1-1.) Corpus oblongo-ovoideum, depressulum, tomentosum; nigrum, maculis quinque albis dorsalibus: harum ante- riores pares, magne, triangulares, regionem humeralem utriusque corporis lateris occupantes ; reliquee tres macule impares, seriem formantes longitudinalem in dorso medio; ex his anterior parvula, rotunda, in dorsi centro sita; huic proxima macula impar magna, ovalis, in abdomine medio sita; in abdominis apice macula magna transversa impar. Apex frontalis cephalothoracis lineolam longitudinalem, brevem, flaveolam insupra exhibens. Pedum par primum et quartum longa, crassiuscula, secundo et tertio pari multo longiora, flavescentia, ab articulo tertio usque ad sextum nigrescentia. Palpi flavescentes, pilis nigris sparsis induti; appendicula lata, late inserta. Mandibule? Long. 2, lat. 0°75 millim. Hab. GuatEMALA, near the city (Stol/). Body oblong, a little depressed, with a longitudinal furrow on each side; velvety from closely-set, short, thick, quadrifid hairs: colour deep black, with five white spots; these spots are arranged as follows—two, lateral, large and triangular, occu- pying the region between the bases of the second and third coxe; a small round one nearly in the centre of the dorsal surface between the apices of these; a larger ovoid one, placed between the centre and the end of the dorsal surface; and a large transverse one on the posterior end. ‘The first and fourth pairs of legs are very long, about the length of the body, considerably longer and stouter than the second and third pairs; their colour is ochraceous-yellow, which from joints 3-6 merges into blackish, owing to the short, pinnate, black hairs by which this part is clothed. Palpi ochraceous. I found one specimen of this richly-coloured species amongst shrubs in a ravine near the city of Guatemala; it was running about in the bright sunshine. Unfortu- nately, I accidentally lost the mounted preparation of the mandibles before I had drawn and described them. B* 2 4 ACARIDEA. 5. Trombidium guayavicola, sp.n. (Tab. II. figg. 2-2.) Corpus oblongum, tomentosulum; nigrum, maculis duabus albis: anteriori in medio dorso sita semilunari, impari, posteriori anali, triangulari. Oculi rubri. Pedes ochraceo-rufescentes ; par primum et quartum secundo atque tertio longiora, crassiora ; tarsorum ungues valde recurvi, ad basin serratuli. Palporum articuli cylindrici; appendicula brevis, recta, apice rotundata. Mandibulew ? Long. 1, pebibus extensis 4, lat. 0°5 millim. Hab. Guatemata, Retalhuleu (Stol/). Body oblong; velvety-black, with two large white spots—a semilunar one on the dorsum between the coxe of the third pair of legs, and a triangular one at the posterior margin of the body. Eyes red; the palpi and legs of a clear reddish-brown colour. The first and fourth pairs of legs longer and thicker than the second and third pairs ; front tarsi spindle-shaped ; claws of the tarsi strongly curvate, with some indentations at the basis of their concave edge. Palpi straight, slender, with almost cylindrical joints; the fourth joint with a short claw, and a short, straight appendicula, the latter rounded, very broadly inserted, and bearing several long hairs on the top. The fourth pair of tarsi bear a sort of brush beneath, formed of long, oblique, slightly pinnate hairs; these hairs do not fall off so easily as from the other tarsi, and undoubt- edly help the animal in running up the trees. This species is not rare in the forests near Retalhuleu, where it is to be found running up and down the smooth trunks of the guayava trees (palo volador). 6. Trombidium trilineatum, sp. n. (Tab. I. figg. 2-2 ¢.) Corpus oblongum, postice rotundato-truncatum, depressiusculum, coccineum, tomentosulum, hirsutie brevi, canescenti; pseudo-prothorax albescens, sulco profundo transverso post oculos ab abdomine separatus ; dorsum abdominis hirsutie albescenti, per sulcos duo longitudinales, laterales, parallelos, serpentes in partes tres distinctas separatum. Pedes, palpi et mandibule rufescentes. Palpi elongati; tertio articulo cylindrico; appendicula brevi, basi lata inserta, apice rotundata. Long. 1:25, lat. 0°75 millim. Hab. Guatrmaa, Antigua (Stoll). Body oblong, with almost parallel sides; the dorsal surface divided into a pseudo- prothorax and an abdomen by a deep transverse furrow, from which two lateral lon- gitudinal furrows take their origin; these latter divide the back of the abdomen into three separate, whitish aree. Legs long, slender, reddish-brown. Palpi slender, clothed with long, stiff, dispersed hairs; their third joint long, almost cylindrical; the appendicula short, rounded at its end, and with a few stiff hairs on the top. This species lives in the hedges and gardens of the valleys of Antigua and Guatemala city. It is commonly found on the leaves of bushes, where it seems to feed on Aphides. When the specimens, by rubbing themselves against the leaves, &c., begin to lose their whitish velvety pile, their colour appears much redder than in the specimen figured. t TROMBIDIUM. 5 7. Trombidium albicolle, sp. n. (Tab. I. figg. 3, 3a.) Corpus oblongum, humeris protractis, apice anali rotundato ; coccineum, hirsutulum, maculis atque striis albis indutum ; in apice frontali pseudo-prothoracis macula alba; stria transversa lata inter humeros, postice linguam latam medianam in abdominis dorsum emittens ; apex analis albus; duc macule albe latero- marginales ante corporis apicem site, parve. Coxe lateribus corporis infixe. Pedes longi, graciles, rufes- centes, inter se fere equales. Palpi graciles, pilis longis rarioribus instructi; tertio articulo elongato, cylindrico ; quarti ungue unidentato, appendicula recta, apice rotundata, ad apicem piligera. Long. 0°75-1 millim. Hab. Guatemata, Antigua (Stol/). Body oblong, rounded behind, the shoulders protruding; pseudo-prothorax trian- gular: colour scarlet, with white spots formed by white, thickly-set, velvety hairs ; these spots are arranged as follows—a round white one on the frontal surface of the pseudo-prothorax, a large T-shaped one on the middle of the dorsal surface behind the eyes, an anal one at the end of the body, and two small round lateral ones near the margins of the posterior part of the abdomen. Legs, palpi, and mandibles of a clear reddish colour. Legs long, slender, the first and fourth pairs a trifle longer than the second and third. Third joint of the palpi long, cylindrical; the fourth joint with a small tooth on the concave side of its claw, the appendicula straight, parallel- sided, rounded at the end, where some stiff hairs are inserted. This species is found with the preceding, on bushes in hedges and gardens in the valley of Antigua. 8. Trombidium muricola, sp. n. (Tab. II. figg. 3-3.) Corpus breve, obovoideum, convexum, humeris rotundatis, apice frontali rotundata; cuticula levis, sericeo- nitida, nigra, maculis et striis albis, variantibus figura. Pedes, palpi et mandibule rufescentes. Pedes longi, graciles ; primum par ceteris longius. Hab. GuateMaLa, Antigua (Stoll). Body short, ovoid, convex, with the shoulders and the frontal and anal apex rounded ; smooth, silky-black, with white spots and stripes varying in form in the different specimens: in some the dorsal surface of the abdomen bears a white triangular spot on its posterior third, and from the acute angle of this, which is directed forwards, two narrow stripes proceed obliquely towards the humeri; in others there only remains a small white spot at the anal end, and a narrow white streak running across the dorsum at a short distance behind the middle, the streak in its centre forming a large angle (sometimes connected with the anal spot by a narrow white line) which opens towards the frontal apex ; finally, there occur specimens in which the whole body is black, except a small white border along the posterior margin. The legs are long and slender, the front pair a little longer than the others. Legs, palpi, and man- dibles light reddish-brown. This species is found in the rainy season on the adobe-walls of the nopal-gardens 6 ACARIDEA. (small plantations of Opuntia, upon which the cochineal insects are reared) round the city of Antigua. It runs busily about in the open sunshine. RHYNCHOLOPHUS. Rhyncholophus, Dugés, Rech. s. Vordre d. Acar. en gén. et la fam. des Tromb. en part., Prem. Mémoire, in Ann. des Sciences nat., Zool. i. p. 15 (1834). 1. Rhyncholophus erinaceus, sp. n. (Lab. IV. figg. 2-2 d.) Corpus oblongum, convexum ; humeris rotundatis, paullulum prominentibus ; cuticula molli, non refulgente, ex fusco cinerea, pilis clavatulis brevibus, quadrifidis, nigris hand sparse induta; subtus macula alba prope anum. Palpi, mandibule atque pedes rufescentes, piligeri. Palpi articulo extremo longo, curvo ; appendi- cula longa, lanceolata atque apice rotundata. Epimera primi et secundi pedum paris utriusque lateris in medio corpore valde approximata, per labium fere contigua, ab epimeris posteriorum parium valde dis- tantia ; margo corporis anterior desuper inspicienti globulum piligerum prebens. Long. 3, lat. 1:5 millim. Hab. Guatemata, Antigua (Stol/). Body oblong, not depressed, with somewhat prominent shoulders, the skin not shining, greyish-brown ; with short, black, quadrifid, thick and slightly curved hairs, which are not very thickly set, so that the skin can be easily seen between them; the under surface bearing a whitish spot in the anal region. The palpi, mandibles, and legs are reddish-brown, and bear short, black, appressed, obtuse, quadrifid hairs on their upper surface, and longer, imperceptibly pinnate, acute sete beneath. The fourth joint of the palpi forms a curved tooth, and bears long sete like the preceding joints and the appendicula; the latter is obtusely lanceolate in form. When looked at from above, the anterior margin of the body appears to be prolonged into a reddish globe, the latter bearing some long black hairs. ‘The apex of the labium forms a sort of flat cup with many marginal fringes. Two specimens, both of which were found under stones in the neighbourhood of Antigua. Fam, ACTINEDIDA. Acaride tracheate corpore subtriangulari angulis rotundatis, brevi, minime longiore quam latiore, integro, Oculi duo laterales, a margine corporis anteriore valde distantes, facillime perspicui. Cuticula mollis, setis rarioribus acutis, subtilissime pinnatis, induta. Pedes laterales, articulorum senorum, epimeris pedum in quoque latere valde approximatis. Pedes inter se fere equales longitudines, setis raris erectis et hirsutie brevi, spissa, appressa induti. Articulus pedum tarsalis gracilescens, acute terminans, ungui- bus duobus curvis armatus ; ad eorum basin unguis tertius spurius setulosus insertus est. Palpi quater- norum articulorum ; articulus basalis brevis, secundus longus, quam ceteri crassior, subcylindricus, tertius previssimus, ad apicem interne dentibus trinis, rectis, obtusis armatus, ultimus quam secundus brevior atque angustior, apice rotundatus, setiger. Mandibule longe, ex basi lata sensim apicem versus gracilescentes, in apice unguicula falciformi armate. Inter mandibularum bases in utroque latere corporis nascitur organum longum tubuliforme, angustum, in apice clavatum, quod horizontaliter palpi basin transgrediens marginem frontalem juxta palporum basin ita superat, ut a desupra inspicienti distincte et facillime discernatur. Epistoma triangulare, acutum, apice bifido. ACTINEDA. 7 ACTINEDA. Actineda, Koch, Uebersicht a. Arachn. Syst. 3'* Heft, 2% Abth. p. 57 (1837). 1. Actineda flaveola, sp. n. (Tab. V. figg. 1-1 4.) Corpus rotundo-ovoideum, supra convexulum, haud longius quam latius ; colore citreo, intestinis albide trans- lucentibus. Long. 0°5 millim. Hab. Guatemata, Antigua (Stol/). Body globose, the dorsal surface convex ; vivid yellow in colour, with some indistinct whitish spots in the middle of the dorsum, caused by the intestinal contents shining through the semi-transparent skin. This species occurs on the hills round Antigua, amongst the grass. 9. Actineda antiguensis, sp. n. (Tab. V. figg. 2-2 c.) Corpus breve, subtriangulare vel subpentagonum, paullulum depressum, minime longius quam latius ; coccineum, maculis albidis indistinctis ex intestinis translucentibus ; in dorso sulci tres transversi breves insquidis- tantes perspicui; corporis margines laterales antice convergentes, ante oculos angulatim flectentes ad marginem frontalem formandum; margo posterior late truncatus, angulis rotundatis ; hirsuties alba corporis et pedum ita ac in specie preecedenti disposita. Tarsorum unguicule stylo elongato inserte, curve, integre, ad earum basin utrinque seta pinnata oblique inserta ; unguis tertius spurius apice in carunculam imbutiformem dilatatus. Long. 0°75 millim. Hab. Guatemata, near the city, Antigua (Stoll). Body short, obtusely pentagonal, slightly depressed from above, a little longer than broad; carmine-red, with a few indistinct whitish spots on the dorsum; on the latter are three short, transverse furrows, the anterior of which is situated somewhat behind the eyes, the two hinder ones very near each other in the posterior third of the abdomen; the anterior part from the eyes forward triangular; the front margin rounded; the side margins not parallel, slowly diverging towards the hind one, which is broadly truncate, with rounded angles; on the dorsum are several rows of impinnate white shining hairs. Legs covered with short, thinly set, appressed hairs, amongst which many long, stiff, squarrose sete are conspicuous ; the claws are inserted on a sort of petiole, and bear on each side at their base a fringed short seta; false claw forming a cup-like caruncle. This species is found on shrubs in the vicinity of Antigua and the city of Guatemala ; it has a habit of running rapidly up and down the branches of small trees. 3. Actineda retalteca, sp.n. (Tab. V. figg. 3-3 ¢.) Corpus breve, subtrigonum, antice rotundatum, postice truncatum, angulis lateribus obtusis, paullulum depres- sum; colore rufo, maculis dorsualibus brunneis ab intestinis translucentibus: in medio dorso inter oculos latero-marginales macula trigona; post oculum utriusque lateris stria brunnea longa, antice bifurcata, oblique ad marginem analem tendens. Tarsorum petiolus unguiferus nodulis tribus dorsualibus. Long. 0°75-1 millim. 8 ACARIDEA. Hab. GuateMata, Retalhuleu (Stol/). Body, legs, palpi, and epistoma reddish-yellow. Body short, indistinctly triangular ; anterior margin rounded, the posterior one truncate but with rounded angles; on the middle of the dorsum between the eyes is a triangular brown spot, and behind each eye another long and narrow one which goes obliquely to the poster or margin; these three spots are caused by the intestinal contents shining through the soft and semi- transparent skin. The petiole which bears the claws has three nodules on its back. This species lives in the woods of the low country about Retalhuleu. Fam. TETRANYCHIDA, Kramer. TETRANYCHUS. Tetranychus, Dufour, Annales des Sciences nat. xxv. p. 276 (1832). 1. Tetranychus guatemale-nove, sp.n. (Tab. VI. figg. 1-1¢.) Corpus oblongum, antice late rotundatum, postice sensim attenuatum; humeris rotundatis, haud protractis ; oculi latero-anteriores; cuticula mollis, semipellucida, subtilissime dense plicatula. Palpi conoidei, crassi, trinorum articulorum. Mandibularum in unam concretarum unguicule in setas longas antice convergentes transformate sunt, basi recurve. Tarsi unguibus duobus, inter ambulacra quatuor sitis. Long. 0°75 millim. Hab. GUATEMALA, near the city (Stol/). Body oblong, its anterior margin broadly rounded; shoulders not or very little pro- truding ; skin semi-transparent, whitish, very finely wrinkled, with some long, regularly disposed sete amongst many short ones. Palpi short, rather thick, three-jointed, the last joint with a sort of short double claw. The claws of the mandibles transformed into two thin sete which converge anteriorly. Labium short, bifurcate. Tarsi with two claws amongst four sete (‘ambulacra’ of authors), which bear on the top a small, globose bulb. This species lives in the vicinity of the city of Guatemala, on a common shrub of the genus Cassia; it covers the lower surface of the leaves with its silky webs; the yellowish, comparatively large eggs are protected under circular, transparent covers. N.B.—I regret that I am unable to offer the reader a more exact and complete description of this species, but I discovered it when preparing to leave Guatemala. I had no time left then for the further study of this interesting species, and I would not have reproduced here the above hasty notes and figures, were it not to prove the existence of the genus Zetranychus in Guatemala. ATAX. 9 Fam. HYDRACHNIDZ. [C. J. Neuman, Kongl. Sv. Vet.-Ak. Handl. xvii. no. 3, pp. 16 et seqq. (1880) (Hydrachnides).] ATAX. Ataz (J. C. Fabricius), Neuman, Kongl. Sv. Vet.-Ak. Handl. xvii. no. 3, p. 20. 1. Atax alticola, sp.n. (Tab. VII. figg. 1-14.) ¢@. Corpus obovatum, satis altum, vix depressulum, antice et postice rotundatum, postice tuberculis duobus setigeris prominentibus, albo-flavescens, cuticula transparente; macula dorsualis magna, nigra, margine lobato, valde distincta, per glandulam dorsualem bicruciatam in maculas quinque desupra inspiciente divisa ; glandula dorsualis antice brunnea, albo marginata, postice flavescens, striam latam mediam longi- tudinalem formans, ex qua antice et postice rami bini laterales nascuntur, ita ut glandula bicruciata appareat; rami antici latiores, postici angustiores, ramuli irregulares lobiformes emittentes. Pedes et palpi longi, pedum par primum ceteris paullo crassius; palporum articulus extremus tridentatus. Lamine genitales subovales, late ; stigmatibus circiter tricenis instructe. Long. 1 millim.; lat. 0-75 millim. Mas l\atet. Hab. GUATEMALA, near the city (Sto//). Body ovoid, very little depressed, transparent, whitish-yellow; the middle of the back occupied by a large black patch which is divided by the dorsal gland into five distinct spots; the dorsal gland forming a broad longitudinal stripe, brown with whitish margins in its anterior half, yellowish behind; this stripe emitting two lateral branches from its anterior third and two also from its posterior third, the anterior of which are comparatively broad and offer several ramifications, whilst the posterior branches are narrow and bear but a few ramifications. Legs and palpi long, slender, transparent, light greenish. The front legs, which are only a little thicker than the rest, bear a few pairs of long stiff spines (these spines being obliquely serrate towards the apex), and their tarsal joint is furnished with a row of short, acute spines; the second pair has only a few short hairs on the dorsal surface, the lower surface showing several pairs of long spines like those of the first pair; the third pair has on the lower surface numerous pairs of squarrose spines and a short pinnate bristle at the apical end of the fifth joint, whilst the apex of the fourth joint bears a tuft of long swimming-hairs; the fourth pair shows on the lower surface of the fourth, fifth, and sixth joints a row of short broad spines, like the teeth of a comb, and the apices of the joints bear, except in the sixth, a more prominent pinnate bristle and tufts of long swimming-hairs. The palpi bear a few stiff spines; and the obtuse top of their fifth joint is tridentate. This species lives in ponds in the vicinity of the city of Guatemala. 9, Atax septem-maculatus, sp.n. (Tab. VIII. figg. 1-1e.) Corpus ovatum, convexum, pellucidum exceptis maculis dorsualibus, cum pedibus et palpis ex brunneo albes- cens; macula dorsualis nigro-fusca, magna, per glandulam dorsualem in maculas septem disjuncta; BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Arachn. Acar., June 1887. c* 10 ACARIDEA. glandula dorsualis lutea, antice lata, quadrifurcata, postice ramulos duos angustos laterales emittens. Pedum par primum ceteris haud crassius, par ultimum ceteris longius. Lamine genitales parve, se invicem angulis internis tangentes, obtuse pentagone ; stigmatibus majoribus quinis, minoribus binis instruct. Long. 0°5 millim. Hab. GuaTEMALA, near the city (Stoll). Body ovoid, convex, transparent; brownish-white, like the legs and palpi; the dorsal patch large, blackish-brown, separated into seven single spots by the orange-coloured dorsal gland ; the latter divided in its anterior half into two bifurcate branches, whilst at its posterior end it emits two small and narrow lateral branches. The first and second pairs of legs bear on their lower surface a few pairs of long, squarrose spines, which are indistinctly serrate at the end and inserted behind tooth-like elevations of the epidermis; the third pair with a pinnate bristle at the apical end of the fifth joint, and also with several swimming-hairs beneath; the fourth pair with a few short spines beneath, the spines gradually becoming longer towards the apex of the joints, and the apical end of the third, fourth, and fifth joints with a short, pinnate bristle, and towards the apices of the same joints some tufts of long swimming-hairs. ‘The genital plates are small, situated in the middle between the epimera of the fourth pair of legs and the abdominal margin, and touch each other at their inner angles; each plate bearing five large and two small stigmata. Found in ponds in the vicinity of the city of Guatemala. Var. ypsilon. (Tab. IX. figg. 1-1c.) Corpus ovatum, pellucidum ; macula dorsuali magna nigro-fusca, granulosa; glandula dorsualis lutea, Y-formis, integra. Lamine genitales pentagons, parvule, angulis internis se invicem tangentes, stigmatibus quinis vel senis instructs. Pedes atque palpi sicut in typo. Long. 0:25 millim. Hab. GUATEMALA, near the city (Séol/). Body ovoid, transparent, with a large brown dorsal patch, which is divided by an orange-coloured Y-shaped dorsal gland into three distinct spots. Genital plates penta- gonal, touching each other at their anterior angles, each bearing five or six large and two small stigmata. Legs and palpi as in the type. Found in the same pond with the type in the vicinity of the city of Guatemala. I cannot consider this little Atax specifically distinct from A '@) o re) = '@) re) ee = o mo | ad ° a © ~” CANUM. I > TROMBIDIUM MEX ele UAYAV! "1 G CAMBRIDGE Sayo}ed |O4JUOD 10109 YVGO- — vg} ‘e Cate “ Li Lake Ff Ss: Cor oc oN pD. Aearide Oe Lal or Nye PLC NA 1g. 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