rn
iis
vi | Banat te tl
er a
a Gea tea ee 7
=
7
qe
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2007 with funding from
Microsoft Corporation
http://www.archive.org/details/cambridgenaturalO6harmuoft
PEON ST eee:
DEPCRTNZ * LSULOGY
THE
CAMBRIDGE NATURAL HISTORY
EDITED BY
S. F. HARMER, Sc.D., F.R.S., Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge ;
Superintendent of ie coe Museum of Zoology
AND
A. E. SHIPLEY, M.A., Fellow of Christ’s College, Cambridge ;
University Lecturer on the Morphology of Invertebrates
VOLUME VI
ae
4) :
;
: 15 i
me TY OF :
a oe \
www
INSECTS
PART II. Hymenoptera continued (Tubulifera and Aculeata), Coleoptera,
Strepsiptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, Aphaniptera, Thysanoptera,
Hemiptera, Anoplura.
By DAVID SHARP, M.A. (Cantab.), M.B. (Edinb.), F.R.S.
dace &
ee
+ SBI Ah NEI PE FEIT
DEPeRi ie Ly ZeULObY |
2 %* iE a a eat
‘A oe. = * “Np , ¥
2 teed Os OE
London
WACMILLAN AND CO. LIMITED
NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
IQOI
All rights reserved
‘Men are poor things; I don’t know why the world thinks so
much of them.”—WMrs. Bee, by L. & M. Wintle.
First Edition 1899
Reprinted 1gor
CONTENTS
PAGE
SCHEME OF THE CLASSIFICATION ADOPTED IN THIS Book ‘ E ‘ oe aval
CHEATER
HYMENOPTERA PETIOLATA CONTINUED—SERIES 2. TUBULIFERA OR CHRYsI-
DIDAE.—SERIES 3. ACULEATA—GENERAL—CLASSIFICATION— DIVISION I.
ANTHOPHILA OR BEES. : ; ° : é c : A it
(OUSAIZAMID ey, JUL
HYMENOPTERA ACULEATA CONTINUED—DIVISION II. DIPLOPTERA OR WASPS
—EuMENIDAE, Sonirary TruE Wasps—VESPIDAE, SoctAL WaAsps—
MASARIDAE. 7 , = : : : : , : a é es
CJEPAGEZ Rave El
HYMENOPTERA ACULEATA CONTINUED-——DIviIsion III. Fossorgs or
FossortaL SoLirARyY WASpPS—FAMILY SCOLIIDAE OR SUBTERRANEAN
FossoRES— FAMILY POMPILIDAE 0R RUNNERS—FAMILY SPHEGIDAE OR
PERFECT-STINGERS : ; : ‘ E ; 5 é - A 90
CHVAGR RA Rava
HYMENOPTERA ACULEATA CONTINUED — DIVISION IV. FORMICIDAE OR
ANTS : i : ; F 3 : 5 5 : : y uusil
CCAS AE eave
COLEOPTERA OR BEETLES—STREPSIPTERA ‘ : = : ; = 84
CHAPTER VI
LEPIDOPTERA, OR BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS . : F ; . ‘ . 304
v1 CONTENTS
CHAPTER Vil
PAGE
DIPTERA, OR FLIES—APHANIPTERA, OR FLEAS—THYSANOPTERA, OR THRIPS 438
CHAPTER VE
HEMIPTERA, OR BUGS—ANOPLURA : A : : a é é a bey
NoTEs . : ! . : : 4 : ; : é : 3 - 602
INDEX . : ; : A é ‘ : 4 < : = (0B:
SCHEME OF THE CLASSIFICATION ADOPTED
IN THIS BOOK
Order Sub- oe aa
HYMENOPTERA ( Petiolata.
(continued from - (continued
[Mall VN \ from Vol. V).
Sub-Family or
Family. Thais. Group.
tee ir { CHRYSIDIDAE (p. 1).
( Archiapides (p. 21).
Obtusilingues (p. 22).
ANTHOPHILA Andrenides (p. 23).
(p. 10) - Denudatae (p. 29).
APIDAE (p. 10) | Seopulipedes (p. 32).
Dasygastres (p. 35).
Sociales (p. 53).
DIPLOPTERA
(p. 71)
| Vise ( (p. 72).
VESPIDAE (p. 78).
| MASARIDAE (p. 88).
Mutillides (p. 94).
FossorEs (p. 90) | Thynnides (p. 96).
| ScoLIIDAE Scoliides (p. 97).
(p. 94) | Sapygides (p. oh
Rhopalosomides ( p- 100).
PoMPILIDAE (p.101).
( Sphegides (p. 107).
Ampulicides (p. 114).
HYMENOPTERA 4 Larrides (p. 116).
(continued) Aculeata 4 Trypoxylonides (p. 118).
(p. 4) SPHEGIDAE Astatides (p. 119).
(p. 107) Bembecides (p. 119).
Nyssonides (p. 123).
Philanthides (p. 124).
Mimesides (p. 127).
| Crabronides (p. 128).
(Camponotides (p. 144).
Dolichoderides (p. 157).
Myrmicini
(p. 159).
Attini (p. 165).
Hekenpeee Myrmicides Reaaarate ag
(p. 131) (p. 158) (p. 168).
ig ae
| FoRMICIDAE (p. 169).
| (p. 131) E
Ponerides (p. 170).
(p. 175).
Dorylini
(p. 177).
Dorylides (p. 174)-
|
( Ecitonini
( ( | Amblyoponides (p. 189).
vill SCHEM
BOR (LAS SHALE AION
Sub-Order, Division
Order, or Series,
Lamelli-
es
(p. 190) °
Adephaga or
eae
(p. 200)
|
|
(
COLEOPTERA
(p. 184)
a
Polymorpha
(p. 213)
a
Sub-Family or
Tribe.
5)
Family.
‘ PASSALIDAE (p. 192).
LUCANIDAE p. 193).
( Coprides (p. 195).
f Melolonthides (p. 198).
Sead) 4 Rutelides (p. 198).
Ip? Dynastides (p. 199).
Cetoniides (p. 199).
CICINDELIDAE (p. 201).
ee (p. 206).
Harpalides (p. 206).
Pseudomorphides (p. 206).
AMPHIZOIDAE (p. 207).
PELOBIIDAE (p. 207).
Mormolycides (p. 206).
HALIPLIDAE (p. 209).
DYTISCIDAE (p. 210).
CARABIDAE
(p. 204)
PAUSSIDAE (p. 213).
GYRINIDAE (p. 215).
HYDROPHILIDAE (p. 216).
PLATYPSYLLIDAE (p. 219).
LEPTINIDAE (p. 220).
SILPHIDAE (p. 221).
SCYDMAENIDAE (p. 223).
GNOSTIDAE (p. 223).
PSELAPHIDAE (p. 223).
STAPHYLINIDAE (p. 224).
SPHAERIIDAE (p. 227).
TRICHOPTERYGIDAE (p. 227).
HyYDROSCAPHIDAE (p. 228).
CORYLOPHIDAE (p. 228).
SCAPHIDIUDAE (p. 229).
SYNTELIDAE (p. 229).
HISTERIDAE (p. 230).
PHALACRIDAE (p. 231).
NITIDULIDAE (p. 231).
TROGOSITIDAE (p. 232).
COLYDIIDAE (p. 233).
RHYSODIDAE (p. 234).
CUCUJIDAE (p. 234).
CRYPTOPHAGIDAE (p. 235).
HELOTIDAE (p. 23).
THORICTIDAE (p. 236).
EROTYLIDAE (p. 236).
MYCETOPHAGIDAE (p. 237).
COCCINELLIDAE (p. 237).
KNDOMYCHIDAE (p. 239).
MYCETAEIDAE (p. 239).
LATRIDIIDAE (p. 240).
ADIMERIDAE (p. 240).
DERMESTIDAE (p. 241).
BYRRHIDAE (p. 242).
CYATHOCERIDAE (p. 248).
GEORYSSIDAE (p. 243).
HETEROCERIDAE (p. 243).
PARNIDAE (p. 248).
DERODONTIDAE (p. 244).
(Continued on the next page.)
SCHEME OF CLASSIFICATION
ete eae aint Sub-Family
Soe nee rity ae
, CLOIDAE a ae
| SPHINDIDAE (p. 245).
BOSTRICHIDAE (p. 246).
PTINIDAE Ptinides (p. 246).
(p. 246) Anobiides (p. 246).
Lycides (p. 248).
| MALACODER- | Diatides ae a
MIDAE
(p. 248) Lampyrides (p. 248).
Bs | Telephorides (p. 248).
MELYRIDAE (p. 252).
| CLERIDAE (p. 253)
| LYMEXYLONIDAE (p. 254).
DASCILLIDAE (p. 255).
RHIPICERIDAE (p. 256).
Throscides (p. 260).
[ ksenemides (p. 260).
w| ELATERIDAE j Elaterides (p. 260).
(p. 256). | Perottoni (p. 260).
Order.
Polymorpha
(continued) ~
Perothopides (p. 260).
Cerophytides (p. 260).
BUPRESTIDAE (p. 261).
TENEBRIONIDAE (p. 263).
CISTELIDAE (p. 264).
LAGRIIDAE (p. 264).
OTHNIIDAE (p. 265).
| AEGIALITIDAE (p. 265).
COLEOPTERA } MoNOMMIDAE (p. 265).
continued) } NILIONIDAE (p. 265).
ar eeeronae Tees (p. 265).
(P. ) PYTHIDAE (p. 265).
PYROCHROIDAE (p. 266).
ANTHICIDAE (p. 266).
OEDEMERIDAE (p. 266).
MORDELLIDAE (p. 267).
CANTHARIDAE (p. 269).
TRICTENOTOMIDAE (p. 275).
( BRUCHIDAE (p. 276)
Eupoda (p. 280).
CHRYSOMEL- (eee ae (p. 281).
Phytophaga IDAE (p. 278 gi ies (p. 282).
Cryptostomes As 282).
(p- 285) Lamiides (p. 287).
ANTHRIBIDAE (p. 290).
CURCULIONIDAE (p. 290).
SCOLYTIDAE (p. 294).
BRENTHIDAE (p. 295).
f AGLYCYDERIDAE (p. 297).
\ PROTERHINIDAE (p. 298).
Rhyncho- /
(p. 276)
; fom Cima waver { Prionides (p. 287).
phora (p. eo)
Strepsiptera i
(p. 298) { Sryzopipar (p. 298).
Cerambycides (p. 287).
xX
Order. °
LEPIDOPTERA
(p. 304)
Sub-Order, Division,
4
———
SCHEME OF CLASSIFICATION
or Series.
Rhopalocera
(p. 341)
Heterocera
(p. 366)
Sub-Family or
Tribe.
‘ Danaides (p. 344).
Ithomiides (p. 346).
Satyrides (p. 347).
NyMPHALIDAE | Morphides (p. 348).
(p. 343) Brassclides (p. 349).
Acraeides (p. 350).
Heliconiides (p. 351.
Nymphalides (p. 352).
ERYCINIDAF Erycinides (p. 355).
(p. 354) Libytheides (p. 355).
LYCAENIDAE (p. 356).
PIERIDAE (p. 357).
PAPILIONIDAE (p. 359).
HESPERIIDAR (p. 363.
( CASTNIIDAE (p. 371).
NEOCASTNIIDAE (p. 372).
SATURNIIDAE (p. 372).
BRAHMAEIDAE (p. 374).
CERATOCAMPIDAE (p. 375).
BOMBYCIDAE (p. 375).
EUPTEROTIDAE (p. 376).
PEROPHORIDAE (p. 377).
SPHINGIDAE (p. 380).
CocyTUDAE (p. 382).
NoroDONTIDAE (p. 383).
CYMATOPHORIDAE (p. 386).
SESIIDAE (p. 386).
TINAEGERIIDAE (p. 387).
SYNTOMIDAE (p. 388).
ZYGAENIDAE (p. 390).
HIMANTOPTERIDAE (p. 392).
HETEROGYNIDAE (p. 392).
PSYCHIDAE (p. 392).
COSSIDAE (p. 395).
ARBELIDAE (p. 396).
CHRYSOPOLOMIDAE (p. 396).
HEPIALIDAE (p. 396).
{ CALLIDULIDAE (p. 400).
DREPANIDAE (p. 400).
LIMACODIDAE (p. 401).
MEGALOPYGIDAE (p. 404).
THYRIDIDAE (p. 404).
LASIOCAMPIDAE (p. 405).
ENDROMIDAE (p. 406).
PTEROTHYSANIDAE (p. 406).
LYMANTRIIDAE (p. 406).
HyYPSIDAE (p. 408).
ARCTIIDAE (p. 408).
AGARISTIDAE (p. 410).
GEOMETRIDAE (p. 411).
NocTumpAE (p. 414).
EPICOPEIIDAE (p. 418).
URANIIDAE (p. 419).
EPIPLEMIDAE (p. 420).
PYRALIDAE (p. 420).
PTEROPHORIDAE (p. 426).
ALUCITIDAE (p. 426).
TORTRICIDAE (p. 427).
TINEIDAE (p. 428).
ERIOCEPHALIDAE (p. 433).
| MICROPTERYGIDAE (p. 485).
Family.
SCHEME OF CLASSIFICATION
Sub-Order, Division,
Orde1 on Series Family Sub venily or
CECIDOMYIIDAE (p. 458).
MYCETOPHILIDAE (p. 462).
3LEPHAROCERIDAE (p. 464).
CULICIDAE (p. 466).
CHIRONOMIDAE (p. 468).
Orthorrha- ORPHNEPHILIDAE (p. 470).
pha Nemo-} PsycHODIDAE (p. 470).
| Hae DIxIDAE (p. 471).
| (p. 455) Toran ave {aie (p. 472)
(p. 471) imnobiinae (p. 473).
| Tipulinae (p. 475).
BIBIONIDAE (p. 475).
| SIMULIIDAR (p. 477).
| _RHYPHIDAE (p. 478).
|
( STRATIOMYIDAE (p. 478).
LEPTIDAE (p. 479).
TABANIDAE (p. 481).
ACANTHOMERIDAE (p. 483).
THEREVIDAE (p. 484).
Orthorrha- SCENOPINIDAE (p. 484).
pha Bra- NEMESTRINIDAE (p. 484).
chycera BoMBYLIIDAE (p. 485).
(pp. 455, | ACROCERIDAE (p. 489).
DIPTERA 478) LONCHOPTERIDAE (p. 490).
pe es) MyYDAIDAE (p. 491).
ASILIDAE (p. 491).
APIOCERIDAE (p. 492).
EMPIDAE (p. 492).
| DoLICHOPIDAE (p). 493).
Cyclorrha- ( PHORIDAE (p. 494).
pha As- PLATYPEZIDAE (p. 496).
ama PIPUNCULIDAE (p. 496).
(pp. 455, ) Conoprpas ( (p. 497).
494) SYRPHIDAE (p. 498).
Muscipak ACALYPTRATAR (p. 503).
Cyclorrha- ANTHOMYIIDAE (p. 506).
pha Schi- Lee (p. 507).
(pp. 456, | SARCOPHAGIDAE (p. 510).
503) MuscIpDAE (p. 511).
OESTRIDAE (p. 514).
HIpPpoposcIDAE (p. 518).
| BravuLtpas (p. 520).
STREBLIDAE (p. 521).
NYCTERIBIIDAE (p. 521).
eee a
(pp. 456,
517)
pee 3 XIIDAE (p. 510).
APHANIPTERA / z
(pp. 456, 522) 1 PULICIDAE (p. 522)
THYSANO- f Terebrantia (p. 531).
PTERA (p. 526) \ Tubulifera (p. 531).
Xl
SCHEME OF CLASSIFICATION
Order. Sub-Order. Series.
GYMNOCER-
INGUIN (oh
544)
Heteroptera
(pp. 548, 4
544)
HEMIPTERA
(p. 532)
ee
ATA (p.
562)
TRIMERA
544)
(p.
Homoptera
(pp. 543,
568) DIMERA
544)
(p-
| MoNOMERA
| (p. 544).
| Anoplura
(p. 599.)
Family.
PENTATOMIDAE (p. 545).
CoREIDAE (p. 546).
BERYTIDAE (p. 548).
LYGAEIDAE (p. 548).
PYRRHOCORIDAE (p. 549).
TINGIDAE (p. 549).
ARADIDAE (p. 550).
HEBRIDAE (p. 551).
HYDROMETRIDAE (p. 551).
HENICOCEPHALIDAE (p. 554).
PHYMATIDAE (p. 554).
REDUVIIDAE (p. 555).
AEPOPHILIDAE (p. 559).
CERATOCOMBIDAE (p. 559).
CIMICIDAE (p. 559).
ANTHOCORIDAE (p. 560).
POLYCTENIDAE (p. 560).
CAPSIDAE (p. 561).
-SALDIDAE (p. 562).
a
GALGULIDAE (p. 562).
NEPIDAE (p. 563).
} NAUCORIDAE (p. 565).
BELOSTOMIDAE (p. 565).
NOTONECTIDAE (p. 567).
CoRIXIDAE (p. 567).
CICADIDAE (p. 568).
[ Fence RIDAE (p. 574).
MEMBRACIDAE (p. 576).
| CERCOPIDAE (p. 577).
JASSIDAE (p. 578).
{ PSYLLIDAE (p. 578).
APHIDAE (p. 581).
ALEURODIDAE (p. 591).
{ CoccIDAE (p. 592).
{ PEDICULIDAE (p. 599).
CHAPIER 1
HYMENOPTERA PETIOLATA CONTINUED
SERIES 2.' TUBULIFERA OR CHRYSIDIDAE—SERIES 3. ACULEATA—
GENERAL——CLASSIFICATION—_DIVISION I. ANTHOPHILA OR BEES
THE First Series—Parasitica—of the Sub-Order Hymenoptera
Petiolata was discussed in the previous volume. We now pass
to the Second Series.
= Series 2. Hymenoptera Tubulifera.
Trochanters undivided ; the hind-body consisting of from three
to five visible segments; the female with an ovipositor,
usually retracted, transversely segmented, enveloping a fine,
pointed style. The larvae usually live in the cells of other
Hymenoptera.
The Tubulifera form but a small group in comparison with
Parasitica and Aculeata, the other two Series of the Sub-Order.
Though of parasitic habits, they do not appear to be closely allied
to any of the families of Hymenoptera Parasitica, though M. du
Buysson suggests that they have some affinity with Proctotrypidae ;
their morphology and classification have been, however, but little
discussed, and have not been the subject of any profound investi-
gation. At present it is only necessary to recognise one family,
viz. Chrysididae or Ruby-wasps.!- These Insects are usually of
glowing, metallic colours, with a very hard, coarsely-sculptured
integument. Their antennae are abruptly elbowed, the joints
not being numerous, usually about thirteen, and frequently so
' Systematic monograph, Moesary, Budapest, 1889. Account of the European
Chrysididae, R. du Buysson in André, Spee. gen. Hym. vol. vi. 1896.
VOL. VI £ B
bo
HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
connected that it is not easy to count them. The abdomen is,
in the great majority, of very peculiar construction, and allows
the Insect to curl it completely under the anterior parts, so as to
roll up into a little ball; the dorsal plates are very strongly
arched, and seen from beneath form a free edge, while the ventral
plates are of less hard consistence, and are connected with the
dorsal plates at some distance from the free edge, so that the
abdomen appears concave beneath. In the anomalous genus
Cleptes the abdoren
is, however, sinilar
in form to that of
the Aculeate Hymen-
optera, and has four
or five visible seg-
ments, instead of the
three or -four that
are all that can be
seen in the normal
Chrysididae. The
larvae of the Ruby-
flies have the same
number of segments
as other Hymenoptera Petiolata. The difference in this re-
spect of the perfect Chrysididae from other Petiolata is due
to a greater number of the terminal segments being indrawn
so as to form the tube, or telescope-like structure from which
the series obtains its name. This tube is shown partially
extruded in Fig. 1; when fully thrust out it is seen to be
segmented, and three or four segments may be distinguished.
The ovipositor proper is concealed within this tube; it appears
to be of the nature of an imperfect sting; there being a very
sharply pointed style, and a pair of enveloping sheaths; the style
really consists of a trough-like plate and two fine rods or spiculae.
There are no poison glands, except in Cleptes, which form appears
to come very near to the Aculeate series. Some of the Chrysi-
didae on occasions use the ovipositor as a sting, though it is only
capable of inflicting a very minute and almost innocuous wound.
Although none of the Ruby-flies attain a large size, they are
usually very conspicuous on account of their gaudy or brilliant
colours. They are amongst the most restless and rapid of Insects ;
Fic. 1.—Chrysis ignita, 9. England.
I CHRYSIDIDAE
Oo
they love the hot sunshine, and are -difficult of capture. Though
not anywhere numerous in species, they are found in most parts
of the world. In Britain we have about twenty species. They
usually frequent old wood or masonry, in which the nests of
Aculeate Hymenoptera exist, or fly rapidly to and fro about the
banks of earth where bees nest. Dr. Chapman has observed the
habits of some of our British species. He noticed Chrysis
ignite flying about the cell of Odynerus parietum, a solitary
wasp that provisions its nest with caterpillars; in this cell the
Chrysis deposited an egg, and in less than an hour the wasp had
sealed the cell. Two days afterwards this was opened and was
found to contain a larva of Chrysis a quarter of an inch long, as
well as the Lepidopterous larvae stored up by the wasp, but there
was no trace of egg or young of the wasp. Six days after the
egg was laid the Chrysis had eaten all the food and was full-
grown, having moulted three or four times. Afterwards it formed
a cocoon in which to complete its metamorphosis. It 1s, however,
more usual for the species of Chrysis to live on the larva of the
wasp and not on the food; indeed, it has recently been positively
stated that Chrysis never eats the food in the wasp’s cell, but
there is no ground whatever for rejecting the evidence of so care-
ful an observer as Dr.-Chapman. According to M. du Buys-
son the larva of Chrysis will not eat the lepidopterous larvae,
but will die in their midst if the Odynerus, larva does not de-
velop; but this observation probably relates only to such species
as habitually live on Odynerus itself. The mother-wasp ot
Chrysis bidentata searches for a cell of Odynerus spinipes that has
not been properly closed, and that contains a full-grown larva of
that wasp enclosed in its cocoon. Having succeeded in its search
the Chrysis deposits several eggs—from six to ten; for some
reason that is not apparent all but one of these eggs fail to pro-
duce young; in two or three days this one hatches, the others
shrivelling up. The young Chrysis larva seizes with its mouth
a fold of the skin of the helpless larva of the Odynerus, and
sucks it without inflicting any visible wound. In about eleven
days the Chrysis has changed its skin four times, has consumed
all the larva and is full-fed; it spins its own cocoon inside that
of its victim, and remains therein till the following spring,
when it changes to a pupa, and in less than three weeks there-
1 Ent. Mag. vi. 1869, p. 153.
A HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
after emerges a perfect Chrysis of the most brilliant colour, and
if it be a female indefatigable in activity. It is remarkable
that the larva of Chrysis is so much like that of Odynerus that
the two can only be distinguished externally by the colour, the
Odynerus being yellow and the Chrysis white; but this is only
one of the many cases in which host and parasite are extremely
similar to the eye. Chrysis shanghaiensis has been reared from
the cocoons of a Lepidopterous Insect—Jonema flavescens, family
Limacodidae—and it has been presumed that it eats the larva
therein contained. All other Chrysids, so far as known, live at
the expense of Hymenoptera (usually, as we have seen, actually
consuming their bodies), and it is not impossible that C. shang-
haiensis really lives on a Hymenopterous parasite in the cocoon
of the Lepidopteron.
Parnopes carnea frequents the nests of Lembex rostrata, a
solhtary wasp that has the unusual habit of bringing from time
to time a supply of food to its young larva; for this purpose it
has to open the nest in which its young is enclosed, and the
Parnopes takes advantage of this habit by entering the cell and
depositing there an egg which produces a larva that devours that
of the Bembex. The species of the anomalous genus Cleptes live,
it is believed, at the expense of Tenthredinidae, and in all prob-
ability oviposit in their cocoons which are placed in the earth.
Series 5. Hymenoptera Aculeata.
The females (whether workers or true females) provided with a
sting: trochanters usually undivided (monotrochous). Usually
the antennae of the males with thirteen, of the females with
twelve, joints (exceptions in ants numerous)
}°
These characters only define this series in a very unsatisfac-
tory manner, as no means of distinguishing the “sting” from the
homologous structures found in Tubulfera, and in the Procto-
trypid division of Hymenoptera Parasitica, have been pointed
out. As the structure of the trochanters is subject to numerous
exceptions, the classification at present existing is an arbitrary
one. It would probably be more satisfactory to separate the
Proctotrypidae (or a considerable part thereof) from the Para-
sitica, and unite them with the Tubulifera and Aculeata in
a great series, characterised by the fact that the ovipositor is
I ACULEATA
un
withdrawn into the body in a direct manner so as to be entirely
internal, whereas in the -Parasitica 1t is not withdrawn in this
manner, but remains truly an external organ, though in numerous
cases concealed by a process of torsion of the terminal seg-
ments. If this were done it might be found possible to divide
the great group thus formed into two divisions characterised by
the fact that the ovipositor in one retains its function, the egg
oo
ce
Y VA = —— Fic. 2.—Diagram of upper sur-
O SS face of Priocnemis affinis ¢,
}) eC & Pompilidae. 0, ocelli; J,
A pronotum ; 4”, mesonotum ;
0° @) re Be, scutellum of mesonotum ;
Be? Me paises ee. B4, post-scutellum or middle
part of metanotum ; B?, propo-
deum or median segment (see
vol. v. p. 491); b°, combing
hairs, pecten, of front foot: C',
first segment of abdomen, here
not forming a pedicel or stalk +
D*, coxa; b?, trochanter; LD,
femur ; D®, calearia or spurs
of hind leg: 1 to 15, nerv-
ures of wings, viz. 1, costal ;
2, post-costal ; 3, median ;
4, posterior; 5, stigma ;
6) mancinaly- 7, wpper
basal ; 8, lower basal’; 9, 9,
cubital; 10, the three sub-
marginal ; 11, first recurrent ;
12, second recurrent; 1:3,
anterior of hind wing; 14,
median ; 15, posterior: I to
XI, the cells, viz. I, upper
basal; II, lower basal ; III,
marginal:; IV, V, VI, first,
second and third sub-mar-
ginal; VII, first discoidal ;
VIII, third discoidal; IX,
second discoidal ; X,. first
apical ; XI, second apical.
y
passing through it (Proctotrypidae and Tubulifera), while in the
other the organ in question serves as a weapon of offence and
defence, and does not act as a true ovipositor, the egg escaping
at its base. It would, however, be premature to adopt so revolu-
tionary a course until the comparative anatomy of the organs
concerned shall have received a much greater share of attention."
We have dealt with the external anatomy of Hymenoptera in
1 For new views on this subject see note on p. 602.
6 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
Vol. V.; so that here it is only necessary to give a diagram to
explain the terms used in the descriptions of the families and
sub-families of Aculeata, and to discuss briefly their characteristic
structures,
The Sting of the bee has been described in detail by Kraepelin,
Sollmann, Carlet’ and others. It is an extremely perfect me-
chanical arrangement. The sting itself — independent of the
sheaths and adjuncts—consists of three elongate pieces, one of
them a gouge-like director, the other two pointed and barbed
needles; the director is provided with a bead for each of the
needles to run on, these latter having a corresponding groove ;
the entrance to the groove is narrower than its subsequent
diameter, so that the needles play up and down on the director
with facility, but cannot be
dragged away from it; each
needle is provided with an
arm at the base to which
are attached the muscles for
its movement. This simple
manner of describing the
mechanical arrangement is,
however, incomplete, inas-
much as it includes no
account of the means by
which the poison is conveyed.
This is done by a very com-
plex set of modifications of
all the parts; firstly, the
director is enlarged at the
anterior part to form a
Fic. 3.—Sting of bee. A, One of the needles chamber, through Which the
Separated ; a, the barbed point ; 6, piston; needles play ; the needles are
¢, arm. 8B, Transverse section of the 5 :
sting: dd, the two needles; e, bead for Cach provided with a pro-
ad af Sa eee: jpceing eee wane oe bas
needle moves, plays in the
chamber of the director, and forces downwards any liquid that
may be therein; the poison-glands open into the chamber, and
the projections on the needles, acting after the manner of a piston,
carry the poison before them. The needles are so arranged on
1 Ann. Sci. Nat. (7) ix. 1890, 105 Ie
I ACULEATA—STING—LARVA jf
the director that they enclose between themselves and it a space
that forms the channel along which the poison flows, as it is
carried forwards by the movement of the pistons attached to
the needles. If the needles be thrust into an object quite as
far as, or beyond, the point of the director much poison may be
introduced into a wound, as the barbs are provided with small
orifices placed one above the other, while if this be not the case
much of the liquid will flow on the outside of the object.
According to Carlet the poison of the bee is formed by the
mixture of the secretions of two glands, one of which is acid and
the other alkaline; it is very deadly in its effects on other
Insects. We shall see, however, that the Fossorial Hymenoptera,
which catch and sting living prey for their young, frequently
do not kill but only stupefy it, and Carlet states that in this group
the alkaline gland is absent or atrophied, so that the poison con-
sists only of the acid; it is thus, he thinks, deprived of its lethal
power. Moreover, in the Fossoria the needles are destitute of barbs,
so that the sting does not remain in the wound. — Bordas, however,
states ' that in all the numerous Hymenoptera he has examined,
both acid and alkaline glands exist, but exhibit considerable differ-
ences of form in the various groups. He gives no explanation
of the variety of effects of the poison of different Aculeata.
The larvae (for figure of larva of Bombus, see Vol. V. p. 488)
are, without known exception, legless grubs, of soft consistence,
living entirely under cover, being protected either in cells, or,
in the case of social Hymenoptera, in the abodes of the parents.
The larvae of Ants and fossorial Hymenoptera have the anterior
parts of the body long and narrow and abruptly flexed, so that
their heads hang down in a helpless manner. All the larvae of
Aculeates, so far as known, are remarkable from the fact that the
posterior part of the alimentary canal does not connect with the
stomach till the larval instar is more or less advanced: hence the
food amongst which they live cannot be sullied by faecal matter.
The pupa is invariably soft, and assumes gradually the colour
of the perfect Insect. Almost nothing is known as to the
intimate details of the metamorphosis, and very little as to the
changes of external form. According to Packard a period inter-
venes between the stadium of the full-grown larva and that of
the pupa, in which a series of changes he speaks of as semi-pupal
1 ¢. R. Ac. Paris, exviii. 1894, p. 873.
8 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
are passed through; these, however, have not been followed out
in the case of any individual, and it is not possible to form any
final idea about them, but it seems probable that they are largely
changes of external shape, in conformity with the great changes
going on in the internal organs. Owing to the fragmentary
nature of observations, much obscurity and difference of opinion
have existed as to the metamorphosis of Aculeate Hymenoptera.
Sir S. Saunders gives the following statement as to the larva of
a wasp of the genus Psiliglossa,’ just before it assumes the pupal
form: “ The respective segments, which are very distinctly indi-
eated, may be defined as follows:—The five anterior, mcluding
the head, are compactly welded together, and incapable of separate
action in the pseudo-pupa state; the third, fourth, and fifth
bearing a spiracle on either side. The thoracical region termi-
nating here, the two anterior segments are assignable to the
development of the imago head, as pointed out by Ratzeburg.’
This inference is not, however, correct. We have seen that in
the perfect Insect of Petiolate Hymenoptera the first abdominal
segment is fixed to the thorax, and Saunders’ statement is in-
teresting as showing that this assignment of parts already exists
in the larva, but it in no way proves that the head of the imago
is formed from the thorax of the larva. It has been stated
that the larvae of the Aculeata have a different number of seg-
ments according to the sex, but this also is incorrect. The
difference that exists in the perfect Insects in this respect is due
to the withdrawal of the terminal three segments to the interior
in the female, and of two only in the male. The larva consists
of fourteen segments, and we find this number distributed in the
female perfect Insect as follows: one constitutes the head, four
segments the thorax and propodeum, followed by six external seg-
ments of the restricted abdomen, and three for the internal structures
of the abdomen. This agrees with Forel’s statement that in the
ants the sting is placed in a chamber formed by three segments.
The development of the sting of the common bee has been
studied by Dewitz” It takes place in the last larval stage.
Although nothing of the organ is visible externally in the adult
larva, yet if such a larva be placed in spirit, there can be seen
within the skin certain small appendages on the ventral surface
of the penultimate and antepenultimate abdominal segments
Trans. ent. Soc. London, 1873, p. 408. 2 Zeitschr. wiss. Zool. xxv. 1875, p. 184.
I ACULEATA—_DEVELOPMENT 9
(Fig. 4, A) placed two on the one, four on the other; these are the
rudiments of the sting In the course of development the
terminal three segments are taken into the body, and the external
pair of the appendages of the twelfth
body segment (the ninth abdominal)
become the sheaths of the sting, and
the middle pair become the director ;
the pair of appendages on the eleventh
segment give rise to the needles or
spiculae. The sting-rudiments at an
earlier stage (Fig. 4, C) are masses of
hypodermis connected with tracheae ;
there is then but one pair on the
twelfth segment, and this pair coalesce
to form a single mass; the rudiments C
of the pair that form the director are yy¢, 4 Development of sting of
differentiated secondarily from the
primary pair of these masses of hypo-
dermis. A good deal of discussion
has taken place as to whether the
the bee: A and C, ventral ; B,
side view. A, End of abdomen
of adult larva: a, 6, c, d, the
last four segments, c being the
eleventh body segment, 11 ;
6 bearing two pairs, and ¢ one
pair, of rudiments. B, Tip of
) nye ~ Ss = I
oe onenT iia ts of the : suing abdomen of adult bee: 9, the
gonapophyses—are to be considered as ninth, d, the tenth body seg-
ment. C, Rudiments in the
early condition as seen within
the body: ¢, first pair ; 4, the
second pair not yet divided into
two pairs ; 6”, ec’, commence-
ment of external growths from
the internal projections. (After
Dewitz.)
modifications of abdominal extremities
(i.e. abdominal legs such as exist in
Myriapods). Heymons is of opinion
that this is not the case, but that the
leg-rudiments and gonapophysal rudi-
ments are quite distinct." The origin
of the sting of Hymenoptera (and of the ovipositor of parasitic
Hymenoptera) is very similar to that of the ovipositor of Locusta
(Vol. V. p. 315 of this work), but there is much difference in the
history of the development of the rudiments.
Dewitz has also traced the development of the thoracic ”
appendages in Hymenoptera.” Although no legs are visible in
the adult larva, they really arise very early in the larval life from
masses of hypodermis, and grow in the interior of the body, so
that when the larva is adult the legs exist in a segmented though
rudimentary condition in the interior of the body. Dewitz’s
study of the wing-development is less complete.
1 Morph. Jahrb. xxiv. 1896, p. 192. ? Zeitschr. wiss. Zool. xxx. 1878, p. 78.
10 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
Four primary divisions of Aculeates are generally recognised,
viz. Anthophila (Bees), Diploptera (Wasps), Fossores (Solitary
Wasps), Heterogyna (Ants). Though apparently they are natural,
it is impossible to define them by characters that are without
some exceptions, especially in the case of the males. Ashmead
has recently proposed ' to divide the Fossores; thus making five
divisions as follows :—
Body with more or less of the hairs on it plumose —. 1. Anthophila.
Hairs of body not plumose.
Pronotum not reaching back to tegulae. 2. Entomophila
[ = Fossores part]
Pronotum reaching back to tegulae.
Petiole (articulating segment of abdomen) simple without scales or
nodes.
Front wings in repose with a fold making them narrow
3. Diploptera.
Front wings not folded : 4. Fossores [part].
Petiole with a scale or node (an invegular elevation on the upper side)
5. Heterogyna.
We shall here follow the usual method of treating all the
fossorial wasps as forming a single group, uniting Ashmead’s
Entomophila and Fossores, as we think their separation is only
valid for the purposes of a table; the Pompilidae placed by the
American savant in Fossores being as much allied to Entomo-
phila as they are to the other Fossores with which Ashmead
associates them.
Division I. Anthophila or Apidae—Bees.
Some of the hairs of the body plumose ; parts of the mouth elon-
gated, sometimes to a great extent, so as to form a protrusible
apparatus, usually tubular with a very flexible tip. Basal
joint of hind foot elongate. No wingless adult forms ; in
some cases societies are formed, and then barren females called
workers exist in great numbers, and carry on the industrial
operations of the community. Food always derived from the
vegetable kingdom, or from other Bees.
There are about 150 genera and 1500 species of bees at
present known. Some call the division Mellifera instead of
Anthophila. The term Apidae is used by some authorities to de-
note all the bees, while others limit this term to one of the families
1 Proc. ent. Soc. Washington, iii. 1896, p. 334.
I ANTHOPHILA——BEES II
or sub-divisions. The bees are, as a rule, distinguished from
other Hymenoptera by the hairs, by the great development of the
mouth parts to form a proboscis (usually, but not correctly, called
tongue), and by the modification of the hind-legs; but these
distinctive characters are in some of the species exhibited in so
minor a degree of perfection that it is not easy to recognise these
primitive forms as Anthophila. A few general remarks on the
three points mentioned will enable the student to better appreciate
the importance of certain points we shall subsequently deal with.
The bees are, as a rule, much more covered with hair than
any other of the Hymenoptera. Saunders! states that he has
examined the structure of the
hairs in all the genera of British
Aculeata, and that in none but
the Anthophila do branched and
plumose hairs occur. The fune-
tion of this kind of hairs is
unknown; Saunders suggests’ that
they may be instrumental in the
gathering of pollen, but they
occur in the parasitic bees as
well as in the males, neither of
which gather pollen. The variety
of the positions they occupy on |
the body seems to offer but little
support to the suggestion. Not \ |
all the’ hairs of the bee’s body
are plumose, some are simple, Tt,5-—Hals of Bes Ay simple bat
as shown in Fig. ap A, and this is hair from abdomen of Megachile ; C,
specially the case with the hairs Deda ihre ae ee
that are placed at the edges of dorsata ; E, from thorax of Prosopis.
the dilated plates for carrying
pollen. In some forms there is an extensive system of simple
hairs all over the body, and the “feathers” are distributed
between these; and we do not see any reason for assuming that
the feathered are superior to the simple hairs for gathering and
carrying pollen. Some bees, eg. Prosopis, Ceratina, have very
little hair on the body, but nevertheless some plumose hairs
are always present even though they be very short.
1 Trans. ent. Soc. 1878, p. 169.
12 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
The hind-legs of bees are very largely used in the industrial
occupations of these indefatigable creatures; one of their chief
functions in the female being to act as receptacles for carrying
pollen to the nest: they exhibit, however, considerable diversity.
The parts most modified are the tibia and the first joint of the
hind-foot. Pollen is carried by other parts of the body in many
bees, and even the hind-leg itself is used in different ways for the
purpose: sometimes the outer face
of the tibia is highly polished and
its margins surrounded by hair, in
which case pollen plates are said to
exist (rig. 6, A); sometimes the first
joint of the tarsus is analogous to
the tibia both in structure and
function; in other cases the hind-
legs are thick and densely covered
with hair ‘that retains the pollen
between the separate hairs. In this
case the pollen is carried home in a
dry state, while, in the species with
pollen plates, the pollen is made
into a mass of a clay-like consist-
ence.' The legs also assist in arrang-
ing the pollen on the other parts of
the body. The males do not carry
Fic. 6.—A, Worker of the honey-bee pollen, and though their hind-legs
(Apis mellifica), with pollen plates ; 9 :
laden ; B, basal portions of a are also highly modified, -yet the
Sone il a eee modifications do not agree with
hairs and grains of pollen; C, one those of the female, and their func-
eee cg tes Cueerans: tions are in all probability sexual.
The parasitic bees also do not carry pollen, and exhibit another
series of structures. The most interesting case in this series of
modifications is that found in the genus Apis, where the hind-leg
of male, female, and worker are all different (Fig. 25); the limb
in the worker being highly modified for industrial purposes.
This case has been frequently referred to, in consequence of the
difficulty that exists in connection with its heredity, for the
* The mode of wetting the pollen is not clear. Wolff says it is done by an exu-
dation from the tibia; H. Miiller by admixture of nectar from the bee’s mouth.
The latter view is more probably correct.
1 BEES—PROBOSCIS I
Oo
structure exists in neither of the parents. It is, in fact, a case
of a very special adaptation appearing in the majority of the
individuals of each generation, though nothing of the sort occurs
in either parent.
The proboscis of the bee’ is a very complex organ, and in its
extremely developed forms exhibits a comphcation of details and
a delicacy of structure that elicit the admiration of all who study
it. In the lower bees, however, especially in Prosopis, it exists
in a comparatively simple form (Fig. 9, B, C), that differs but little
from what is seen in some Vespidae or Fossores. he upper lip
and the mandibles do not take any part in the formation of the
bee’s proboscis, which is consequently entirely made up from the
lower lip and the maxillae, the former of these two organs ex-
hibiting the greatest modifications. The proboscis is situate on
the lower part of the head, and in repose is not visible ; a portion,
and that by no means an inconsiderable one, of its modifications
being for the purpose of its withdrawal and protection when not
in use. For this object the under side of the head is provided
with a very deep groove, in which the whole organ is, in bees
with a short proboscis, withdrawn ; in the Apidae with a long pro-
boscis this groove also exists, and the basal part of the proboscis
is buried in it during repose, while the other parts of the elon-
gate organ are doubled on the basal part, so that they extend
backwards under the body, and the front end or tip of the tongue
is, When in repose, its most posterior part.
For the extrusion of the proboscis there exists a special
apparatus that comes into play after the mandibles are unlocked
and the labrum lifted. This extensive apparatus cannot be satis-
factorily illustrated by a drawing, as the parts composing it are
placed in different planes; but it may be described by saying
that the cardo, or basal hinge of the maxilla, changes from an
oblique to a vertical position, and thrusts the base of the pro-
boscis out of the groove. The maxillae form the outer sheath of the
proboscis, the lower lip its medial part (see Figs. 7 and 9); the
base of the lower lip is attached to the submentum, which rises
with the cardo so that labium and maxillae are lifted together :
the co-operation of these two parts is effected by an angular piece
called the lorum, in which the base of the submentum rests; the
1 In studying the proboscis the student will do well to take a Bombus as an
example ; its anatomy being more easily deciphered than that of the honey-bee.
14 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
submentum is articulated with the mentum in such a manner that
the two can either be placed in planes at a right angle to one
another, or can be brought into one continuous plane, and by this
change of plane the basal part of the tongue can also be thrust
forwards. There is considerable variety in the lengths of these
parts in different genera, and the lorum varies in shape in accord-
ance with the length of the submentum. The lorum is a
peculiar piece, and its mechanical adaptations are very remark-
able; usually the base of the submentum rests in the angle
formed by the junction of the two sides of the lorum, but in ylo-
copa, Where the submentum is unusually short, this part reposes
Z
Fic. 7.—Side view of basal portions of proboscis of Bombus. a, Epipharyngeal sclerites ;
6, arrow indicating the position of the entrance to pharynx, which is concealed by
the epipharynx, ¢ ; d, hypopharyngeal sclerites ; e, vacant space between the scales
of the maxillae through which the nectar comes: J, lobe ; f’, stipes; g, cardo of
maxilla: h, encephalic pillar on which the cardo swings ; 7, angle of junction of lores
and submentum lorum ; %, mentum ; /, base of labial palp ; m, maxillary palp.
in a groove on the back of the lorum, this latter having a very
broad truncated apex instead of an angular one; in the condition
of repose the apex of the lorum rests in a notch on the middle of
the back of the oral groove, and in some of the forms with elon-
gate submentum, this depression is transformed into a deep hole,
or even a sort of tunnel, so as to permit the complete stowing
away of the base of the tongue, which would otherwise be pre-
vented by the long submentum ; another function of the lorum
appears to be that, as it extends, its arms have an outward thrust,
and so separate the maxillae from the labium. In addition to
these parts there are also four elongate, slender sclerites that are
only brought into view on dissection, and that no doubt assist in
correlating the movements of the parts of the mouth and hypo-
I BEES——PROBOSCIS m5
pharynx; one pair of these strap-like pieces extends backwards
from the two sides of the base of the epipharynx; Huxley called
them sclerites of the oesophagus; a better name would be
epipharyngeal sclerites (Fig. 7, @): the other pair pass from the
terminations of the epipharyngeal sclerites, along the front face of
the hypopharynx, down to the mentum, their lower parts being
concealed by the stipites of the maxillae; these are the hypo-
pharyngeal sclerites, and we believe it will prove that they play
a highly important part in deglutition. When the labrum of a
bee is raised and the proboscis depressed, the epipharynx is seen
hanging like a curtain from the roof of the head; this structure
plays an important part in the act of deglutition. The entrance
to the pharynx, or commencement of the alimentary canal, is
placed below the base of the epipharynx. As we are not aware
of any good delineations of the basal parts of the proboscis we
give a figure thereof (Fig. 7). The maxillae in the higher bees
are extremely modified so as to form a sheath, and their palpi
are minute; in the lower bees the palpi have the structure usual
in mandibulate Insects.
Returning to the consideration of the lower lip, we find that
there is attached to the mentum a pair of elongate organs that
extend forwards and form a tube or sheath, enclosed by the
maxillary sheath we have previously mentioned; these are the
greatly modified labial palpi, their distal parts still retaining the
palpar form; and in the lower bees the labial palpi are, like the
maxillary, of the form usual in mandibulate Insects. Between
the labial palps and the central organ of the lip there is attached
a pair of delicate organs, the paraglossae.
There remains for consideration the most remarkable part of
the proboscis, the long, delicate, hairy organ which the bee
thrusts out from the tip of the shining tube formed by the labial
palps and the maxillae, described above, and which looks like
a prolongation of the mentum. This organ is variously called
ligula, lingua, or tongue.’ We prefer the first of these names.
According to Breithaupt and Cheshire the structure of the
ligula is highly remarkable; it is a tube (filled with fluid from
the body cavity), and with a groove underneath caused by a large
part of the circumference of the tube being invaginated; the
1 Leuckart proposed the term lingula ; but the word gives rise to the impression that
it is a mistake for either lingua or ligula. Packard calls the part ‘‘ hypopharynx.”
16 TIYMENOPTERA CHAP.
invaginated part can be thrust out by increase of the pressure of
the fluid in the tube. A portion
of the wall of the invaginate part
is thickened so as to form a chiti-
nous rod.
This description will suffice for
present purposes, as the other parts
of the mouth will be readily re-
cognised by the aid of figure 9, A,
B, C. In the exquisitely endowed
South American genus Huglossa (Fig.
18), the proboscis is somewhat longer
than the whole of the body, so that
its tip in repose projects behind
the body like a sting.
The correct nomenclature of the
parts connected with the lower lip
is not definitely settled, authorities
not being agreed on several points.
Fic. 8.—Transverse section of ligula The whole of the proboscis 1s usually
of honey-bee, diagramatic. A, called the tongue; this, however, is
With the long sac invaginate. B, : S : .
evaginate: a, chitinous envelope @dmittedly an erroneous application
with the bases of the hairs; 6, of this term. The terminal deli-
rod ; c, groove of rod; d, lumen j :
due in A to invagination of the Cate, elongate, flexible organ 18 by
rol, in B to its evagination; x, some called the tongue; but this
nerve ; ¢7, trachea, 2
again is wrong: the lingua in
Insects is the hypopharynx; this part is developed in a peculiar
manner in bees, but as it is not tongue-like in shape, the term
lingua is not suitable for it, and should be dismissed altogether
from the nomenclature of the bee’s trophi; it is used at present
in two different senses, both of which are erroneous. We see no
objection to describing the flexible apical portion of the proboscis
as the ligula. The lorum is probably a special part peculiar to
the higher bees; according to Saunders it is not present as a
specialised part in some of the primitive forms.! The application
of the terms mentum, submentum and hypoglottis is open to the
same doubts that exist with regard to them in so many other
’ For figures and descriptions of the proboscides of British bees, refer to E. Saun-
ders, Jowr. Linn. Soc. xxiii. 1890, pp. 410-432, plates III.-X.: and for details of
the minute structure and function to Cheshire, Bees and Bee-keeping, vol. 1.
F BEES—PROBOSCIS 17
Insects, and we have omitted the term hypoglottis altogether,
though some may think the mentum entitled to that name.
The way in which the proboscis of the bee acts has been very
largely discussed, with
special reference to the
question as to whether it is
a sucking or a licking action.
It is impossible to consider
either of these terms as
applicable. The foundation
of the action is capillary
attraction, by which, and by
sheht movements of increase
and contraction of the
capacity of various parts, the
fluid travels to the cavity
in front of the hypopharynx :
here the scales of the
maxillae leave a vacant
space, (Fig. 7, ¢) so that a
cup or cavity 1s formed, the
fluid in which is within
reach of the tip of the depen-
dent epipharynx (c), which
hangs down over the front
of the hypopharynx (and is
so shaped that its tip covers
Fic. 9.—A, Proboscis of a “long-tongued”’ bee,
the cup ) ; tb Is between Anthophora pilipes ; B, lower, C, upper view
these two parts that the of proboscis of an “obtuse-tonguéd” bee,
Prosopis pubescens. a, Labrum ; 4, stipes ;
fluid passes to reach the c, palpiger; d, scale: f, lobe; g, pa)pus;
pharynx. It is no doubt h, cardo, of maxilla: 4, lorum ; #, submentum ;
Med 7, mentum ; m, labial palp ; 7, paraglossa ;
to shght movements of the o, ligula; p, tip of ligula (with “spoon ”’ at tip
membranous parts of the Ae some of the hairs more magnified) ; g,
1ypopharyngeal sclerites.
hypopharynx and of the
epipharynx that the further progress of the nectar is due, aided
by contraction and expansion of the pharynx, induced by muscles
attached to it. It should be recollected that in addition to the
movements of the head itself, the hypopharynx is constantly
changing its dimensions slightly by the impulses of the fluid of
the general body cavity; also that the head changes its position,
MOIS Vir C
18 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
and that the proboscis is directed downwards as well as forwards.
Those who wish to pursue this subject should refer to the works
of Breithaupt ' and Cheshire.
The other external characters of the Bees call for little re-
mark. The pronotum is never very large or much prolonged in
front, and its hind angles never repose on the tegulae as they do
in the wasps,” but extend backwards below the tegulae. The hind
body is never narrowed at the base into an elongate pedicel, as it
so frequently is in the Wasps and in the Fossors; and the pro-
podeum (the posterior part of the thorax) is more perpendicular
and rarely so largely developed as it is in the Fossors; this last
character will as a rule permit a bee to be recognised at a glance
from the fossorial Hymenoptera.
Bees, as every one. knows, frequent flowers, and it is usually
incorrectly said that they extract honey. They really gather
nectar, swallow it, so that it goes as far as the crop of their ali-
mentary canal, called in English the honey-sac, and is regurgi-
tated as honey. Bertrand states that the nectar when gathered
is almost entirely pure saccharose, and that when regurgitated it
is found to consist of dextrose and levulose :* this change appears
to be practically the conversion of cane- into grape-sugar. deficient™ am, “deyicess ) i
noticed once or twice, what I took to be a dead specimen of
Mellinus, lying on patches of cow-dung; but on- attempting
to pick them up off they flew; I at once suspected the crea-
ture, and had not long to wait before my suspicions were
confirmed. Another, apparently dead fellow, was observed; and
there, neither moving head or foot, the treacherous creature lay,
until a fine specimen of a Bluebottle ventured within its grasp,
when, active as any puss, the J/ellinus started into life, and
pounced upon its victim.”
Lucas states that in the north of France JMellinus sabulosus
provisions its nest with Diptera, which it searches for on the
flowers of Umbelliferae, and then carries to its nest. This is ¢
burrow in the earth, and when it is reached the Hymenopteron
deposits its Insect burden for a moment on the ground while it
turns round in order to enter the burrow backwards. The same
writer states that two varieties of this Insect live together—or
rather in the same colonies—and make use of different species
of Diptera, even of different genera, as food for their young.
These Diptera are stung before being placed in the nest. The
stinging does not kill the Insect, however, for Lucas was able to
keep one specimen alive for six weeks after it had passed this
trying ordeal.
Fic. 48.—WMellinus arvensis 2. Britain.
Sub-Fam. 8. Philanthides.—Zabrum small ; anterior wings with
three complete submarginal cells; hind body constricted at
the base but not so as to form a slender pedicel.
This sub-family contains Insects resembling wasps or Cra-
bronides in appearance, and is, as regards the pronotal structure,
——————————
————————
HI SPHEGIDAE——PHILANTHIDES L2
UL
intermediate between the two great divisions of the Fossores, for
the pronotal lobe extends nearly or quite as far back as the
tegulae, and in Philanthus the two come into almost actual
contiguity. :
The species of the genus Cercevis are numerous in Europe,
and several of them are known to make burrows in the ground,
and store them with beetles for the benefit of the future larvae.
The beetles chosen differ in family according to the species of
Cerceris ; but it appears from the observations of Fabre and Dutour
that one kind of Cerceris
never in its selection goes ~\ “a
out of the limits of a Se
particular family of
beetles, but, curiously
enough, will take Insects
most dissimilar in form
and colour provided they
belong to the proper
family. This choice, so
wide in one direction and
so limited in another,
seems to point to the
existence of some sense,
of the nature of which we are unaware, that determines the
selection made by the Insect. In the case of our British species
of Cerceris, Smith observed C. arenaria carrying to its nest Cur-
culionidae of very diverse forms; while C. /abiata used a beetle
—Haltica tabida—of the family Chrysomelidae.
The beetles, after being caught, are stung in the chief
articulation of the body, that, namely, between the pro- and
mesothorax. Cerceris bupresticida confines itself exclusively to
beetles of the family Buprestidae. It was by observations on
this Insect that Dufour first discovered the fact that the Insects
stored up do not decay: he thought, however, that this was due
to the liquid injected by the wasp exercising some antiseptic
power; but the observations of Fabre have shown that the pre-
servation in a fresh state is due to life not being extinguished ;
the stillness, almost as if of death, being due to the destruction
of the functional activity of the nerve centres that govern the
movements of the limbs.
Fic. 49.—Philanthus triangulum &. Britain.
126 ITYMENOPTERA CHAP.
It has long been known that some species of Cerceris prey on
bees of the genus Halictus, and Marchal has recently described
in detail the proceedings of C. ornata. This Insect catches a
Halictus on the wing, and, holding its neck with the mandibles,
bends her body beneath it, and paralyses it by a sting admin-
istered at the front articulation of the neck. The Halictus is
subsequently more completely stunned or bruised by a process of
kneading by means of the mandibles of the Cerceris. Marchal
attaches great importance to this “ malaxation” ; indeed, he is of
opinion that it takes as great a part in producing or prolonging
the paralysis as the stinging does. Whether the malaxation
would be sufficient of itself to produce the paralysis he could not
decide, for it appears to be impossible to induce the Cerceris to
undertake the kneading until after it has reduced the Halictus —
to quietude by stinging.
Fabre made some very interesting observations on Cerceris
tuberculata, their object being to obtain some definite facts as to
the power of these Insects to find their way home when removed
to a distance.’ He captured twelve examples of the female,
marked each individual on the thorax with a spot of white
paint, placed it in a paper roll, and then put all the rolls, with
their prisoners, in a box; in this they were removed to a distance
of two kilometres from the home and then released. He visited
the home five hours afterwards, and was speedily able to assure
himself that at any rate four out of the twelve had returned to
the spot from whence they had been transported, and he enter-
tained no doubt that others he did not wait to capture had been
equally successful in home-finding. He then commenced a second
experiment by capturing nine examples, marking each with two
spots on the thorax, and confining them in a dark box. They
were then transported to the town of Carpentras, a distance of
three kilometres, and released in the public street, “in the centre
of a populous quarter,” from their dark prison. Each Cerceris
on being released rose vertically between the houses to a sufficient
height, and then at once passed over the roofs in a southerly
direction—the direction of home. After some hours he went
back to the homes of the little wasps, but could not find that
any of them had then returned; the next day he went again,
and found that at any rate five of the Cerceris liberated the
previous day were then at home. This record is of considerable
|
.
|
|
1II SPHEGIDAR——MIMESIDES M47,
interest owing to two facts, viz. that it is not considered that the
Cerceris as a rule extends its range far from home, and that the
specimens were liberated in a public street, and took the direc-
tion of home at once.
Philanthus apivorus is one of the best known of the members
of this sub-family owing to its habit of using the domestic
honey-bee as the food for its offspring. In many respects its
habits resemble those of Cerceris ornata, except that the Phil-
anthus apparently kills the bee at once, while in the case of the
Cerceris, the Halictus 1t entombs does not perish for several days.
The honey-bee, when attacked by the Philanthus, seems to be
almost incapable of defending itself, for it appears to have no
power of finding with its sting the weak places in the armour
of its assailant. According to Fabre, it has no idea of the Phil-
anthus being the enemy of its race, and associates with its
destroyer on amicable terms previous to the attack being made on
it. The Philanthus stings the bee on the under-surface of the
mentum ; afterwards the poor bee is subjected to a violent process
of kneading, by which the honey is forced from it, and this the
destroyer greedily imbibes. The bee is then carried to the nest
of the Philanthus. This is a burrow in the ground; it is of
unusual depth—about a yard according to Fabre—and at its ter-
mination are placed the cells for the reception of the young; in
one of these cells the bee is placed, and an egg laid on it: as
the food in this case is really dead, not merely in a state of
anesthesia, the Philanthus does not complete the store of food
for its larvae all at once, but waits until the latter has consumed
its first stock, and then the mother-wasp supplies a fresh store
of food. In this case, therefore, as in Bembex, the mother really
tends the offspring.
Sub-Fam. 9. Mimesides. — Small Insects with pedicellate hind
body, the pedicel not cylindric ; mandibles not excised ex-
ternally ; inner margin of eyes not concave; middle tibia
with one spur ; wings with two, or three, submarginal cells.
Mimesides is here considered to include the Pemphredonides
of some authors. Mimesides proper comprises but few forms, and
those known are small Insects. Psen concolor and P. atratus
form their nests in hollow stems, and the former provisions its
nest with Homopterous Insects of the family Psyllidae. Little
128 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
information exists as to their habits; but Verhoeff states that
the species of Psen—like mem-
bers of the Pemphredoninae—
do not form cocoons.
The Pemphredonine subdivi-
sion includes numerous small and
obscure Insects found chiefly in
Europe and North America (Fig.
51, P. lugubris); they resemble
the smaller black species of Cra-
bronides, and are distinguished
from them chiefly by the exist-
ence of at least two complete,
submarginal cells on the an-
terior wing instead of one.
The species of Passaloecus live in the burrows that they form
in the stems of plants ; Pemphredon lugubris frequents the decayed
wood of the beech. The larva and pupa of the latter have been
described by Verhoeff; no
cocoon is formed for the
metamorphosis. Both these
genera provision their nests
with Aphidae. This is
also. the case with Stigmus
pendulus, but the burrows
of this species form a com-
plex system of diverticula
proceeding from an irregu-
lar main channel formed in
the pithy stems of bushes.
Cemonus unicolor, according to Giraud, forms its burrows in
bramble-stems, but it also takes advantage, for the purposes
of nidification, of the abandoned ‘galls of Cynips, and also of
a peculiar swelling formed by a fly—Lipara lucens—on the
common reed, Arundo phragmites. This species also makes
use of Aphidae, and Verhoeff states that it has only an imperfect
instinct as to the amount of food it stores.
Fic. 50.—Mimesa bicolor 2.
Britain.
Fic. 51.—Pemphredon lugubris 2. Britain.
Sub-Fam. 10. Crabronides —Pronotum short, front wing with
one complete submarginal and two discoidal cells: hind body
IIL SPHEGIDAE—CRABRONIDES I29
variable in form, pedicellate in some abnormal forms, but more
usually not stalked.
The Crabronides (Vespa erabro, the hornet, is not of this sub-
family) are wasp-like little Insects, with unusually robust and
quadrangular head. They frequently have the hind tibiae more
or less thickened, and the clypeus covered with metallic hair.
It appears at present
that they are specially
attached to the tem-
perate regions of the
northern hemisphere,
but this may possibly be
in part due to their
having escaped attention
elsewhere. In Britain
they form the most im-
portant part of the
fossorial Hymenoptera,
the genus Crabro
(with numerous — sub-
genera) itself comprising thirty species. The males of some of
the forms have the front tibiae and tarsi of most extraordinary
shapes. They form burrows in dead wood, or in pithy stems,
(occasionally in the earth of cliffs), and usually store them with
Diptera as food for the larvae: the wings and dried portions of
the bodies of the flies consumed by Crabronides are often exposed
to view when portions of old wood are broken from trees.
The genus Oxybelus is included by some systematists, but
with doubt, in this sub-family ; if not placed here, it must form a
distinct sub-family. It has the metathorax spinose, and the sub-
marginal and first discoidal cells are not, or are scarcely, separated.
Crabro leucostomus has been observed by Fletcher to form
cells for its larvae in the soft wood of broken willows: the food
stored therein consists of two-winged flies of the family Dolicho-
podidae. This Crabro is parasitised by an Ichneumonid of the
genus Tryphon, and by a two-winged fly of uncertain genus, but
belonging to the family Tachinidae. The metamorphoses of
Crabro chrysostomus have been briefly described by Verhoeff:
the food stored consists of Diptera, usually of the family Syr-
VOL. VI K
Fic. 52.—Crabro cephalotes 2. Britain.
130 HYMENOPTERA CHAP. III
phidae; the larva spins an orange-red cocoon, passes the winter
therein, and assumes the pupal form in the spring; there is, he
says, a segment more in the female pupa than there is in the male.
The species of the sub-genus Crossocerus provision their nests
with Aphididae, but C. wesmaeli makes use, for the purpose,
according to Ferton, of an elegant little fly of the family
Tipulidae; according to Pissot this same wasp also makes use
of a species of Zyphlocyba, a genus of the Homopterous division of
Rhynchota. Supposing there to be no mistake as to this latter
observation, the choice of Diptera and of Homoptera by the same
species indicates a very peculiar habit.
Fertonius (Crossocerus) luteicollis in Algeria forms cells at a
slight depth in sandy soil, and provisions them with ants. The
ant selected is Tapinoma erraticum, and the individuals captured
are the wingless workers. The mode of hunting has been de-
scribed by Ferton; the wasp hovers over one of the ant-paths at a
distance of a few millimetres only above the surface, and when
an ant that is.considered suitable passes, the Hertonius pounces
on it, stings it, and carries it off to the burrow; forty or fifty
ants are accumulated in a cell, the egg is laid in the heap of
victims about one-third of the depth from the bottom; the
resulting larva sucks the ants one by one, by attaching itself to
the thorax behind the first pair of legs. There is a very
interesting point in connection with the habits of this species,
viz. that the ants are not only alive, but lively; they have,
however, lost the power of co-ordinating the movements of the
limbs, and are thus unable to direct any attack agaist the feeble
larva. Ferton thinks there are three generations of this species
in a single year.
Notr.—In a note on p. 99 we have mentioned the new publication of
Mr. and Mrs. Peckham on the habits of Fossores. We may here add that it
contains much fresh information on these Insects, together with criticisms of
the views of Fabre and others. One of the points most noteworthy is that
they have observed Crabro stirpicola working night and day for a period of
forty-two consecutive hours. They made experiments on Bembex spinolae
with a view of ascertaining whether the female provisions two nests simul-
taneously ; as the result they think this improbable. If the female Bembecid
make nests only consecutively, it is clear it must have but a small fecundity.
The larval life extends over about fifteen days ; and if we allow three months
as the duration of life of a female, it is evident that only about six young
can be produced in a season.
CEeGr TER Ly
HYMENOPTERA ACULEATA CONTINUED——DIVISION IV. FORMICIDAE
OR ANTS
Division IV. Heterogyna or Formicidae—Ants.
The segment, or the two segments, behind the propodeum, either
small or of irregular form, so that if not throughout of
small diameter, the articulation with the segment behind is
slender, and there is great mobility.
The trochanters undivided. The
individuals of each species are
usually of three kinds, males, females
and workers; the latter have no
wings, but the males and females
are usually winged, though the
females soon lose the flying organs.
They live in communities of various
numbers, the majority being workers.
The larvae are helpless maggots fed
and tended by the workers or by
the female.
Fic. 53.—Abdomens of ants.
A, Of Camponotus rubripes
In ants the distinction between the — (Formicides); B, of Hetu-
: : tomma auratuin (Ponerides);
three great regions of the body is very C, of Aphaenogaster bar-
marked. The abdomen is connected %¢7¢(Myrmicides). a, Pro-
: ; ; podeum ; 2, first abdominal
with the propodeum ina peculiar manner, —_ segment forming a scale or
one or two segments being detached node: & second ; d, third
c abdominal segment.
from the main mass to form a very
mobile articulation. This is the most distinctive of the char-
acters of ants. The structure and form of these parts varies
MWB) 2 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
greatly in the family: and the Amblyoponides do not differ in
a marked manner from the Scoliidae in fossorial Hymenoptera.
The arrangement of the parts of the mouth is remarkable,
and results in leaving the mandibles quite free and unconnected
with the other trophi; the mouth itself is, except during feeding,
closed completely
by the lower lp
and maxilla assum-
ing an ascending
vertical direction,
while the upper
lp hangs down
and overlaps the
lower lip, being closely applied to it; so that in Ponerides
the palpi, except the apices of the maxillary pair, are enclosed
between the upper and lower lips (Fig. 54, A). In Cryptocerini
the palpi are not covered by the closed lips, but are protected by
being placed in chinks at the outsides of the parts closing the
mouth. The mandibles of ants can thus be used in the freest
manner without the other parts of the mouth being opened or even
moved. The mandibles close transversely over the rest of the
mouth, and when shut are very firmly locked. There are,
however, some ants in which the lps remain in the position
usual in mandibulate Insects.
The antennae, except in the males of some species, have a
long basal joint and are abruptly elbowed at its extremity. The
eyes and ocelli vary excessively, and may be totally absent or
very highly developed in the same species. The winged forms
are, however, never blind. The size of the head varies extremely
in the same species; it is frequently very small in the males,
and largest in the workers. In some ants the worker-caste
consists of large-headed and small-headed individuals; the former
are called soldiers, and it has been supposed that some of them
may act the part of superior officers to the others. It should be
clearly understood that there is no definite distinction between
soldiers and workers; so that in this respect they are widely
different from Termites.
The complex mass forming the thorax is subject to great
change of structure in the same species, according as the indi-
viduals are winged or wingless. The sutures between the dorsal
Fia. 54.—Front of head of Dinoponera grandis.
A, Mouth closed ; B, open.
IV FORMICIDAE—ANTS 13
Oo
(notal) pieces are frequently obliterated in the workers, while
they are distinct in the males and females, and the pieces them-
selves are also much larger in size in these sexed individuals.
The pro-mesothoracic stigma is
apparently always distinct; the
meso-metathoracic one is distinct
in the male Dorylus, but can scarcely
be detected in the winged forms of
other ants, owing to its being en-
closed within, and covered by, the
suture between the two segments:
in the workers, however, it is usually
quite conspicuous. The posterior
part of the thoracic mass, the pro-
podeum or median segment, is of
considerable size; no transverse
suture between the component pieces
of this part can be seen, but its
stigma is always very distinct. The Fic. 55.—Oecodoma cephalotes. South
peduncle, or pedicel, formed by the = America. A, Worker major; B,
5 female after casting the wings.
extremely mobile segment or seg-
ments at the base of the abdomen (already noticed as form-
ing the most conspicuous character of the family), exhibits much
Fic. 56.—Stridulating organ of an ant, Myrmica rubra, var. laevinodis. Sagittal section
of part of the 6th and 7th post-cephalic segments. (After Janet.) «, a, muscles ;
6, connecting membrane (corrugated) between 6th and 7th segments: c, 6th seg-
ment; d, its edge or scraper ; e, striate area, or file on 7th segment; , posterior
part of 7th segment ; g, cells, inside body ; h, trachea.
variety. Sometimes the first segment bears a plate or shield
called a scale (Fig. 53, A,b); at other times there are two
134 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
small segments (Fig. 53, B, C, 6, ©) forming nodes or knots, of
almost any shape. The articulations between these segments are
of the most perfect description. In many ants these parts bear
highly developed stridulating organs,and the delicacy and perfection
of the articulations allow the parts to be
moved either with or without producing
stridulation. In the male sex the peduncle
and its nodes are much less perfect, and
possess comparatively little capacity for
movement ; in the male of Dorylus (Figs.
79, A, and 80, /) the single node is
only imperfectly formed. The eyes and
ocelli of the males are usually more
largely developed than they are in the
female, though the head is much smaller.
The legs of ants are elongate, except
in a few forms; the Cryptocerini and
the males of Dorylides being the most
conspicuous exceptions. The tarsi are
five-jointed, the basal joint being dis-
Pa ae proportionately elongate, SO that in use
on front leg of an ant, Dino- 1t acts in many species as if 1b were a
Lae, grandis (tip of tibia, portion of the tibia, the other four joints
searing the comb-like spur, ‘ ; 0
and the base of the first joint forming the functional foot. The front
of the tarsus; cf fig. 75). tibiae are furnished with a beautiful
A, Inner, B, outer ee
combing apparatus (Fig. 57).
Features of Ant- life —In order’ that the en eh may realise
the nature of ant-life we may briefly recount its more usual and
general features. Numerous eggs are produced in a nest by one
or more queens, and are taken care of by workers. These eges
hatch and produce helpless maggots, of which great care is
taken by the workers. These nurses feed their charges from
their own mouths, and keep the helpless creatures in a fitting
state by transporting them to various chambers in conformity
with changes of temperature, humidity, and so on, When full
grown the maggots change to pupae. In some species the
maggots form cocoons for themselves, but in others this is not
the case, and the pupae are naked.t After a brief period of
' The pupae and cocoons of ants are usually called by the uninstructed, ‘‘ ants’
”
eggs. In this country they are used as food for pheasants.
IV FORMICIDAE—ANTS 135
pupal life a metamorphosis into the perfect Insect occurs. The
creatures then disclosed may be either winged or wingless; the
wingless are the workers and soldiers—impertect females—the
winged are males or females fully developed. The workers re-
main in or near the nest they were produced in, but the winged
individuals rise into the air for a nuptial flight, often in great
numbers, and couple. When this is accomplished the male
speedily dies, but the females cast their wings and are ready to
enter on a long life devoted to the production of eggs. From
this account it will be gathered that males are only found in
the nests for a very short time; the great communities consist-
ing at other periods entirely of the two kinds of females and of
young. The imperfect females are themselves in some species
of various kinds; each kind being restricted, more or less com-
pletely, to a distinct kind of duty.
No Insects are more familiar to us than ants; in warm
countries some of them even invade the habitations of man, or
establish their communities in immediate proximity to his
dwellings. Their industry and pertinacity have, even in remote
ages, attracted the attention and admiration of serious men; some
of whom—we need scarcely mention Solomon as amongst them—
have not hesitated to point out these little creatures as worthy
of imitation by that most self-complacent of all the species of
anunals, Homo sapiens.
Observation has revealed most remarkable phenomena
in the lives of these Insects. Indeed, we can scarcely avoid
the conclusion that they have acquired in many respects
the art of living together in societies more perfectly than
our own species has, and that they have anticipated us in the
acquisition of some of the industries and arts that greatly
facilitate social life. The lives of individual ants extend over a
considerable number of years—in the case of certain species at
any rate—so that the competence of the individual may be
developed to a considerable extent by exercise; and one genera-
tion may communicate to a younger one by example the arts
of living by which it has itself profited. The prolonged life of
ants, their existence in the perfect state at all seasons, and the
highly social life they lead are facts of the greatest biological
‘importance, and are those that we should expect to be accom-
panied by greater and wider competence than is usually exhibited
136 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
by Insects. There can indeed be little doubt that ants are really
not only the “ highest ” structurally or mechanically of all Insects,
but also the most efficient. There is an American saying to
the effect that the ant is the ruler of Brazil We must add a
word of qualification ; the competence of the ant is not like that
of man. It is devoted to the welfare of the species rather than to
that of the individual, which is, as it were, sacrificed or specialised
for the benefit of the community. The distinctions between the
sexes in their powers or capacities are astonishing, and those
between the various forms of one sex are also great. The differ-
ence between different species is extreme; we have, in fact, the
most imperfect forms of social evolution coexisting, even locally,
with the most evolute.
These facts render it extremely difficult for us to appreciate
the ant; the limitations of efficiency displayed by the individual
being im some cases extreme, while observation seems to elicit
contradictory facts. About two thousand species are already
known, and it is pretty certain that the number will reach at
least five thousand. Before passing to the consideration of a
selection from what has been ascertained as to the varieties of
form and of habits of ants we will deal briefly with their habita-
tions and polymorphism, reserving some remarks as to their
associations with other Insects to the conclusion of this chapter.
Nests.—Ants differ greatly from the other Social Hymenoptera
in the nature of their habitations. The social bees construct cells
of wax crowded together in large numbers, and the wasps do the
like with paper; the eggs and young being placed, each one in a
separate cell, the combinations of which form a comb. Ants
have, however, a totally different system; no comb is constructed,
and the larvae are not placed in cells, but are kept in masses and
are moved about from place to place as the necessities of tempera-
ture, air, humidity and other requirements prompt. The habita-
tions of ants are in all cases irregular chambers, of which there is
often a multiplicity connected by galleries, and they sometimes
form a large system extending over a considerable area. Thus
the habitations of ants are more like those of the Termites than
those of their own allies among the Hymenoptera. They are
chiefly remarkable for their great variety, and for the skilful
manner in which they are adapted by their little artificers to
particular conditions. The most usual form in Europe, is a
IV ANTS’ HABITATIONS 137
number of subterranean chambers, often under the shelter of a
stone, and connected by galleries. It is of course very difficult to
trace exactly the details of such a work, because when excavations
are made for the purposes of examination, the construction becomes
destroyed; it is known, however, that some of these systems
extend to a considerable depth in the earth, it is said to as much
as nine feet, and it is thought the object of this is to have access
to sufficiently moist earth, for ants are most sensitive to variations
in the amount of moisture ;
a quite dry atmosphere is in
the case of many species very
speedily fatal. This system
of underground — labyrinths
is sometimes accompanied by ‘
above-ground buildings con-
sisting of earth more or less
firmly cemented together by
the ants; this sort of dwell-
ing is most frequently adopted Fic. 58.—Portion of combined nest of For-
when the soil in which the ‘™cafusca and Solenopsis fugax. (After
i s Forel.) x2. f, 7’, Chambers of Mormica,
nests are placed 1s sandy ; 1t recognisable by the coarser shading ;
is probable that the earth is s, s’, chambers of the Solenopsis (with
finer shading) ; s’”, opening in one of the
t >’ ’ 5
in such eases fastened together chambers, the entrance to one of the
by means of a, cement pro- giles fhat comets the chanbers ofthe
duced by the salivary glands tions of the nest and the limits of the
of the ants, but this has not °@™mers-
been determined with certainty ; vaulted galleries or tunnels of
this kind are constructed by many species of ants in order to
enable them to approach desired objects.
In South America Camponotus rufipes and other species that
habitually dwell in stumps, in certain districts where they are
liable to inundations, build also nests of a different nature on
trees for refuge during the floods. In Europe, a little robber-ant,
Solenopsis fugax, constructs its dwelling in combination with that
of Formica fusca (Fig. 58), in such a manner that its chambers
cannot, on account of the small size of the orifices, be entered by
the much larger Mormica. Hence the robber obtains an easy
living at the expense of the larger species. The Sauba or Sauva
ants ef South America (the genus Atta of some, Oecodoma ot
other authors) appear to be most proficient in the art of sub-
138 HYMENOPTERA CHAD.
terranean mining. Their systems of tunnels and nests are known
to extend through many square yards of earth, and it is said on
the authority of Hamlet Clark that one species tunnelled under
the bed of the river Parahyba at a spot where it was as broad
as the Thames at London Bridge.
A considerable number of ants, instead of mining in the
ground, form chambers in wood; these are usually very close to
one another, because, the space being limited, galleries cannot be
indulged in. Camponotus ligniperdus in Europe, and C. pennsyl-
vanicus 11 North America, work in this way.
Our British Lasivs fuliginosus lives in decayed wood. Its
chambers are said by Forel to consist of a paper-like substance
made from small fragments of wood. Cryptocerus burrows in
branches. Colobopsis lives in a
similar manner, and Forel in-
forms us that a worker with
a large head is kept stationed
within the entrance, its great head
acting aS a stopper; when it sees
a nest-fellow desirous of entering
the nest, this animated and intel-
ligent front-door then retreats a
little so as to make room for
ingress of the friend. Forel has
observed that in the tropics of
America a large number of species
of ants live in the stems of grass.
There is also quite a fauna of
ants dwelling in hollow thorns,
in spines, on trees or bushes, or
in dried parts of pithy plants;
and the tropics also furnish a
number of species that make nests
ee of delicate paper, or that spin
oY Sosa ae teen mon- together by means of silk the
leaves of trees. One eastern
species—Polyrhachis spinigera—tfabricates a gauze-lke web of
silk, with which it lines a subterranean chamber after the
manner of a trap-door spider.
Some species of ants appear to find both food and shelter
h \: /\ ; ‘\
/ \\ @ ! \ \
NW ! /)
A \ 4
|
|
IV ANTS 139
entirely on the tree they inhabit, the food being usually sweet
stuff secreted by glands of the plant. It is thought that the
ants in return are of considerable benefit to the plant by defend-
ing it from various small enemies, and this kind of symbiosis has
received much attention from naturalists. A very curious con-
dition exists in the epiphytic plants of the genera Myrmecodia
and Hydnophytum ; these plants form large bulb-like (Fig. 59)
excrescences which, when cut into, are found to be divided into
chambers quite similar to those frequently made by ants. Though
these structures are usually actually inhabited by ants, it appears
that they are really produced by the plant independent of the
Insects.
Variability and Polymorphism of Ants——Throughout the
Hymenoptera there are scattered cases in which one of the sexes
appears in dimorphic form. In the social kinds of bees and
wasps the female sex exists in two conditions, a reproductive
one called queen, and an infertile one called worker, the limits
between the two forms seeming In some cases (honey-bee) to be
absolute as regards certain structures. This sharp distinction
in structure is rare; while as regards fertility intermediate con-
ditions are numerous, and may indeed be induced by changing
the social state of a community. In ants the phenomena of the
kind we are alluding to are very much more complex. There are
no solitary ants; associations are the rule (we shall see there are
one or two cases in which the association 1s with individuals of
other species). In correlation with great proclivity to socialism
we find an extraordinary increase in the variety of the forms of
which species are made up. In addition to the male and female
individuals of which the species of Insects usually consist, there
are in ants workers of various kinds, and soldiers, all of which
are modified infertile females. But in addition to the existence
of these castes of infertile females, we find also numerous cases
of variability or of dimorphism of the sexual individuals; and
this in both sexes, though more usually in the female. Thus
there exists in ants an extraordinary variety in the polymorphism
of forms, as shown by the table on p. 141, where several very
pecuhar conditions are recorded.
The complex nature of these phenomena has only recently
1 The parthenogenetic young produced by worker females are invariably of the
male sex.
140 : HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
become known, and as yet has been but httle inquired into. The
difference between the thoracic structure in the case of the winged
and wingless females of certain species (Fig. 55, and in vol. v.
fig. 339) is enormous, but in other species this difference appears
to be much less. The ordinary distinctions between the queen-
female and worker-females appear to be of two kinds; firstly,
that the former is winged, the latter wingless ;' and secondly, that
the former possesses a receptaculum seminis, the latter does not.
In a few cases it would seem that the dimorphism of winged
and wingless forms is not complete, but that variability exists.
Intermediate conditions between the winged and wingless forms
are necessarily rare; nevertheless a certain number have already
been detected, and specimens of Lasius alienus have been found
with short wings. In rather numerous species some or all of
the fertile females depart from the usual state and have no wings ;
(a similar condition is seen, it will be recollected, in Mutillides
and Thynnides of the neighbouring family Scoliidae). + | + +
| ~
}
Formica rufa + + excep-
tionally
Ponera punctatissina 4¢ || oe |) se | st
Ponera ergatandria 2) +] 4+ +
Cardiocondyla emeryti _ + ~ tf
C. wroughtonii and \
+
C. stambulofi . af etd |
Fornicoxenus —niti-\
; -
dulus. . | lie
Tomognathus =F | ae ree ||
| +
Odontomachus hae-\ + rs if prs: i
matodes . if [sonality
Polyergus . : ele sk se | ae
Dorylus, Anomma, \ | |
. | | +
Eciton part. . =| oi ist
Aenictus : 2
Leptogenys, Dia-\ ii
camma . : a Aire | 9 “B
} ( is
Myrmecocystus | mel-\| ae J and |
liger, M. mexicanus J ‘pots |
| pots
+
Ponera eduardi . : + + | : If eyes | eyes
|| large I 3 obsolete
Anergates . ; wey Hee fe
| |
: J
In addition to the above there are apparently cases of females with post-meta-
morphic growth in Dorylides, but these have not yet been the subject of investiga-
tion.
142 iy HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
Much has been written about the mode in which the variety
of forms of a single species of ant is produced. As to this there
exists but little actual observation or experiment, and the
subject has been much complicated by the anxiety of the writers
to display the facts in a manner that will support some general
theory. Dewitz was of opinion that workers and queens of ants
were produced from different kinds of eggs. This view finds
but little support among recent writers. Hart in recording the
results of his observations on the parasol ant (of the genus Afia)
—one of the species in which polymorphism is greatest—says '
that these observations prove that “ants can manufacture at
will, male, female, soldier, worker or nurse,’ but he has not
determined the method of production, and he doubts it being
“the character of the food.” There is, however, a considerable
body of evidence suggesting that the quality or quantity of the
food, or both combined, are important factors in the treatment
by which the differences are produced. The fact that the social
Insects in which the phenomena of caste or polymorphism occur,
though belonging to very diverse groups, all feed their young, 1s
of itself very suggestive. When we add to this the fact that in
ants, where the phenomena of polymorphism reach their highest
complexity, the food is elaborated in their own organs by the
feeders that administer it, it appears probable that the means
of producing the diversity may be found herein. Wasmann has
pointed out that the ants’-nest beetle, Lomechusa, takes much
food from the ants, and itself destroys their young, and that in
nests where Lomechusa is abundant a large percentage of erga-
togynous forms of the ants are produced. He attributes this to
the fact that the destruction of the larvae of the ant by the
beetle brings into play the instinct of the ants, which seek to
atone for the destruction by endeavouring to produce an
increased number of fertile forms; many ergatogynous individuals
being the result. This may or may not be the case, but 1t 1s
clear that the ants’ instinct cannot operate without some
material means, and his observation adds to the probability that
this means is the food supply, modified either qualitatively or
quantitatively.
The existence of these polymorphic forms led Herbert
Spencer to argue that the form of an animal is not absolutely
1 Nature li. 1894, p. 125.
IV ANTS 143
determined by those “ Anlagen” or rudiments that Weismann
and his school consider to be all important in determining the
nature or form of the individual, for if this were the case, how
ean it be, he asked, that one egg may produce either a worker,
nurse, soldier or female ant? To this Wasmann (who continued
the discussion) rephed by postulating the existence of double, triple
or numerous rudiments in each egg, the treatment the egg receives
merely determining which of these rudiments shall undergo de-
velopment.! Forel seems to have adopted this explanation as being
the most simple. The probability of Weismann’s hypothesis being
correct is much diminished by the fact that the limit between the
castes is by no means absolute. In many species intermediate forms
are common, and even in those in which the castes are believed to
be quite distinct, intermediate forms occur as very rare excep-
tions.” Emery accounts® for the polymorphism, without the
assistance of the Weismannian hypothetical compound rudiments,
by another set of assumptions; viz. that the phenomenon has
been gradually acquired by numerous species, and that we see it
in various stages of development ; also that variation in nutrition
does not affect all the parts of the body equally, but may be
such as to carry on the development of certain portions of the
organisation while that of other parts is arrested. Speaking
broadly we may accept this view as consistent with what we
know to be the case in other Insects, and with the phenomena of
post-embryonic development in the class. But it must be ad-
mitted that our knowledge is at present quite inadequate to
justify the formulation of any final conclusions.
The geological record of Formicidae is not quite what we
should have expected. They are amongst the earliest Hymen-
optera; remains referred to the family have been found in the
Lias of Switzerland and in the English Purbecks. In Tertiary
times Formicidae appear to have been about the most abundant
of all Insects. At Florissant they occur in thousands and form
in individuals about one-fourth of all the Insects found there.
They have also been met with numerously in the European
Tertiaries, and Mayr studied no less than 1500 specimens found
1 Biol. Centralbl. xv. 1895, p. 640.
? Prof. Forel has favoured the writer by informing him of several cases of these
rare intermediate forms he has himself detected.
* Biol. Centralbl. xiv. 1894, p. 53.
144 . HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
in amber. Formicides and Myrmicides are more abundant than
Ponerides, but this latter group has the larger proportion of
extinct genera; conditions but little dissimilar to those existing
at present.
Classification of Ants.—Ants are considered by many ento-
mologists to form a series called Heterogyna. They can,
however, be scarcely considered aS’ more than a single family,
Formicidae, so that the serial name is superfluous. Their
nearest approach to other Aculeates is apparently made, by
Amblyopone, to certain Mutillides (e.g. Apterogyna) and to the
Thynnides, two divisions of Scoliidae. Emery considers Dory-
lides rather than Amblyoponides to be the most primitive form
of ants, but we are disposed to consider Forel’s view to the effect
we have above mentioned as more probably correct. The point
is, however, very doubtful. The condition of the peduncle is in
both the sub-families we have mentioned very imperfect compared
with that of other ants. Both these sub-familes are of very
small extent and very imperfectly known. We _ shall also
follow Forel in adopting six sub-families, Camponotides, Dolicho-
derides, Myrmicides, Ponerides, Dorylides, and Amblyoponides.
Emery rejects the Amblyoponides as being merely a division of
the Ponerides. This latter group displays the widest relations
of all the sub-families, and may be looked on as a sort of central
form. The Camponotides and Dolichoderides are closely allied,
and represent the highest differentiation of the familes in one
direction. The Myrmicides are also highly differentiated, but
are not allied to the Camponotides and Dolichoderides.'
Sub-Fam. 1. Camponotides.— Hind body furnished with but one
constriction, so that only a single scale or node exists on the
pedicel. Poison-sac forming a cushion of convolutions, on
which is situate the modified sting, which forms merely an
ejaculatory orifice for the poison.
The members of this very extensive division of ants can be
readily distinguished from all others, except the Dolichoderides,
by the absence of a true sting, and by the pecuhar form of the hind
body ; this possesses only a single scale at the base, and has no
1 Forel’s latest views on this subject will be found in the Ann. Soc. ent. Belgique
xxXxvii. 1893, p. 161; the very valuable paper by Emery, in Zool. Jahrb. Syst.
viii. 1896, p. 760.
ee
IV - | ANTS—CAMPONOTIDES 145
constriction at all on the oval, convex and compact mass of the
abdomen behind this. The cloacal orifice is circular, not, as in
other ants, transverse. These characters are accompanied by a
difference in habits. The Camponotides, though they do not
sting, produce poison in large quantity, and eject it to some dis-
tance. Hence, if two specimens are confined in a tube they are
apt to kill one another by the random discharges they make.
Janet suggests that in order to neutralise the effect of this very
acid poison, they may have some means of using, when they are
in their natural abodes, the alkaline contents of a second gland
with which they are provided. We shall mention the characters
by which the Camponotides are distinguished from the small
sub-family Dolichoderides when we deal with the latter. 7
The sub-family includes 800 or more species. Camponotus
itself is one of the most numerous in species of all the genera of
Formicidae, and is distributed over most parts of the earth. We
have no species of it in Britain, but in the south of Europe the
Camponotus become very conspicuous, and may be seen almost
everywhere stalking about, after the fashion of our British wood-
ant, Kormica rufa, which in general appearance Camponotus much
resembles.
Until recently, the manner in which fresh nests of ants were
founded was unknown. In established nests the queen-ant 1s
fed and tended by the workers, and the care of the helpless larvae
and pupae also devolves entirely on the workers, so that the
queens are relieved of all functions except that of producing eggs.
It seemed therefore impossible that a fresh nest could be estab-
lished by a single female ant unless she were assisted by workers.
The mode in which nests are founded has, however, been recently
demonstrated by the observations of Lubbock, M‘Cook, Adlerz,
and more particularly by those of Blochmann, who was successful
in observing the formation of new nests by Camponotus ligni-
perdus at Heidelberg. He found under stones in the spring
many examples of females, either solitary or accompanied only
by a few eggs, larvae or pupae. Further, he was successful in
getting isolated females to commence nesting in confinement, and
observed that the ant that afterwards becomes the queen, at first
carries out by herself all the duties of the nest: beginning by
making a small burrow, she lays some eggs, and when these hatch,
feeds and tends the larvae and pupae; the first specimens of these
VOL. VI L
146 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
latter that become perfect Insects are workers of all sizes, and
at once undertake the duties of tending the young and
feeding the mother, who, being thus freed from the duties of
nursing and of providing food while she is herself tended and
fed, becomes a truequeen-ant. Thus it seems established that
in the case of this species the division of labour found in the
complex community, does not at first exist, but is correlative with
increasing numbers of the society. Further observations as to the
growth of one of these nascent communities, and the times and
conditions under which the various forms of individuals composing
a complete society first appear, would be of considerable interest.
An American species of the same genus, C. pennsylvanicus,
the carpenter-ant, establishes its nests in the stumps of trees.
Leidy observed that solitary females constructed for themselves
cells in the wood and closed the entrances, and that each one in
its solitary Confinement reared a small brood of larvae. The
first young produced in this case are said to be of the dwarf
paste, and it was thought by the observer that the ant remained
not only without assistance but also without food during a period
of some weeks, and this although she was herself giving food to
the larvae she was rearing.
Adlerz states that the females or young queens take no food
while engaged in doing their early work, and that the large
quantity of fat-body they possess enables them to undergo several
months of hunger. In order to feed the young larvae they use
their own eggs or even the younger larvae. It is to the small
quantity of food rather than to its nature that he attributes the
small size of the first brood of perfect workers. M. Janet’ has
recently designed an ingenious and simple apparatus for keeping
ants in captivity. In one of these he placed a solitary female of
Lasius alienus, ammaccompanied by any workers or other assistants.
and he found at the end of 98 days that she was taking care of
a progeny consisting of 50 eggs, 2 larvae, 5 pupae in cocoons, 5
without cocoons. On the 102nd day workers began to emerge
from the cocoons.” From these observations it is evident that
the queen-ant, when she begins her nest, lives under conditions
extremely different from those of the royal state she afterwards
reaches.
1 Ann. Soct. ent. France, 1893, p. 467.
2 Ann. Soc. ent. France, 1893, Bull. p. eclxiv.
Iv ANTS—CAMPONOTIDES 127
In many kinds of ants the full-grown individuals are known
to feed not only the larvae by disgorging food from their own
mouths into those of the little grubs, but also to feed one another.
This has been repeatedly observed, and Forel made the fact the
subject of experiment in the case of Camponotus ligniperdus.
He took some specimens and shut them up without food for
several days, and thereafter supplied some of them with honey,
stained with Prussian blue; being very hungry, they fed so
ereedily on this that in a few hours their hind bodies were dis-
tended to three times their previous size. He then took one of
these gorged individuals and placed it amongst those that had
not been fed. The replete ant was at once explored by the
touches of the other ants and surrounded, and food was begged
from it. It responded to the demands by feeding copiously a
small specimen from its mouth: when this little one had received
a good supply, it in turn communicated some thereof to other
specimens, while the original well-fed one also supplied others,
and thus the food was speedily distributed. This habit of receiv-
ing and giving food is of the greatest importance in the life-
history of ants, and appears to be the basis of some of the
associations that, as we shall subsequently see, are formed with
ants by numerous other Insects.
Occophylla smaragdina, a common ant in Eastern Asia, forms
shelters on the leaves of trees by curling the edges of leaves
and joining them together. In doing this it makes use of an
expedient that would not be beheved had it not been testified by
several competent and independent witnesses. The perfect ant
has no material with which
to fasten together the edges
it curls; its larva, how-
ever, possesses glands that
secrete a supply of material
for it to form a cocoon
with, and the ants utilise
the larvae to effect their Fic. 60.—Oe¢ecophylla smaragdina. Worker
purpose, Several of them using a larva for spinning.
combine to hold the foliage in the desired position, and while
they do so, other ants come up, each one of which carries a
larva in its jaws, applies the mouth of the larva to the parts
where the cement is required, and makes it disgorge the sticky
148 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
material. Our figure is taken from a specimen (for which we
are indebted to Mr. E. E. Green) that was captured in the act
of bearing a larva. |
Formica rufa, the Red-ant, Wood-ant, or Hiull-ant, is in this
country one of the best-known members of the Formicidae. It
frequents woods, especially such as are composed, in whole or
part, of conifers, where it forms large mounds of small sticks,
straws, portions of leaves, and similar material. Although at
first sight such a nest may appear to be a chaotic agglomeration,
yet examination reveals that it 1s arranged so as to leave many
spaces, and is penetrated by galleries ramifying throughout its
structure. These mound-nests attain a considerable size when the
operations of the industrious creatures are not interfered with, or
their work destroyed, as it too often is, by ignorant or mischievous
persons. They may reach a height of three feet or near it, and
a diameter of twice that extent. The galleries by which the
heaps are penetrated lead down to the earth below. From the
mounds extend in various directions paths constantly traversed
by the indefatigable ants. M‘Cook observed such paths in the
Trossachs; they proceed towards the objects aimed at in lines
so straight that he considers they must be the result of some
sense of direction possessed by the ants; as it is impossible to
suppose they could perceive by the sense of sight the distant
objects towards which the paths were directed: these objects in
the case M‘Cook describes were oak-trees up which the ants
ascended in search of Aphides.
M‘Cook further observed that one of the oak-trees was reached
by individuals from another nest, and that each of the two parties
was limited to its own side of the tree, sentinels being placed on
the limits to prevent the trespassing of an intruder; he also
noticed that the ants saw an object when the distance became
reduced to about an inch and a half from them. This species is
considered to be wanting in individual courage; but when acting
in combination of vast numbers it does so with intelligence and
success. It does not make slaves, but it has been observed by
Bignell and others that it sometimes recruits its numbers by
kidnapping individuals from other colonies of its own species.
Its nests are inhabited by forty or fifty species of guests of various
kinds, but chiefly Insects. Another ant, Myrmica laevinodis,
sometimes lives with it in perfect harmony, and Formicozenus
IV CAMPONOTIDES—SLAVE-MAKING ANTS 149
nitidulus lives only with #. rufa. Amongst the most peculiar
of its dependants we may mention large beetles of the genera
Cetonia and Clythra, which in their larval state live in the
hills of the wood-ant. It is probable that they subsist on some
of the vegetable matter of which the mounds are formed. Adlerz
has given some attention to the division of labour amongst the
different forms of the workers of ants, and says that in F. rufa it
is only the bigger workers that carry building and other materials,
the smaller individuals being specially occupied in the discovery
of honey-dew and other Aphid products. In Camponotus it
would appear, on the other hand, that the big individuals leave
the heavy work to be performed by their smaller fellows.
The wood-ant and its near allies have been, and indeed still
are, a source of great difficulty to systematists on account of the
variation that occurs in the same species, and because this differs
according to locality. Our European F. rufa has been supposed
to inhabit North America, and the interesting accounts pub-
lished by M‘Cook of the mound-making ant of the Alleghanies
were considered to refer to it. This Insect, however, is not F
rufa, as was supposed by M‘Cook, but F. exsectoides, Forel. It
forms colonies of enormous extent, and including an almost in-
credible number of individuals. In one district of about fifty
acres there was an Ant City containing no less than 1700 of
these large ant-hills, each one teeming with life. It was found
by transferring ants from one hill to another that no hostility
whatever existed between the denizens of different hills; the
specimens placed on a strange hill entered it without the least
hesitation. Its habits differ in some particulars from those of
its European congener; the North American Insect does not close
the formicary at night, and the inquilines found in its nest are
very different from those that live with /# rufa in Europe.
Whether the typical wood-ant occurs in North America is
doubtful, but there are races there that doubtless belong to
the species.
F. sanguinea is very similar in appearance to its commoner
congener F#. rufa, and is the only slave-making ant we possess in
Britain. This species constructs its galleries in banks, and is
of very courageous character, carrying out its military operations
with much tactical ability. It is perfectly able to live without
the assistance of slaves, and very frequently does so; indeed it
150 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
has been asserted that it is in our own islands (where, however,
it is comparatively rare) less of a slave-owner than it is in
Southern Europe, but this conclusion is very doubtful. It ap-
pears when fighting to be rather desirous of conquering its
opponents by inspiring terror and making them aware of its
superiority than by killing them: having gained a victory it
will carry off the pupae from the nest it has conquered to its
own abode, and the ants of the stranger-species that develop from
these pupae serve the conquerors faithfully, and reheve them of
much of their domestic duties. The species that M sanguinea
utilises in this way in England are /. fusca, F. cunicularia, and
possibly Lasius flavus. Huber and Forel have given graphic
accounts of the expeditions of this soldier-ant. In the mixed
colonies of FY sanguinea and F. fusca the slaves do most of the
house-work, and are more skilful at it than their masters. » ivisi Ss : S : 7
ants is still quite a, Pronouns i Ls c, ees e Re es, Gs
metanotum ; é, propodeum ;_//, first abdominal seg-
unknown. A Dorylus ment; g, 2, points of insertion of anterior and pos-
r : lerior wings.
has been ascertained . ioe
to be the male of Zyphlopone. The male Dorylus (Figs. 79, A,
and 80) is of great interest, for the propodeum is in a more primi-
tive form than it is in any other petiolate Hymenopteron known to
us, while at the same time the pronotum and mesonotum are very
highly developed. The genus 7'yphlatta Sm. has been recently
identified by Wroughton and Forel as the worker-condition of
which dAenictus is the winged male. The genus Alaopone will
probably be found to have some species of Dorylus as its
male.
The females of the Dorylides are amongst the rarest of Insects,
and are also amongst the greatest of natural curiosities. Although
worker ants and female ants are merely forms of one sex—the
female—yet in this sub-family of ants they have become so
totally different from one another in size, form, structure, and
habits that it is difficult to persuade oneself they can possibly
issue from similar eggs. In the Insect world there are but few
cases in which males differ from females so greatly as the
workers of Dorylides do from the females, the phenomena finding
their only parallel in the soldiers and females of Termites; the
mode in which this difference is introduced into the life of the
individuals of one sex is unknown. The largest of all the
Dorylides are the African Insects of the genus Rhogmus. Only
the male is known.
180 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
The specimens of female Dorylides that have been detected may,
after fifty or sixty years of research, be still counted on the fingers.
As the greatest confusion exists in entomological lterature
owing to the forms of a single species having been described as
two or three genera, the following summary of the principal
names of genera of Dorylides may be useful :—
Eciton =the workers, Labidus = male: 2 unknown.
Pseudodicthadia : female only known, possibly that of Heiton.
Cheliomyrmex : workers and soldiers only known.
Aenictus = the male, Typhlatta = worker: unknown.
Rhogmus: male; female unknown. (According to Emery
the worker is very small and like A/aopone.)
Anomma: only worker known; male probably a Dorylus.
Dorylus = male ; Dicthadia = 9: Alaopone and Typhlopone =
workers.
Sub-Fam. 6. Amblyoponides.— Abdomen destitute of distinct
pedicel ; the articulation between the first and second
segments behind the true petiole being broad.
We follow Forel in separating Amblyopone and a few allies
from the Ponerides, because the abdominal pedicel is more
imperfect than in any other ants. — It is,
indeed, very difficult to frame a definition
that will include the Amblyoponides
among ants, and at the same time sepa-
rate Formicidae and Scolidae. Forel con-
siders the Amblyoponides to approach
closely to certain divisions of the Scolidae
(Thynnides, e.g.). Little is known of these
Insects, though they are widely distri-
buted. Amblyopone is found in Australia
and New Zealand; the allied genus
Stigmatomma has a wide distribution,
Fra. 81.—A mblyopone, worker.
Tasmania. uae : : :
occurring even in Europe. The social
life is beheved to be imperfect, and the habits subterranean and
sedentary. The males and females are winged; the latter much
resemble the workers, which are nearly blind, and have a con-
siderable general resemblance to Anomma in Dorylides.
Association of Ants with other kinds of Insects._-We
have already alluded to the fact that a few species of ants are
IV INSECTS INHABITING ANTS’-NESTS 181
used by other species as attendants, and that the two kinds then
live together quite amicably ; and we have also seen that a few
ants live in association with other species on terms that are not
yet understood. One little ant, Formicoxenus nitidulus, lives
only in the large nests of Formica rufa; these ants tolerate
the little Formicorenus, which so far as.is known does them
neither good nor harm. There are also a considerable number of
species of small ants that are in the habit of choosing the neigh-
bourhood of larger species for their dwelling-places; in some
cases the nests are constructed actually within a portion of the
edifice of the more powerful species, and the rule then appears
to be that these neighbours do not molest one another. Not-
withstanding the militant lhves that many of them lead, ants
cannot be considered as of generally ferocious disposition.
But the most remarkable point in connection with their
toleration consists in the fact that the nests of many species are
inhabited by quite a colony of foreign Insects of various Orders ;
many of these, being found nowhere else, are spoken of as ants’-
nest or Myrmecophilous Insects.1~ The relations of ants with
other Insects are of the most varied and complex character ;
some of their guests live with them on terms of the most intimate
association, being indeed absolutely dependent for their existence
on the good offices of their hosts ; others of the ants’-nest Insects
are enemies, while others are neutral or indifferent to the ants.
We have already mentioned that the guests migrate in company
with their hosts.
Many species of ants derive a considerable portion of their
sustenance from the sweet substances excreted by Aphidae.
Ants may constantly be seen occupied with clusters of Aphidae,
and it is said that the ingenious little creatures defend from
enemies the manufacturers of the sweet-stuff they are so fond of,
even going so far as to form barricades and covered places for the
isolation and protection of this peculiar kind of cattle; a few
ants keep some of the root-feeding Aphidae in their nests.
Coceidae and other Homoptera, which also excrete much matter
of a sugary nature, are likewise consorted with by ants; as are
also the larvae of some butterflies of the family Lycaenidae ;
these latter being believed to. furnish to the ants some substance
1 A- Catalogue of Myrmecophilous and Termitophilous Arthropods was pub-
lished by Wasmann, Berlin 1894.
12 HYMENOPTERA CHAP.
of a nutritious kind. The Insects we have spoken of are, how-
ever, rather of the nature of ant-cattle, and the fondness of the
ants for them is not very remarkable. The relations of the ants
to the peculiar species of Insects that lve only in or around their
nests are much more extraordinary. The greater number of these
guests belong to the Order Coleoptera, and of these there are many
hundreds—probably many thousands—of species that depend on
ants for their existence. The family Pselaphidae furnishes a
large number of ants’-nest beetles, and it appears probable that
most of them excrete some
sugary substance of which the
ants are fond. Many of these
Pselaphidae are of the most
fantastic shapes, more especi-
ally the members of the sub-
family Clavigerides. But the ry
a ; es Fic. 82.—The beetle, A teme/es, soliciting
most curious of all the ant’s- food from an ant. "(After Wasmann.)
nest beetles are the Paussidae,
a family exclusively dependent on ants, and having the curious
faculty, when disturbed, of bombarding—that is, of discharging
a small quantity of vapour or liquid in a state of minute
_ subdivision accompanied by a detonation. Many species of
Staphylinidae are peculiar to ant’s-nests, and most of them are
indifferent or inimical to their hosts, but some of them, such as
Atemeles (Fig. 82) and Lomechusa, are doubtless producers of sweet
stuff that is liked by the ants. The ants feed some of their special
favourites amongst these guests in the same manner as they feed
one another, viz. by opening the mouth, causing a drop of quid
to appear on the hp, and remaining passive while the guest
partakes of the proffered bonne bouche. This way of giving food
to other individuals is a most remarkable feature in the character
of ants; it is not the same system that they adopt in feeding the
larvae, for they then make a series of actual movements, and
force the nutriment into the mouths of the grubs. Besides the
Insects we have mentioned there are also Orthoptera, Hemiptera,
Poduridae and Thysanura, Acari, and small Isopod crustaceans
that live exclusively in company with ants. We have mentioned
that a few Hymenoptercus and Dipterous parasites have been
detected living at the expense of ants; it is probable that
closer observation of the ant larvae and pupae in their nests
Iv INSECTS INHABITING ANTS-NESTS 183
will disclose a greater number of the parasites of this latter
class.
Much attention has been given to the relations between ants
and their guests by Wasmann.' He arranges them in four
categories ; 1, “ Symphily” for the true guests, which are fed and
tended by the ants, the guests often affording some substance
the ants delight in; 2, “ Metochy,” the class of tolerated guests,
being so far as is known not disagreeable to the hosts; 3,
“Synecthry,’ including those Insects, ete., to which the ants
are hostile, but which nevertheless maintain themselves in the
midst of their foes; 4, Parasites, dwelling in the bodies of the
adult, or of the young ants. Many of these ants’-nest Insects
present a more or less perfect resemblance to the ants in one or
more points, such as sculpture, colour, size, or form. To these
resemblances Wasmann attaches great importance. We should,
too, notice that some of the inquilines” have become acquainted
with the movements and habits of the ants, and stroke them (as
the ants do one another) to induce them to disgorge food in the
manner we have alluded to. According to Janet, ants of the
genus Lasius are infested by Acari of the genus Antennophorus.
The ants carry the mites, which assume positions so as not to
cause greater inconvenience than is inevitable. Moreover, the
ants give food to the mites when requested, and behave in a most
obliging way to them, though there is not any reason for supposing
that in this case the ants derive any benefit from the Symphily.
The relations between ants and plants have been of late years
much discussed. We have already briefly alluded to the subject
when speaking of the Pseudomyrmini. We will here only remark
that ants frequent plants not only for the purpose of securing the
sweet stuff excreted by the Aphidae that lve on them, but also
for the sake of getting the sweet products the plants themselves
afford. Mr. Aitken, speaking of ants in India, says: “I have
come to the conclusion that one of the most important sources of
food-supply which ants have is the sacchariferous glands to be
found at the bases of so many leaves.” It is supposed that the
ants are on the whole beneficial to the plants that thus afford them
supply ; and this fact is considered by many to afford an adequate
explanation of the existence of these interesting relations.
1 For a summary of this subject see Wasmann, Congr. internat. Zool. iii. 1896,
pp. 411-440. ? For explanation of this term see vol. v. p. 524.
CHAP IMR. V.
COLEOPTERA——OR BEETLES
Order V. Coleoptera.
Apparently wingless Insects when at rest, but really with four
wings; the elytra, or anterior pair, shell-like,. reposing
on the back of the body and fitted together accurately
along the middle by a straight suture; the posterior pair
membranous, folded together wnder the elytra. Mouth with
mandibles ; lower lip not divided along the middle. Meta-
morphosis great and very abrupt ; the larva being a grub or
maggot, which changes to a pupa (usually soft) in which the
external structure of the perfect Insect 1s conspicuous.
CoLEOPTERA—or Beetles—are chiefly distinguished from other
Insects by the solidity of their external integument, and by the
peculiar nature of the first pair of their alar organs, which do
not serve as instruments of flight, but as shells for protecting the
upper face of the after-body, which, unlike the other parts, remains
as a rule softand membranous. These modifications of structure,
though apparently slight, must be really extremely advantageous,
for beetles are the predominant Order of Insects in the existing
epoch. They depart from most other Insects in being less aerial in
their habits; therefore, notwithstanding their enormous numbers, -
they do not meet the eye so frequently as flies, bees, or butter-
flees. The parts of the hard outer skeleton are beautifully
fitted together, and as their modifications are easily appreciated
they offer as fascinating a subject for study as do the skeletons
of Vertebrata. The habits of beetles are so extremely varied
that it is but little exaggeration to say that Coleoptera are to
be found everywhere, when looked for. The number of species
at present known is probably about 150,000. Of these some-
where about 3300 have been found in Britain. The structure
CHAP. V COLEOPTERA—BEETLES 185
of the hard parts of the skeleton is of importance, as the classi-
fication of this enormous number of species is entirely based
thereon ; it will be readily understood from the accompanying
diagram (Fig. 85). The general proportions of the chief parts
of the body call for a few remarks. The prothorax is remarkably
free, and is therefore capable of a much greater amount of move-
ment independent of the after-body than it is in other Insects.
The mesothorax is, on the other hand, much reduced; its chief
function in the higher forms is to support the elytra, and to
Fra. 83.—Under-surface of a beetle,
Harpalus caliginosus ; legs and
antenna of one side, and some parts
of the mouth removed. A, an-
tenna; B, mandible ; C, labrum ;
D, ligula; E, paraglossa; F, labial
palp ; G, inner lobe of maxilla ;
H, outer lobe (palpiform) of
maxilla; I, maxillary palp; K,
mentum; L, gena; M, gula; N,
buccal fissure ; V, plates of ven-
tral segments. 1, Prosternum ;
2, prosternal episternum ; 3, pro-
sternal epimeron ; 4, anterior and
middle coxal cavities ; 5, inflexed
side of pronotum; 6, mesosternum ;
7, mesosternal episternum; 8,
mesosternal epimeron ; 9, meta-
sternum ; 10, posterior division of
metasternum or ante-coxal piece ;
11, metasternal episternum ; 12,
metasternal epimeron; 18, epi-
pleuron or inflexed margin of ely-
tron; 14, ventral or ambulatory
setae ; 15, trochanter ; 16, pos-
terior coxa ; 17, femur ; 18, tibia;
19, tarsus. (Modified from Le-
conte and Horn.)
help to keep them together by means of its scutellum. The
metathorax, on the contrary, is largely developed, except in the
rather numerous forms that are entirely deprived of powers of
fight. The composition of the abdomen has been a subject of
great difference of opinion. Its upper surface is usually entirely
covered by the elytra; the parts visible on the lower surface are
called ventral segments, and are usually fivein number. Although
these five plates may constitute all that is superficially visible of
the abdomen, yet if the elytra are taken off it is found that a larger
number of segments—usually seven or eight—are visible on
the dorsum. This seeming discrepancy of number between the
186 COLEORTERA: CHAP.
dorsal and ventral plates is due to two facts; 1, that the
hind coxae have a great and complex development, so that they
conceal the true base of the venter, which, moreover, remains
membranous to a greater or less extent, and thus allows much
mobility, and at the same time a very accurate coadaptation
between the hard parts of the venter and the metasternum'; 2,
that the terminal segments are withdrawn into the interior of
the body, and are correspondingly much modified, the modifica-
tion being greater in the case of the ventral than in that of the
dorsal plates. The anatomy of the parts of the abdomen that
are not externally visible has not been adequately studied by
coleopterists, but Verhoeff has inaugurated a careful study of
the comparative anatomy of the terminal segments’; unfor-
tunately, however, he has not so thoroughly studied the modifi-
cations at the base, and as it is not clear that these are so
uniform as he has taken for granted, it is possible that his num-
bering of the segments may have to be in some cases modified.
The retracted plates or segments are so intimately connected
with the internal copulatory organs that it is no easy matter to
interpret them. For the nomenclature of these parts we must
refer the student to Verhoeff’s later works. He considers the
abdomen as composed of ten segments, the dorsal plates being
demonstrable, while the tenth ventral plate is usually absent.
The anal orifice is placed immediately beneath the tenth dorsal
plate, and above the genital orifice, which lies behind and above
the ninth ventral plate. Peytoureau admits a diversity in both
the number of segments and the position of the orifice. These
studies in comparative anatomy are surrounded with difficulties,
and no morphological conclusions based on them can be con-
sidered as final until they have been confirmed by observation
of the development of the parts.
The elytra—or wing-cases—frequently have a remarkable
sculpture, the use of which is unknown. According to Hofbauer
there are between the outer and inner layers, glands secreting a
! An interesting exception occurs in the Malacodermidae, where this coadaptation
is wanting, or is imperfect ; they are frequently considered to be the most primitive
of existing beetles.
* In a series of memoirs in various German periodicals during the last five or six
years (see especially Deutsche ent. Zeit. 1893 and 1894, also subsequent years of
Arch. Naturges.). It should be noticed that in the course of his studies Verhoeff
has modified some of his earlier views.
— —eeeororrrearene enn
NS ae
Mi BEETLES 187
fluid that reaches the surface through small pores. Hicks sup-
posed that he detected nerve cells. Meinert is of opinion that
the elytra correspond to the tegule of Hymenoptera rather than
to the wings of other Insects, but the little evidence that exists is
not favourable to this view. The two elytra are usually, in repose,
very perfectly fitted together by a complete coadaptation along the
middle of the body, so that it 1s difficult to separate them; this
line of junction is called the suture. There are forms in which
the coadaptation is quite imperfect (Malacodermidae) and some
in which it does not exist at all (Je/oé). The wings proper of
beetles correspond to the posterior pair in other Insects, and are
much more irregular in nervuration than those of most other In-
sects, correlative, 1t is supposed, with the folding they are subjected
to in order to get them beneath the wing-cases. There are large
numbers of species, genera, and groups of genera, all the members
of which have the wings so much reduced in size as to be quite
useless for purposes of flight. These forms are called apterous,
though they are not really so, for the elytra (which are really
the anterior wings) are present, and even the posterior wings
are not truly absent in these cases, though they are sometimes
so extremely rudimentary as to elude all but the most careful
observation. The number of forms in which the elytra are
absent is extremely small; this condition occurs only in the
female sex; it is usually confined to cases in which the female
is larva-like in form; but in the extraordinary Mediterranean
Lamellicorn genus, Pachypus, the females are destitute of wings
and elytra, though the anterior parts of the body are normally
formed: these individuals live underground and rarely or never
emerge. When the wings are absent the elytra are frequently
soldered; that is to say, united together along the suture by some
sort of secondary exudation ; this union occurs in every degree of
firmness, and appears to be variable in the individuals of one
species; probably in accordance with the age of the individual.
In most beetles the elytra are not only themselves closely con-
nected, but are also very accurately coadapted with the sides of
the body, except at the tip. Sometimes a coadaptation occurs
between the tips of the elytra and the body, but not at the tip of
the latter. In such eases one or more dorsal plates are left ex-
posed : the last of such exposed dorsal plates is termed pygidium ;
a Similar plate anterior to the pygidium is called propygidiun.
188 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
Larvae.—Owing to the difficulty of rearing Coleoptera, less
is perhaps known of their life-histories than of those of other
Insects. They exhibit, however, extreme diversity correlative
with the great specialisation of so many beetles to particular
kinds of life. Most beetles must have exactly the right condi-
tions to live in. The larvae of many forms are known. They
are composed of a head, three thoracic segments (usually very
distinct), and a number of abdominal segments varying from eight
to ten. Coleopterous larvae are usually described as having nine
abdominal segments; and it is but rarely that ten can be readily
detected ; they are, however, visible in various forms, as is the
case in the form figured (Fig. 84). A great many of them
possess a peculiar pseudopod at the underside of the body near
or at the extremity ; 1t can in many cases be entirely retracted
into the body, and is generally described: as being the pro-
truded termination of the ali-
mentary canal. Inspection of a
series of larvae shows that it
represents a body seginent: it is
Fic. 84.—Larva of a beetle, Family sometimes armed with hooks.
Tey cidae {arama moscha’e). Three pairs of small thoracic legs
1e first spiracle is placed just at the 5
hind margin of the large prothoracic are often present, but are very
ea habia pie often completely absent. These
thoracic legs may be present in the young larva, but not in the
older (Bruchus). The usual number of spiracles is nine pairs,
one prothoracic, eight abdominal; but this is subject to many
exceptions, and mesothoracic and metathoracic stigmata are occa-
sionally found. The figures we give in the following pages will
enable the student to form some idea of the variety of form
exhibited by beetle larvae.
Pupation usually takes place in a cavity in the earth, or
near the feeding-place, but a great many species form a cocoon,
composed either of fragments of earth or of wood, and slightly
cemented together. A few suspend themselves by the tail after
the manner of butterfly caterpillars (Cassididae, Coccinellidae).
The pupae are usually extremely soft, their appendages not
being fastened to the body. But some pupae (Staphylinides)
are truly obtected, having a hard shell and the rudimentary
appendages fastened by exudation to the body, lke Lepi-
dopterous pupae, and others (Coccinellidae) are intermediate
Vv BEETLES 189
between this state and the normal soft pupa. The pupal state
lasts but a short time, from one to three weeks being the usual
period. The perfect Insect is at first soft and almost colourless,
and it is often some days before it attains 1ts complete coloration
and hardness.
Classification.— Owing to the hardness of the skeleton, beetles
shrivel but little after death, so that the form and relations of
the various sclerites can usually be detected with ease. These
sclerites seem to be remarkably constant (except in the case of
sexual distinetions) within the limits of each species, and are
very useful for the formation of genera and groups of genera :
but they vary so much outside the limits mentioned that it is
very difficult to make use of them for defining the larger groups.
Hence it is not easy to frame accurate definitions of the
families, and still less so to arrange these families in more com-
prehensive series. The natural difficulty has been much increased
by the habit coleopterists have of framing their definitions
on what is visible without the aid of dissection. Nevertheless
considerable progress has been made. We are obliged at present
to adopt upwards of eighty familes; and we are able to dis-
tinguish on positive characters five series; this leaves a large
number of forms still unclassified, and these we have here
associated as a sixth series, which we have called Coleoptera Poly-
morpha. This series corresponds with the two series called in
books Clavicornia and Serricornia. As it is admitted to be
impossible to define these two series, we think it much better to
act accordingly, and to establish for the present a great group
that can only be characterised by the fact that its members do
not belong to any of the other five series. No doubt a larger
knowledge of development, coupled with the advance of com-
parative anatomy, will ultimately bring about a better state of
affairs. The Strepsiptera, with one family Stylopidae, are only
provisionally included among the Coleoptera. These six series
are fairly equal as regards extent. Though the Polymorpha
includes the larger number of forms, yet a large part of them
belong to four great families (Staphylinidae, Buprestidae, Elat-
eridae, Malacodermidae), which are easily recognisable, so that
the number of unmanageable forms is not really great. Indeed,
an acquaintance with the external anatomy of two or three
dozen species, selected as typical, would enable a student to classity
190 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
with tolerable certainty the vast majority of species that he
would subsequently meet with.
Series 1. Lamellicornia.—Antennae with the terminal joints leaf-like (or
broader than the others, if not actually leaf-like), and capable of
separation and of accurate apposition. 'Tarsi five-jointed.
Adephaga—(Caraboidea of some authors).—Antennae never lamelli-
form, thin at the end; all the tarsi five-jointed, with the fourth
joint quite distinct. Maxillae highly developed, with the outer
lobe slender and divided into two segments so as to be palpiform.
Abdomen with six (or more) ventral segments visible.
Series 3. Polymorpha.—Antennae frequently with either a club, ae. the
distal joints broader [Clavicorn series. of authors], or the joints from
the third onwards more or Jess saw-like, the serrations being on the
inner face [Serricorn series of authors]; but these and all the other
characters, including the number of joints in the feet, very variable.
Series 4. Heteromera.—Front and middle tarsi five-joited, hind tarsi four-
jointed. Other characters very variable.
Phytophaga.—Tarsi four-jointed [apparently], but with a small addi-
tional joint at the base of the fourth joint: sole usually densely
pubescent [sometimes the feet are bare beneath or bristly, and
occasionally the small joint at the base of the fourth joint is more
distinct }.
Series 6. Rhynchophora.—Head prolonged in front to form a beak; gula
indistinguishable. [Palpi usually not evident.] Tarsi four-jointed
[apparently], but with a very minute additional joint at the
extreme base of the fourth joint.
Strepstptera (see p. 298).
bo
Series
or
Series
The first and second series, with much of the third, form the
Pentamera, the fifth and sixth the Tetramera [ or Pseudotetra-
mera'|, The term Isomera was applied by Leconte and Horn
to a combination of series 1, 2, 3, and 5.
Series I. Lamellicornia.
Tarsi five-jointed ; antennae with the terminal joints (usually three,
sometimes more), broader on one side, so as to form a peculiar
club, the leaves of which are movable, and in repose are
more ov less perfectly coadapted so as to have the appearance
of being but one piece.
This series includes three families, Passalidae, Lucanidae, and
Scarabaeidae; the latter includes an enormous majority of the
species, and in them the structure of the antennae characteristic
of the series is well developed; but in the other two families
1 We consider this term inferior to Tetramera for nomenclatorial purposes.
Ce ee
v LAMELLICORNS IgI
the form of the antennae is not so widely different from that of
other Coleoptera. The larvae live on decaying vegetable matter,
roots or dung. They
have three pairs of
legs, and are thick
clumsy grubs’ with
curved bodies, the
last. two segments
being of larger size
than usual. Many of
them possess organs
of stridulation, and
the structure of their
spiracles is © > tvery
peculiar, each one
being more or less
completely sur-
rounded by a chitin-
guses plates,» The
spiracles usually form
s Fic. 85.—Autennae of Lamellicorns. 1, Neleus inter-
a system entirely ruptus,; 2, Lucanus cervus $; 3, Phanaeus splen-
closed, except at the ine. 2; 4, Phileurus didymus 92; 5, Polyphylla
Jullo 6.
moment when the
skin is shed and the tracheal exuviae are detached. Meinert '
considers these spiracles to be organs of hearing. The life of the
larvae is passed underground or in the decaying wood on which
the Insect feeds.
Most of the members of this series are remarkable on account
of the great concentration of the nerve-centres. This is extreme
in Rhizotrogus, where there are only two great ganglia, viz. the
supra-oesophageal and a great ganglion situate in the thorax,
and consisting of the conjoined infra-oesophageal, thoracic, and
abdominal ganglia. According to Brandt* there are several
distinct forms of concentration in the series; the Lucanidae only
participate in it to the extent that the perfect Insects exhibit
fewer ganglia than the larvae: the latter possess two cephalic,
three thoracic, and eight abdominal ganglia, while the perfect
Insect has the abdominal ganglia reduced in number to six, and
1 Danske Selsk. Skr. (6), viii. No. 1, 1895.
? Horae Soc. ent. Ross. xiv. 1879, p. 15.
192 COLEORTERA _ CHAP.
they are placed partially in the thorax. The diminution in
number takes place in this case by the amalgamation of the first
two abdominal with the last thoracic ganglia.
Fam. 1. Passalidae.—Labrum large, mobile ; mentum deeply
cut out in the middle for the accommodation of the ligula; the
lamellae of the antenna brought together by the curling up of the
antenna. The elytra entirely cover the dorsal surface of the abdo-
men. There are four or five hundred species of this family known ;
they are usually shining-black, unattractive beetles, of large size,
Fic. 86.—View of one
side of meso- and
metathorax of a
Passalid larva from
Borneo showing the
stridulating organs.
a, 6, Portions of the
metathorax ; ¢, coxa
of 2nd leg ; d, striate
or stridulating area
thereon ; e, basal
part of femur of
middle leg ; 7, hairs
with chitinous pro-
cess at base of each ;
g, the diminutive
3rd leg modified
for scratching the
striated area. x 20.
and are abundant in the decaying wood of tropical forests. They
are quite absent from Europe, and there is only one species in
the United States of North America. The larvae are very
interesting, from the fact that they appear to have only four legs.
This arises from the posterior pair being present only as very
short processes, the function of which is to scrape striated areas on
the preceding pair of legs and so produce sound. In the species
figured (Fig. 86) this short leg is a paw-like structure, bearing
several hard digits; but in other Species it is more simple, and
without the digits. The perfect Insect has no sound-producing
organs, and it is very remarkable therefore to find the larvae
Vv ; LAMELLICORNIA——STAG-BEETLES 193
provided with highly-developed stridulatory structures. No
auditory organ is known, unless the peculiar spiracles be
such.
Fam. 2. Lucanidae (Stag-beetles)—Labrum indistinct, fined ;
mentum not excised ; antennae not curled in repose, with but little
coadaptation of the terminal joints ; the elytra entirely cover the
dorsal surface of the abdomen. The Stag-beetles are well known
on account of the extraordinary development of the mandibles in
the male sex, these organs being in some cases nearly as long as
the whole of the rest of the Insect, and armed with projections
or teeth that give the Insects a most formidable appearance. So
far as we have been able to discover, these structures are put to
very little use, and in many cases are not capable of being of
service even as weapons of offence. The males are usually
very much larger than the females, and are remarkable on
account of the great variation in the stature of different indi-
viduals of the same species; correlative with these distinctions
of individual size we find extreme differences in the development
of the head and mandibles. Moreover, the small male specimens
exhibit not merely reductions in the size of the mandibles, but also
show considerable differences in the form of these parts, due,
in some cases, apparently to the fact that only when a certain
length of the mandible
is attained is there any
development of certain
of the minor projec-
tions: in other cases it
is not possible to adopt
this view, as the small
mandibles bear as many
Fic. 87.—Head and prothorax of forms of the male of projections as the large
a stag-beetle ; Homoeoderus medlyi (Africa). A, forms do, or even more.
Large, B, intermediate, C, small forms. (From a it His Hee Pn
photograph by R. Oberthiir. ) n each species these
variations fall, in the
majority of cases, into distinct states, so that entomologists describe
them as “ forms,” the largest developments being called teleodont,
the smallest priodont ; the terms mesodont and amphiodont being
applied to intermediate states. Leuthner, who has examined many
specimens, states that in Odontolabis sinensis, no intermediates
between the teleodont and mesodont forms occur, and as the
VOL. VI )
194 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
two forms are very different they are hable to be mistaken for
distinct species.
There are at present between 500 and 600 species of stag-
beetles known; the Indo-Malayan and Austro-Malayan regions
being richest in them. Australia possesses many remarkable
and aberrant forms. In the Ceratognathini—a group well re-
presented in New Zealand as well as
in Australia—the structure of the
antennae is like that of the Scara-
baeidae, rather than of the Luca-
nidae. The most aberrant form
known is, however, our common
Sinodendron cylindricum ; this de-
parts in numerous features from
other Lucanidae, and instead of
the mandibles of the male being
Fic. 88.—Sinodendron cylindricum. more largely developed, there is a
A, Larva; B, pupa. New Forest. : .
horn on the head; it is very
doubtful whether this Insect should be allowed to remain in
the family. Little is known of the habits and development of
Lucanidee, except in the case of three or four species that are
~ common in Europe.
The common stag-beetle, Lucanus cervus, is our largest British
beetle. The larva much resembles that of Melolontha vulgaris,
but attains a larger size, and the anal aperture is placed longitu-
dinally instead of transversely ; 1t lives in decaying wood, or eats
the roots of trees without being injurious; its life in this state
lasts about four years; the pupal period is passed through rapidly,
and the perfect Insect may remain for months underground
before it becomes active; this occurs in June and July. This
larva stridulates by scraping certain hard tubercular ridges on
the third pair of legs, over a specially adapted rough area at the
base of the second pair.
The Passalidae and Lucanidae are united by some authorities
as a group called Pectinicornia; the term Lamellicornia being
then confined to the Scarabaeidae. The Passalidae appear, how-
ever, to be really more nearly allied to the Scarabaeidae than to
the Lucanidae.
Fam. 3. Scarabaeidae (Chafers)— The leaflets of the antennae
are well coadapted, and are susceptible of separation. The elytra
Vv LAMELLICORNIA—-SCARABAEIDAE 195
usually leave the pygidium uncovered. The number of visible
ventral segments is usually six, or at the sides seven, not five, as in
Lucanidae and Passalidae. This is one of the most important
famihes of Insects. “About 13,000 species are already known ;
as some of them: are highly remarkable creatures on account of
the males being armed with horns, they are figured in many
works on natural history. There is great variety of form, and
the following five sub-families may be adopted, though authorities
are by no means agreed as to thé classification of this extensive
family, which, moreover, be it remarked, is increasing by the dis-
covery of about 500 new species every year.
Abdominal spiracles piaced in a line on the connecting membranes, and en-
tirely covered by the wing-cases (Laparosticti). Sub-fam. 1. Copriprs.!
Abdominal spiracles placed almost in a line, but only the basal three on the
connecting membranes; the terminal one usually not covered by the
wing-cases. Sub-fam. 2. MELOLONTHIDES.
Abdominal spiracles placed in two lines, the basal three on the connecting
membranes, the others on the ventral segments (Pleurosticti).
The claws of the tarsi unequal. Sub-fam. 3. RuTELIDEs.
The claws of the tarsi equal; the front coxae transverse, but little pro-
minent in the descending axis. Sub-fam. 4. DyNasTIpDEs.
The claws of the tarsi equal; the front coxae more prominent, shorter
transversely. Sub-fam. 5. CETONIIDES.
1, The CopribEs form an immense group of about 5000 species ;
they differ somewhat in habits from other Lamellicorns, inasmuch
as most of them live on dung, or decaying animal matter; the
sub-family connects with the Lucanidae, so far as superficial char-
acters go, by means of two of its groups, Trogini and Nicagini,
the latter being very near to the Ceratognathini in Lucanidae.
So little is known as to the morphology and development of
these groups that it is not possible to pronounce an opinion as
to the validity of this apparent alliance. 7Zvox stridulates by
rubbing two raised lines on the penultimate dorsal segment
across two striate ribs on the inner face of the elytra; Geotrupes,
on the other hand, produces an audible sound by rubbing together
a file on the posterior coxa and a fine ridge on the contiguous
ventral segment. The larva in this genus has a different organ
1 In this sub-family there are numerous forms in which the elytra cover the
pygidium, and in which the number of conspicuous ventral segments is reduced to
five or even four. We use the term Coprides as equivalent to the ‘‘ Laparosticti”
of Lacordaire (Gen. Col. iii. 1856) ; it thus includes the ‘‘Conrini” and ‘‘ Glaphy-
rini” of the Catalogus Coleopterorum, vol. iv. Munich, 1869.
196 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
for stridulation from the imago; it is placed on the second and
third pairs of legs, the latter pair being much reduced in size.
The most interesting division of the Coprides is the group
Scarabaeini. No member of this group inhabits the British
islands, but in Southern Europe, and in still warmer lands, these
Insects are well known from the curious habit many of the species
have of rolling about balls of dung and earth. The long hind
legs are chiefly used for this purpose, and it 1s on the peculiar
structure of these limbs that the group has been established.
Many of the stone Scarabaei found in Egyptian tombs represent
some kind of Scarabaeini, and it has been said that the ancient
Egyptians looked on these Insects as sacred because of their
movements. These must certainly appear very strange to those
who see them and are unacquainted with their object. It is
stated that the dwellers in the valley of the Nile thought the
actions of these Insects, when rolling their balls, were typical of
the planetary and lunar revolutions; and that the sudden
appearance of the beetles after a period of complete absence was
emblematic of a future hfe. Many accounts have been given
of the habits of members of this group, but according to Fabre
all are more or less erroneous; and he has described the habits
and life-history of Scarabaeus sacer (Fig. 89), as observed by him
in Southern France. These Insects act the part of scavengers by
breaking up and burying the droppings of cattle and other
animals. The female Scwrabaeus detaches a portion of the dung
and forms it into a ball, sometimes as large as the fist: this it
rolls along by means of its hind legs, by pushing when necessary
with its broad head, or by walking backwards and dragging the
ball with its front legs. The strength and patience displayed by
the creature in the execution of this task are admirable. Fre-
quently the owner of this small spherical property is joined, so
Fabre informs us, by a friend, who is usually of the same sex and
assists her in pushing along the ball till a suitable place is reached.
When this is attained, the owner commences to excavate a chamber
for the reception of the ball; sometimes the false friend takes ad-
vantage of the opportunity thus offered and carries off the ball
for her own use. Should no disappointment of this sort occur, the
Scarabaeus accomplishes the burying of the ball in its subterranean
chamber, and accompanies it for the purpose of devouring it; the
feast is continued without intermission till the food is entirely
v _ LAMELLICORNIA—COPRIDES 197
exhausted, when the Scarabaeus seeks a fresh store of provender
to be treated in a similar manner. According to M. Fabre’s
account these events occur in the spring of the year, and when
the hot weather sets in the Scarabaeus passes through a period of
quiescence, emerging again in the autumn to recommence its
labours, which are now, however, directed immediately to the con-
tinuance of the species; a larger subterranean chamber is formed,
and to this retreat the beetle carries dung till it has accumulated
a mass of the size of a
moderate apple ; this mate-
rial is carefully arranged,
previous to the laying
Ob thes ere in! such, a
manner that the grub to
be hatched from the ege
shall find the softest and
most nutritive portions
close to it, while the
coarser and more innu-
tritious parts are arranged
so as to be reached by the
grub only after it has
acquired some strength ;
lastly, a still more deli-
cate and nutritive paste
is prepared by the mother
beetle for a first meal for
the newly-hatched grub,
by some of the food being
submitted to a partial digestion in her organs; finally, the egg
is deposited in the selected spot, and the chamber closed. Certain
of the Coprides exhibit, according to Fabre, some extremely
exceptional features in their life-histories. The mother, instead
of dying after oviposition, survives, and sees the growth of her
young to the perfect state, and then produces another generation.
No similar case can be pointed out in Insects, except in the Social
kinds; but from these the Coprides observed by Fabre differ pro-
foundly, inasmuch as the number of eggs produced by the mother
is extremely small; Copris hispanus, for instance, producing in
each of its acts of oviposition only one, two, or three eggs.
Fig. 89.—Scarabaeus sacer. Portugal.
198 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
uu. The MELOLONTHIDES are probably almost as numerous as the
Coprides, some 4000 species being already known. The larvae
are believed to feed chiefly on roots. Jelolontha vulgaris, the
common cockchafer, is very abundant in some parts of Europe,
and owing to this and to the great damage it causes, has attracted
much attention. The memoir by Straus-Durckheim! on its
anatomy is one of the classical works of Entomology. This In-
sect 18 SO injurious in some parts of France that money is paid
by the local authorities for its destruction. M. Reiset informs
=
us that under this arrangement 867,175,000 perfect cockchafers,
and 647,000,000 larvae were destroyed in the Seine-inférieure
in the four years from the middle of 1866 to 1870. Unlike
the Coprides, the larval life in Melolonthides is prolonged, and
that of the imago is of brief duration. In Central Europe the
life-cycle of the individual in JZ vulgaris oceupies three years,
though in dry periods it may be extended to four years. In
Scandinavia the time occupied by the development appears to be
usually five years. The fertile female enters the ground and
deposits. its eggs in two or three successive batches of about
fifteen each. The eggs swell as the development of the embryo
progresses ; the larva emerges about five weeks after the eggs
have been deposited, and is of relatively large size. When
young the larvae can straighten themselves out and crawl, but
when older they lose this power, and when above ground rest
helplessly on their sides. In the winter they descend deeply
into the earth to protect themselves from frost. The pupa
state lasts only a few days, but after the final transformation the
perfect. Insect may remain motionless for as much as eight
months underground before commencing its active life in the air.”
In the perfect state the Insect is sometimes injurious from the
large quantity of foliage it destroys. Schiddte* considered that
these larvae (and those of numerous other Scarabaeidae) stridu-
late by rubbing certain projections on the stipes of the maxilla
against the under-surface of the mandible. These surfaces appear,
however, but little adapted for the purpose of producing sound.
il. The RuTELIDES number about 1500 species ; there are many
1 Considérations genérales sur Vanatomie comparée des animaux articulés, etc.,
Paris 1828, 4to. xix. and 435 pp., and Atlas of ten (xx.) plates, and 36 pp.
? Raspail, Mém. soc. zool. France, vi. 1893, pp. 202-213.
3 Ann. soc. ent. France, (v.) iv. 1874, p. 39.
i
V LAMELLICORNIA——-DYNASTIDES—CETONIIDES 199
Insects of brilliant metaflic colours amongst them, but very little
is known as to their life-histories. The larvae are very much
hike those of Melolonthides.
iv. The DYNASTIDES are the smallest division in number of
species, there being scarcely 1000 known; but amongst them
we find in the genera Dynastes and Megasoma some of the
largest of existing Insects. The horns and projections on the
heads and prothoraces of some of the males of these Insects are
truly extraordinary, and it does not appear possible to explain
their existence by any use they are to their possessors. These
structures are but little used for fighting. Baron von Hiigel
informs the writer that in Java he has observed large numbers
of Xylotrupes gideon; he noticed that the males sometimes carry
the females by the aid of their horns ; but this must be an excep-
tional case, for the shape of these instruments, in the majority of
Dynastides, would not allow of their being put to this use. The
development of these horns varies greatly in most of the species,
but he did not find that the females exhibited any preference for
the highly armed males. The fact that the males are very much
larger than the females, and that the armature is usually confined
to them, suggests, however, that some sexual reason exists for these
remarkable projections. Many Dynastides possess organs of stridu-
lation, consisting of lines of sculpture placed so as to form one or
two bands on the middle of the propygidium, and brought into
play by being rubbed by the extremities of the wing-cases. This
apparatus is of a less perfect nature than the structures for the
same purpose found in numerous other beetles. We have no
member of this sub-family in Britain, and there are scarcely a
dozen in all Europe. Decaying vegetable matter is believed to
be the nutriment of Dynastides. The European Oryctes nasicornis
is sometimes found in numbers in spent tan. The growth and
development of the individual is believed to be but slow.
y. The CETONIIDES are renowned for the beauty of their colours
and the elegance of their forms; hence they are a iavourite
group, and about 1600 species have been catalogued. They are
specially fond of warm regions, but it is a peculiarity of the
sub-family that a large majority of the species are found in the
Old World; South America is inexplicably poor in these Insects,
notwithstanding its extensive forests. In this sub-family the
mode of flight is peculiar; the elytra do not extend down the
200 COLEOPTERA — CHAP.
sides of the body, so that, if they are elevated a little, the wings
can be protruded. This is the mode of flight adopted by most
Cetoniides, but the members of the group Trichiini fly in the
usual manner. In Britain we have only four kinds of Cetoniides ;
they are called Rose-chafers. The larvae of C. floricola and some
other species live in ants’ nests made of vegetable refuse, and it
is said that they eat the ants’ progeny. Two North American
species of Huphoria have similar habits. The group Cremasto-
chilini includes numerous peculiar Insects that apparently have
still closer relations with ants. Most of them are very aberrant
as well as rare forms, and it has been several times observed in
North America that species of Cremastochilus not only live in
the nests of the ants, but are forcibly detained therein by the
owners, who clearly derive some kind of satisfaction from the
companionship of the beetles. The species of the genus Zomap-
tera stridulate in a pecuhar manner, by rubbing the edges of the
hind femora over a striate area on the ventral seements.
Series II. Adephaga or Caraboidea.
All the tarsi five-jointed ; antennae filiform, or nearly so; mouth-
parts highly developed, the outer lobe of the maxilla nearly
always divided into a two-jointed palpus ; supports of the
labial palpi developed as joints of the palpi, and in some
cases approximate at their bases. Abdomen with the exposed
segments one more in number at the sides than along the
middle, the number being usually five along the middle, six
at cach side.
THIS extensive series includes the tiger-beetles, ground-beetles,
and true water-beetles; it consists of six families, and forms
a natural assemblage. It is sometimes called Carnivora or
Filicormia. The exceptions to the characters we have mentioned
are but few. The supports of the labial palpi are frequently
covered by the mentum, and then the palpi appear three-jointed ;
but when the joint-like palpiger is not covered these palps appear
four-jointed. As a rule, approximation of these supports is indica-
tive of high development. In some of the lower forms the trophi
remain at a lower stage of development than is usual. This is
especially the case with the genus Amphizoa, which forms of
‘
Vv ADEPHAGA—TIGER-BEETLES 201
itself the family Amphizoidae. The Bombardier-beetles make an
exception as regards the abdominal structure, for in some of them
no less than eight segments are visible, either along the middle
line or at the sides of the venter. In Hydroporides (one of the
divisions of Dytiscidae) the front and middle feet have each only
four joints. Many naturalists unite the Gyrinidae with the
Adephaga, and a few also associate with them the Paussidae and
Rhyssodidae; but we think it better at present to exclude all
these, though we believe that both Paussidae and Rhyssodidae
will ultimately be assigned to the series. The larvae are usually
very active, and have a higher development of the legs than is
usual in this Order. Their tarsi possess two claws.
Fam. 4. Cicindelidae (7 iger-beetles).—Clypeus extending
laterally in front of the insertion of the antennae. Lower lip with
the palpi usually greatly developed, but with the ligula and para-
glossae very much reduced, often scarcely to be detected. Maxillae
with the outer lobe forming a two-jointed palp,’ the inner lobe
elongate, furnished at the tip with a hook-like process, which is
usually articulated by a joint with the lobe itself. The tiger-beetles
are very active Insects, running with extreme speed, and some-
times flying in a similar manner; they are all predaceous, and
amongst the most voracious and fierce of the carnivorous beetles,
so that they well deserve their name. Bates, speaking of the
Amazonian MJegacephala, says “ their powers of running exceed
anything I have ever observed in this style of Insect locomotion ;
they run in a serpentine course over the smooth sand, and when
closely pursued by the hand they are apt to turn suddenly back
and thus bafile the most practised hand and eye.” He further
says that the species he observed (being of diverse colours)
agreed in colour with the general colours of the “locale they
inhabit.” The larvae of Cicindelidae live in deep burrows, sink-
ing more or less vertically into the ground, and in these they
take up a peculiar position, for which their shape is specially
adapted; the head and prothorax are broad, the rest of the body
slender, the fifth segment of the abdomen is furnished on the
back with a pair of strong hooks; the ocelli on the sides of the
head are very perfect. Supporting itself at the top of the burrow
by means of these hooks and of its terminal tube, the larva blocks
the mouth of the burrow with its large head and prothorax, and
* In Theratides this outer lobe is in a rudimentary state, like a seta.
202 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
in this position waits for its prey. This consists of Insects that
may alight on the spot or run over it.. When an Insect ventures
within reach, the head of the larva is thrown back with a rapid
jerk, the prey is seized by the long sharp mandibles, dragged to
the bottom of the burrow and devoured. The burrows are often
more than a foot deep, and are said to be excavated by the larva
itself, which carries up the earth on the shovel-like upper surface
of its head. The female tiger-beetle is endowed with powerful
and elongate excavating instruments at the termination of the
body, and it is probable that when placing the egg in the earth
she facilitates the future opera-
tions of the larva by forming
the outlines of the burrow. Ex-
tremely few larvae of Cicin-
delidae are known, but they all
exhibit the type of structure
mentioned above, and apparently
have similar habits. Our little
British Cicindela, most of which
are so active on the wing, agree
in these respects with the African
species of Manticora, which are
entirely apterous, and are the
Fie. 80. 5 Crema nu erides BNE largest of the Cicindelidae. Pér-
A, larva (after Schisdte) ; B, imago, Inguey found a breeding-ground
eee of IZ. tuberculata near Kimberley ;
the larvae were living in the usual Cicindelid manner; but the
ground was so hard that he was not able to investigate the
burrows, and there were but few Insects that could serve as food
in the neighbourhood.
The Cicindelidae, although one of the smaller families of Cole-
optera, now number about 1400 species; of these about one-half
belong to the great genus Cicindela, to which our four British
representatives of the Cicindelidae are all assigned. There is no
general work of much consequence on this important family, and
its classification is not thoroughly established.'
Tiger-beetles display considerable variety of structure, especially
as regards the mouth, which exhibits very remarkable develop-
1 The first portion of a classification of Cicindelidae by Dr. Walther Horn,
Revision der Cicindeliden, Berlin, 1898, has appeared since this was written.
Vv CICINDELIDAE——-TIGER-BEETLES 20
ments of the palpi and labrum (Fig. 91). The tiger-beetles,
like most other Insects that capture living prey, do not consume
their victims entire, but subsist chiefly on the juices they
squeeze out of them; the hard and innutritious parts are rejected
after the victim has been thoroughly lacerated and squeezed; the
mouth forms both trap and
press; the palpi spread out
in order to facilitate the
rapid engulfing of a victim,
then close up under it and
help to support it in the
mouth ; while the labrum
above closes the cavity in
the other direction. The
mouth itself is a large cavity
communicating very freely
with the exterior, but so
completely shut off from the
following parts of the ali-
. - Fic. 91.—Mouth- parts of tiger-beetles. A,
mentary canal that it is Profile of Pogonostoma sp. (Madagascar): a,
difficult to find the orifice of antenna ; 6, labial palp; c, maxillary palp ;
Sra wie : d, palpiform lobe of maxilla ; e, mandible ; /,
communication ; the labium
labrum. B, Section of head of Mamnticora
being much modified to maxillosa (South Africa): ¢, front of upper
: ‘ part of head-capsule ; 6, gula; c, tentorium ;
form the posterior wall. d, eye ; e, labrum ; f, left mandible ; y, max-
For the capture of the prey, a & HEE UIE? palps 4, labial palp; 4,
a : hee support of this palp ; 7, labium.
always living but of various
kinds, a mechanism with great holding power and capable of
rapid action is required. The mouth of the terrestrial Manticore
(Fig. 91, B), exhibits great strength; some of the chitinous parts
are extremely thick, the mandibles are enormous, the palpi, how-
ever, are comparatively low in development. In the arboreal
genus Pogonostoma the palpary structures (Fig. 91, A) attain a
development scarcely equalled elsewhere in the Insect world. The
great majority of the Cicindelidae are inhabitants of the warmer,
or of the tropical regions of the world, and very little is known as
to their life-histories ; they show great diversity in their modes
of hunting their prey. Some are wingless; others are active on
the wing; and of both of these divisions there are forms that are
found only on trees or bushes. Some, it is believed, frequent
only the mounds of Termites. The characteristic feature common
204 COLEOPTERA CHAP. ©
to all is great activity and excessive wariness. The genus
Pogonostoma, to which we have already alluded, is confined to
Madagascar, where the species are numerous, but are rare in
collections on account of the difficulty of securing them. Raffray
informs us that certain species frequent the trunks of trees, up
which they run in a spiral manner on the least alarm. The only
way he could obtain specimens was by the aid of an assistant ;
the two approached a tree “very quietly from opposite sides, and
when near it, made a rush, and joined hands as high up the
trunk as they could, so as to embrace the tree, when the Pogonos-
toma fell to the ground and was captured.
Fam. 5. Carabidae (Grownd-beetles)—Clypeus not extending
laterally in front of the antennae. Maxillae with the outer lobe
destitute of an articulated hook at the tip. Antennae covered
(except the basal joints) with a minute pubescence. Hind legs not
very different from the middle pair, formed for running, as usual
in beetles. This is one of the largest and most important of the
families of Coleoptera, in-
cluding as it does 12,000
or 13,000 described
species. In this country
Carabidae are nearly
entirely terrestrial in
habits, and are scarcely
ever seen on the wing;
many of the species indeed
have merely rudimentary
wings; in the tropics
there are, however, many
arboreal forms that take
wing with more or less
alertness. The larvae (Fig.
92, A) are usually elon-
Fic. 92.—Leistus spinibarbis. A, Larva (after é >
Schiodte) ; B, imago. Britain. gate in form and run
freely ; they may be known
by their tarsi ending in two claws, by the exserted, sharp, calliper-
like mandibles, by the body ending in two processes (sometimes
jointed) and a tube of varying length projecting backwards.
The pupae usually have the hind pair of legs so arranged that
the tips of the tarsi project behind, beyond the extremity of the
aN ADEPHAGA—-CARABIDAE ZO
body. The Carabidae are carnivorous and predaceous both as
larvae and perfect Insects ; they attack living Insects, worms, or
other small, soft creatures, but do not disdain dead specimens.
Some species of Carabus, found in North Africa where snails
abound, are specially formed for attacking these molluscs, having
the head long and slender so that it can be thrust into the shell
of the snail. A few species have been detected eating growing corn,
and even the young seeds of some Umbelliferae ; these belong chiefly
to the genera Harpalus, Zabrus, and Amara. Some species of the
abundant genera Pferostichus and Harpalus, are said to be fond of
ripe strawberries. The most anomalous forms of Carabidae are the
Pseudomorphides, a sub-family almost pecular to Australia, the
members of which live under bark, and have but little resemblance
to other Carabids owing to their compact forms and continuous
outlines. The genus J/ormolyce is one of the wonders of the Insect
world on account of the extraordinary shape of its members: the
sides of the elytra form large crinkled expansions, and the head
is unusually elongate. These Insects live on the underside of
fallen trees in the Malay Archipelago and Peninsula; no reason
whatever can be at present assigned for their remarkable shape.
There are a considerable number of blind members of this
family: some of them live in caverns; these belong chiefly to
the genus Anophthalmus, species of which have been detected in
the caves of the Pyrenees, of Austria, and of North America.
It has been shown that the optic nerves and lobes, as well as the
external organs of vision, are entirely wanting in some of these
cave Carabidae; the tactile setae have, however, a larger develop-
ment than usual, and the Insects are as skilful in running as if
they possessed eyes. Anophthalmus is closely related to our
British genus 7vechus, the species of which are very much given
to living in deep crevices in the earth, or under large stones, and
have some of them very small eyes. In addition to these
eavernicolous Anophthalmus, other blind Carabidae have been
discovered during recent years in various parts of the world,
where they live under great stones deeply embedded in the
earth; these blind lapidicolous Carabidae are of extremely
minute size and of most sluggish habits; the situations in
which they are found suggest that many successive generations
are probably passed under the same stone. Not a single
specimen has ever been found above ground. The minute
206 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
Carabids of the genus dépus, that pass a large part of their
lives under stones below high-water mark (emerging only when
the tide uncovers them), on the borders of the English Channel
and elsewhere, are very closely allied to these blind Insects, and
have themselves only very small eyes, which, moreover, according
to Hammond and Miall, are covered in larger part by a peculiar
shield! A few Carabidae, of the genera Glyptus and Orthogonius,
are believed to live in the nests of Termites. Savage found the
larva of G. sculptilis in the nests of Termes bellicosus; it has
been described by Horn, and is said to bear so great a resem-
blance to young queens of the Termites as to have been mistaken
for them.” Mr. Haviland found Rhopalomelus angusticollis in
Termites’ nests in South Africa. Péringuey states that it emits
a very strong and disagreeable odour. It is probable that it
preys on the Termites, and this also is believed to be the habit
of the Ceylonese Helluodes taprobanae. Some species of the
Mediterranean genus Siagona stridulate by means of a file on
the under surface of the prothorax, rubbed by a striate area,
adapted in form, on the anterior femora.
A valuable memoir on the classification of this important
family is due to the late Dr. G. H. Horn ;? he arranges Carabidae
in three sub-famihes; we think it necessary to add a fourth for
Mormolyce :
1. Middle coxal cavities enclosed externally by the junction of the meso- and
meta-sternum ; neither epimeron nor episternum attaining the
cavity.
Head beneath, with a deep groove on each side near the eye for
the reception of the antennae or a part thereof.
Sub-fam. 3. PSEUDOMORPHIDES.
Head without antennal grooves. Sub-fam. 2. HARPALIDES.
2. Middle coxal cavities attained on the outside by the tips of the episterna
and epimera. Sub-fam. 4. MorMOLYCIDES.
3. Middle coxal cavities attained on the outside by the tips of the epimera,
but not by those of the episterna. Sub-fam. 1. CARABIDES.
These four sub-families are of extremely different extent and
nature. The Harpalides are the dominant forms, and include
upwards of 10,000 known species; while the various tribes
into which the sub-family is divided include, as a rule, each many
1 Natural History of aquatic Insects, 1895, p. 376.
2 Tr. Amer. ent. Soc. xv. 1888, p. 18.
3 Op. ctt. v. 1881, p. 91; cf. Sharp, Zr. ent. Soc. London, 1882, p. 61.
Vv ADEPHAGA—AMPHIZOIDAE——-PELOBIIDAE 207
genera; the Carabides are next in importance, with upwards of
2000 species, but are divided into a comparatively large number of
tribes, each of which averages a much smaller number of genera
than do the tribes of Harpalides ; Pseudomorphides includes only
about 100 species ; and Mormolycides consists of the single genus
Mormolyce with three species.
Fam. 6. Amphizoidae.— Antennae destitute of pubescence :
outer lobe of maxilla not jointed; metasternum with a short
transverse impressed line on the middle behind. Hind legs slender,
not formed for swimming. This family is lmited to the genus
Amphizoa ; the species of
which may be briefly de-
scribed as lowly organised
Carabidae that lead an
aquatic life. The geo-
graphical distribution is
highly remarkable, there
being but three species, two
of which live in Western
North America, the third
in Eastern Tibet. The
habits of American Am-
phizoa are known ; they pass
a life of little activity in
very cold, rapid streams; ae
they dot snot swim, wae FIG. perrar Ue ee pee ene America.
; ; B, imago.
cling to stones and timber.
The larva was recently discovered in Utah by Messrs. Hubbard
and Schwarz:' it has the same habits as the perfect Insect,
and in general form resembles the larvae of the genus Carabus ;
but at has no terminal tube to the body, the abdomen consisting
of eight segments and a pair of short terminal appendages; the
spiracles are obsolete, with the exception of a pair placed near to
one another at the termination of the eighth abdominal segment.
As regards the mouth this larva is Carabid, as regards the
abdomen and stigmata Dytiscid of a primitive type.
Fam. 7. Pelobiidae.— Antennae destitute of pubescence: outer
lobe of maxilla jointed, metasternum with a short transverse
impressed line on the middle behind. Hind legs rather slender,
1 P. ent. Soc. Washington, ii. 1892, p. 341.
208 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
Formed for swimming, the tarsi longer than the tibiae. This family
is limited to the one genus Pelobius (Hygrobia of some authors).
Like Amphizoa, to which it is in several respects analogous, it
has a singular geographical distribution; there are only four
known species, one lives in Britain and the Mediterranean region,
one in Chinese Tibet, two in Australia. Pelobius may be brietly
described as a Carabid adapted to a considerable extent for
living in and swimming about in water; differing thus from
Fic. 94.—Pelobius turdus. Britain. A, Young larva; B, adult larva; C, imago.
(A and B after Schiddte. )
Amphizoa, which has no special adaptation for swimming. The
larva of Pelobius is remarkable; it breathes by means of branchial
filaments on the under surface of the body, the spiracles being
present, though those of the abdomen are very minute and the
others small. The head is very large, the mandibles are not
tube-like, the food being taken after the manner of the Carabidae ;
the 8th abdominal segment ends in three long processes; the
small 9th segment is retracted beneath them. The adult Pelobius
tardus is remarkable for its loud stridulation. The sound is pro-
duced by an apparatus described correctly by Charles Darwin ;*
1 Descent of Man, i. 1890, p. 338; The views of Landois and Recker, Arch. f.
Naturgesch. lyii. 1, 1891, p. 101, are erroneous.
Vv ADEPHAGA—HALIPLIDAE 209
there is a file on the inside of the wing-cases, and the Insect
turns up the tip of the abdomen and scrapes the file therewith.
The Insects are called squeakers in the Covent Garden market,
where they are sold.
Fam. 8. Haliplidae.— Antennae bare, ten-jointed ; meta-
sternum marked by a transverse line; posterior coxae prolonged
as plates, covering a large
part of the lower surface
of the abdomen; the
slender, but clubbed, hind
femora move between these
plates and the abdomen.
The MHaliplidae are
aquatic, and are all small,
not exceeding four or five
millimetres in length.
The ventral plates are
peculiar to the Insects of
this family, but their func-
tion 1s not known. The
larvae are remarkable on
account of the fleshy pro-
cesses disposed on their
bodies; but they exhibit
considerable variety in
this respect; their man-
dibles are grooved so that
they suck their prey. In
the larva of Haliplus,
according to Schiodte,
there are eight pairs of
abdominal spiracles, but
in Cnemidotus (Fig. 95,
B), there are no spiracles,
and air is obtained by
means of a trachea traversing each of the long filaments. The
Insects of these two genera are so similar in the imaginal instar
that it is well worthy of note that their larvae should be distin-
guished by such important characters. Haliplidae is a small
family consisting of three genera, having about 100 species;
VOL. VI P
/
Fia. 95.—Cnemidotus caesus. England. A, Imago ;
B, larva, highly magnified, (After Schiddte.)
2m© COLEOPTERA CHAP.
it is very widely distributed. We have 13 species in Britain,
all the genera being represented.
Fam. 9. Dytiscidae (Water-beetles)—Antennae bare; hind
legs formed for swimming, not capable of ordinary walking : meta-
sternum without a transverse line across it ; behind closely united
with the extremely large covae. Outer lobe of maxilla forming a
two-jointed palpus. The Dytiscidae, or true water-beetles, are of
interest because—unlike the aquatic Neuroptera—they exist in
water in both the
larval and imaginal
instars ; nevertheless
there is reason for sup-
posing that they are
modified terrestrial
Insects : these reasons
are (1) that in their
general organisation
they are similar to
the Carabidae, and
they drown more
quickly than the
majority of land
beetles do ; (2) though
the larvae are very
different from the
larvae of terrestrial
beetles, yet the ima-
Fia. 96.—Cybister roeseli (=laterimarginalis De G.) vinalbimetausiar }
Europe. A, Larva (after Schiddte) ; B, ¢ imago. ginal instars are Much
less profoundly
changed, and are capable of existing perfectly well on land, and
of taking prolonged flights through the air; (3) the pupa is, so
far as known, always terrestrial. The larvae and imagos are
perfectly at home in the water, except that they must come to
the surface to get air. Some of them are capable, however, when
quiescent, of living for hours together beneath the water, but
there appears to be great diversity in this respect.! The hind
pair of legs is the chief means of locomotion. These swimming-
legs (Fig. 97) are deserving of admiration on account of their
mechanical perfection; this, however, is exhibited in various
1 See J. Linn. Sov. Zool. xiii. 1876, p. 161.
V ADEPHAGA—WATER-BEETLES Cileu
degrees, the legs in the genera Dytiscus and Hydroporus being
but slender, while those of Cybister are so broad and powerful, that
a single stroke propels the Insect for a considerable distance.
The wing-cases fit perfectly to the body, except at the tip, so
as to form an air-tight space between themselves and the back of
the Insect; this space is utilised as a reservoir for air. When
the Dytiscus feels the necessity for air it rises to the surface and
exposes the tip of the body exactly at the level of the water,
separating at the same time the abdomen from the wing-cases
so as to open a broad chink at the spot where the parts were,
during the Insect’s submersion, so well held together as to be air-
and water-tight. The ter-
minal two pairs of spiracles
are much enlarged, and by
curving the abdomen the
beetle brings them into con-
tact with the atmosphere;
respiration is effected by this
means as well as by the store
of air carried about under the |
wing-eases, ‘The air thot Ps, $7: oslomlogies of Cte
enters the space between the B, the movable parts in the striking posi-
ese tt axa) im) Oust Momeni 6 fms
there when the Insect closes
the chink and again dives beneath the water. The enlargement
of the terminal stigmata in Dytisews is exceptional, and in forms
more highly cooehnred in other respects, such as Cybister, these
spiracles remain minute; the presumption being that in this
case respiration is carried on almost entirely by means of the
supply the Insect carries in the space between the elytra and the
base of the abdomen.’ The structure of the front foot of the male
Dytiscus, and of many other water-beetles, is highly remarkable,
the foot being dilated te form a palette or saucer, covered beneath
by sucker-like structures of great delicacy and beauty ; by the aid
of these the male is enabled to retain a position on the female for
many hours, or even days, together. Lowne has shown that the
1 For many particulars as to respiration of Dytiscus, and peculiarities of the
larva see Miall, Aquatic Insects, 1895, pp. 39, etc. (In the figure given on p. 60
the large stigma on the terminal segment of the abdomen is omitted, though it is
referred to in the text.)
2ilee COLEOPTERA CHAP.
suckers communicate with a sac in the interior of the foot contain-
ing fluid, which exudes under pressure. As the portions of the
skeleton of the female on which these suckers are brought to
bear is frequently covered with pores, or minute pits, it is prob-
able that some correlation between the two organisms is brought
about by these structures. The females in many groups of
Dytiscidae bear on the upper surface of the body a peculiar
sculpture of various kinds, the exact use of which is unknown ;
in many species there are two forms of the female, one possessing
this peculiar sculpture, the other nearly, or quite, without it.
The larvae of Dytiscidae differ from those of Carabidae chiefly
by the structure of the mouth and of the abdomen. They are
excessively rapacious, and are indeed almost constantly engaged
in sucking the juices of soft and small aquatic animals, by no
means excluding their own kind. The mode of suction is not
thoroughly known, but so far as the details have been ascertained
they are correctly described, in the work on aquatic Insects, by
Professor Miall, we have previously referred to; the mandibles
are hollow, with a hole near the tip and another at the base, and
being sharp at the tips are thrust into the body of a victim, and
then by their closure the other parts of the mouth, which are
very beautifully constructed for the purpose, are brought into
fitting mechanical positions for completing the work of emptying
the victim. Nagel states that the larva of Dytiscus injects a
digestive fluid into the body of its victim, and that this fluid
rapidly dissolves all the more solid parts of the prey, so that the
rapacious larva can easily absorb all its victim except the
insoluble outer skin. The abdomen consists of only eight
segments, and a pair of terminal processes; the stigmata are all
more or less completely obsolete—according to species—with the
exception of the pair on the eighth segment at the tip of the
body ; the terminal segments are frequently fringed with hairs,
that serve not only as means of locomotion, but also to float the
pair of active stigmata at the surface when the creature rises to
get air. Although the larvae of Dytiscidae are but little known,
yet considerable diversity has already been found. Those of
Hyphydrus and some species of Hydroporus have the front of the
head produced into a horn, which is touched by the tips of the
mandibles,
Dytiscidae are peculiar inasmuch as they appear to flourish
|
|
v POLYMORPHA—-CLAVICORNS, SERRICORNS, ETC. 213
best in the cooler waters of the earth. Lapland is one of the
parts of Europe richest in Dytiscidae, and the profusion of species
in the tropics compared with those of Europe is not nearly so
great as it is in the case of most of the other families of
Coleoptera. About 1800 species are at present known, and we
have rather more than 100 species in Britain.!
Series III. Polymorpha.
Antennae frequently either thicker at the tip (clavicorn) or serrate
along their inner edye (serricorn) ; but these characters, as
well as the number of joints in the feet and other points, are
very variable.
Upwards of fifty families are placed in this series; many of
these families are of very small extent, consisting of only a few
species; other families of the series are much larger, so
that altogether about 40,000 species—speaking broadly, about
one-fourth of the Coleoptera—are included in the series. We
have already (p. 189) alluded to the fact that it is formed by
certain conventional series, Clavicornia, Serricornia, etc. united,
because it has hitherto proved impossible to define them.
Fam. 10. Paussidae.— Antennae of extraordinary form, usually
two-jointed, sometimes six- or ten-jointed. Elytra elongate, but trun-
cate. behind, leaving the pygidium exposed. Tarsi five-jointed. The
Paussidae have always been recognised as amongst the most
remarkable of beetles, although they are of small size, the largest
attaining scarcely half an inch in length. They are found only
in two ways; either in ants’ nests, or on the wing at night.
They apparently live exclusively in ants’ nests, but migrate
much. Paussidae usually live in the nests of terrestrial ants, but
they have been found in nests of Cremastogaster .in the spines of
Acacia fistulosa. They have the power of discharging, in an
explosive manner, a volatile caustic fluid from the anus, which is
said by Loman to contain free iodine. Their relations to the
ants are at present unexplained, though much attention has been
given to the subject. When observed in the nests they frequently
appear as if asleep, and the ants do not take much notice of
them. On other occasions the ants endeavour to drag them into
the interior of the nest, as if desirous of retaining their company :
1 For classification and structure see Sharp, ‘‘On Dytiscidae,” Sez. Trans. R.
Dublin Soc. (2) ii. 1882.
214 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
the Paussus then makes no resistance to its hosts; if, however, it
be touched, even very slightly, by an observer, it immediately
bombards: the ants, as may be imagined, do not approve of this,
and run away. Nothing has ever been observed that would lead
to the belief that the ants derive any benefit from the presence
of the Paussi, except that these guests bear on some part of the
body—frequently the great impressions on the pronotum—patches
of the peculiar kind of pubescence that exists in many other kinds
of ants’-nest beetles, and is known in some of them to secrete a
substance the ants are fond of, and that the ants have been seen
to lick the beetles. On the other hand, the -
Paussi have been observed to eat the eggs
and larvae of the ants. The larva of Paussus
is not known,’ and Raffray doubts whether
it lives in the ants’ nests. There are about
200 species of Paussidae known, Africa, Asia
and Australia being their chief countries ;
one species, P. faviert, is not uncommon
in the Iberian peninsula and South France,
and a’single species was formerly found in
Brazil. The position the family should
Fic. 98.— Paussus cepha- occupy has been much discussed; the only
ie tafe) 4% forms to which they make any real ap-
(After Raffray.) y y i
proximation are Carabidae, of the group
Ozaenides, a group of ground beetles that also crepitate. Bur-
meister and others have therefore placed the Paussidae in the
series Adephaga, but we follow Raffray’s view (he being the most
recent authority on the family)? who concludes that this is
an anomalous group not intimately connected with any other
family of Coleoptera, though having more affinity to Carabidae
than to anything else. The recently discovered genus Proto-
poussus has eleven joints to the antennae, and is said to come nearer
to Carabidae than the previously known forms did, and we may an-
ticipate that a more extensive knowledge will show that the family
may find a natural place in the Adephaga. The description of
the abdomen given by Raffray is erroneous; in a specimen of the
genus Arthropterus the writer has dissected, he finds that there
' Descriptions of larvae that may possibly be those of Paussids have been pub-
lished by Xambeu, Ann. Soe. Linn. Lyon, xxxix. 1892, p. 137, and Erichson, Arch.
Naturgesch. xiii. 1847, p. 275.
2 Arch. Mus. Paris (2), viii. and ix. 1887.
Vv POLYMORPHA—WHIRLIGIG-BEETLES 215
are five ventral segments visible along the middle, six at the
sides, as in the families of Adephaga generally. There is said
to be a great difference in the nervous systems of Carabidae and
Paussidae, but so little is known on this point that we cannot
judge whether it is really of importance.
Fam. 11. Gyrinidae (Whirligig beetles).— Antennae very
short; four eyes; middle and hind legs forming short broad
paddles ; abdomen with six segments visible along the middle, seven
along each side. ‘These Insects are known to.all from their habit
of floating lightly on the surface of water, and performing graceful
complex curves round
one another without
colliding ; sometimes
they may be met with
in great congregations.
They are admirably con-
structed for this mode
of life, which is com-
paratively rare in the
Insect world; the
Hydrometridae amongst
the bugs, and a small
number of different
kinds of Diptera, being
the only other Insects
that are devoted to a
life on the surface of the
Fic. 99.—A, Larva of Gyrinus (after Schiddte) ; B,
waters. Of all these, under side of Gyrinus sp. (after Ganglbauer). 1,
ee Some aay ai Prosternum ; 2, anterior coxal cavity ; 3. meso-
Gyrinidae are in their thoracic episternum ; 4, mesoepimeron ; 5, meso-
construction the most sternum ; 6, metathoracic episternum ; 7, middle
af Pee fay: ] coxal cavity ; 8, metasternum ; 9, hind coxa; 10,
adapte or such a ventral segments. [N.B.—The first ventral segment
career. They are able really consists, at each side, of two segments united ;
: : this may be distinctly seen in many Gyrinidae. ]
to dive to escape danger,
and they then carry with them a small supply of air, but do not
stay long beneath the surface. Their two hind pairs of legs are
beautifully constructed as paddles, expanding mechanically when
w i pele 8 )
moved in the backward direction, and collapsing into an extremely
small space directly the resistance they meet with is in the other
direction. The front legs of these Insects are articulated to the
thorax in a peculiar direction so that their soles do not look
DOr, COLEOPTERA CHAP.
downwards but towards one another; hence the sensitive ad-
‘hesive surface used during coupling is placed on the side of the
foot, forming thus a false sole: a remarkable modification other-
wise unknown in Insects. They breathe chiefly by means of the
very large metathoracic spiracles.
The larvae (Fig. 99, A) are purely aquatic, and are highly
modified for this lfe, being elongate creatures, with sharp,
mandibles and nine abdominal segments, each segment bearing
on each side a tracheal branchia; these gills assist to some extent
in locomotion. The stigmata are quite obsolete, but the terminal
segment bears four processes, one pair of which may be looked on
as cerci, the other as a pair of gills corresponding with the pair
on each of the preceding segments. The mandibles are not
suctorial, but, according to Meinert, possess an orifice for the
discharge of the secretion of a mandibular gland. Gyrinidae
are chiefly carnivorous in both the larval and imaginal instars.
Fully 300 species are known; they are generally distributed,
- though wanting in most of the islands of the world except those
of large size. The finest forms are the Brazilian Hnhydrus and
the Porrorhynchus of tropical Asia.’ In Britain we have nine
species, eight of Gyrinus, one of Orectochilus ; the latter form is
rarely seen, as it hides during the day, and performs its rapid
gyrations at night. |
The Gyrinidae are one of the most distinct of all the families
of Coleoptera: by some they are associated in the Adephagous
series; but they have little or no affinity with the other mem-
bers thereof. Without them the Adephaga form a natural series
of evidently allied families, and we consider it a mistake to force
the Gyrinidae therein because an objection is felt by many tax-
onomists to the maintenance of isolated families. Surely if
there are in nature some families allied and others isolated, it 1s
better for us to recognise the fact, though it makes our classifi-
cations look less neat and precise, and increases the difficulty of
constructing “ tables.”
Fam. 12. Hydrophilidae.—7arsi jfive-jointed, the first joint
in many cases so small as to be scarcely evident: antennae
short, of less than eleven joints, not filiform, but consisting of
1 For classification and monograph of the family, see Régimbart, Ann. Soc. ent.
France, 1882, 1883, and 1886. For a catalogue, Séverin, Ann. Soc. ent. Belgique,
XXXxili. 1889.
v POLYMORPHA——HYDROPHILIDAE PAM AE
three parts, a basal part of one or two elongate joints, an inter-
mediate part of two or more small joints, and an apical part of
larger (or at any rate broader) joints, which are pubescent, the others’
being bare. Outer lobe of maxillae usually complex, but not at
all palpiform, maxillary palpi often very long; the parts of the
labium much concealed behind the mentum, the labial palpi very
widely separated. Hind coxae extending the width of the
body, short, the lamina interior small in comparison with the
lamina exterior. Abdomen of five visible segments. The Hydro-
philidae are an extensive family of beetles, unattractive in colours
and appearance, and much neglected by collectors. A large part
of the family live in water, though most of them have only
feeble powers of aquatic locomotion, and the beetles appear
chiefly to devote their attention to economising the stock of air
each individual carries about. The best known forms of the
family are the species of Hydrophilus. They are, however, very
exceptional in many respects, and are far more active and pre-
daceous than most of the other forms. Much has been written
about Hydrophilus piceus, one of the largest of British beetles.
This Insect breathes in a most peculiar manner: the spiracles
are placed near bands of delicate pubescence, forming tracts that
extend the whole length of the body, and in this particular
species cover most of the under surface of the body; these
velvety tracts retain a coating of air even when the Insect is
submerged and moves quickly through the water. It would
appear rather difficult to invent a mechanism to supply these
tracts with fresh air without the Insect leaving the water; but
nevertheless such a mechanism is provided by the antennae of
the beetle, the terminal joints of which form a pubescent scoop,
made by some longer hairs into a funnel sufficiently large to
convey a bubble of air. The Insect therefore rises to the sur-
face, and by means of the antennae, which it exposes to the air,
obtains a supply with which it surrounds a large part of its
body ; for, according to Miall, it carries a supply on its back,
under the elytra, as well as on its ventral surface. From the
writer's own observations, made many years ago, he inclines to
the opinion that the way in which the Hydrophilus uses the
antennae to obtain air varies somewhat according to circumstances.
Many of the members of the sub-family Hydrophilides con-
struct egg-cocoons. In the case of Hydrophilus piceus, the boat-
218 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
like structure is provided with a lttle mast, which is supposed by
some to be for the purpose of securing air for the eggs. Helo-
chares and Spercheus (Fig. 100) carry the cocoon of eggs attached
: to their own bodies. Philydrus constructs,
one after the other, a number of these
egg-bags, each containing about fifteen
eggs, and fixes each bag to the leaf of
some aquatic plant; the larvae as a rule
hatch speedily, so that the advantage of
the bag is somewhat problematic.
The larvae of the aquatic division of
the family have been to a certain extent
studied by Schiodte and others; those of
the Sphaeridiides—the terrestrial group
of the family—are but little known. All
the larvae seem to be predaceous and
carnivorous, even when the imago is of
vegetable-feeding habits; and Dumeril
Fic. 100. — Sercheus emar- states that in Hydrous caraboides the
ginatus ¢. Britain. A, J
Upper surface of beetle; alimentary canal undergoes a_ great
Be er ae Eee change at the period of metamorphosis,
ruptured and some of the becoming very elongate in the adult,
eg though in the larva it was short. The
legs are never so well developed as they are in the Adephaga,
the tarsi being merely claw-lke or altogether wanting; the
mandibles are never suctorial. The respiratory arrangements
show much diversity. In most of the Hydrophilides the process
is carried on by a pair of terminal spiracles on the eighth
abdominal segment, as in Dytiscidae, and these are either
exposed or placed in a respiratory chamber. In Serosus the
terminal stigmata are obsolete, and the sides of the body bear
long branchial filaments. Cussace says that in Spercheus (Fig.
101) there are seven pairs of abdominal spiracles, and that the
larva breathes by presenting these to the air;+ but Schiddte
states that in this form there are neither thoracic nor abdominal
spiracles, except a pair placed in a respiratory chamber on the
eighth segment of the abdomen, after the manner described by
Miall as existing in Hydrobius. No doubt Cussae was wrong in
supposing the peculiar lateral abdominal processes to be stig-
1 Ann. Soc. ent. France, xxi. 1852, p. 619.
V POLYMORPHA—HYDROPHILIDAE——-PLATYPSYLLIDAE 219
matiferous. In Serosus there are patches of aériferous, minute
pubescence on the body. The pupae of Hydrophilides repose on
the dorsal surface, which is protected by
splous processes on the pronotum, and
on the sides of the abdomen.
We have already remarked that this
is one of the most neglected of the
families of Coleoptera, and its classifica-
tion is not satisfactory. It is usually
divided into Hydrophilides and Sphaer-
idiides. The Sphaeridiides are in large
part terrestrial, but their separation from
the purely aquatic Hydrophilides cannot
be maintained on any grounds yet pointed
out. Altogether about 1000 species of
Hydrophilidae are known, but this pro-
bably is not a tenth part of those exist- Fre. 101.—Larva of Spercheus
ing. In Britain we have nearly ninety Sen ee aE ae
species. Some taxonomists treat the
family as a series with the name Palpicornia. The series Phil-
hydrida of older authors included these Insects and the Parnidae
and Heteroceridae.
Fam. 13. Platypsyllidae.—This consists of a single species.
It will be readily recognised from Fig. 102, attention being given
to the peculiar antennae, and to the fact that the mentum is tri-
lobed behind. This curious species has been found only on the
beaver. It was first found by Ritsema on American beavers
(Castor canadensis) in the Zoological Gardens at Amsterdam, but
it has since been found on wild beavers in the Rhone in France;
in America it appears to be commonly distributed on these
animals from Alaska to Texas. It is very remarkable that a
wingless parasite of this kind should be found in both hemi-
spheres. The Insect was considered by Westwood to be a separate
Order called Achreioptera, but there can be no doubt that it is a
beetle. It is also admitted that it shows some points of resem-
blance with Mallophaga, the habits of which are similar. Its
Coleopterous nature is confirmed by the larva, which has been
described by both Horn and Riley.’ Little is known as to the
food and life-history. Horn states that the eggs are placed on
‘ Horn, Tr. Amer. ent. Soc. xv. 1888, p. 23 ; Riley, Insect Life, i. 1889, p. 300.
I J y I
220
COLEOPTERA CHAP.
the skin of the beaver amongst the densest hair; the larvae move
with a sinuous motion,
like those of Staphylinidae. It has been
§ Sy)
Sot Hs
Fic. 102.—Platypsyllus castoris. A, Upper side ; B, lower side, with legs of one side
removed ; C, antenna. (After Westwood.)
suggested that the Insect feeds on an Acarid, Schizocarpus
mingaudi ; others have supposed that it eats scales of epithelium
Fic. 103.—Leptinus testaceus.
Britain.
or hairs of the beaver.
Fam. 14. Leptinidae. — Antennae
rather long, eleven-jointed, without club, but
a little thicker at the extremity. Eyes absent
or imperfect. Tarsi five-jointed. LElytra
quite covering abdomen. Mentum with the
posterior angles spinously prolonged. A
family of only two genera and two species.
Their natural history is obscure, but is
apparently of an anomalous nature; the
inference that may be drawn from the
little that is known being that they are
parasitic on mammals. There is little or
nothing in their structure to indicate this,
except the condition of blindness; and
until recently the Insects were classified
amongst Silphidae. Leptinus testaceus
(Fig. 103) is a British Insect, and besides occurring in Europe
is well known in North America. In Europe it has been found
a
en a A
Vv POLYMORPHA—_LEPTINIDAE——SILPHIDAE 2
i)
al
in curious places, including the nests of mice and buimble-bees.
In America it has been found on the mice themselves by Dr.
Ryder, and by Riley in the nests of a common field-mouse,
together with its larva, which, however, has not been described.
The alhed genus Leptinillus is said by Riley to live on the
beaver, in company with Platypsyllus.' It has been suggested
that the natural home of the Leptinus is the bee’s nest, and
that perhaps the beetle merely makes use of the mouse as a
means of getting from one nest of a bumble-bee to another.
Fam. 15. Silphidae.—Zhe mentum is usually a transverse
plate, having in front a membranous hypoglottis, which bears the
exposed labial palpi, and immediately behind them the so-called
bilobed ligula. The anterior cozae are conical and contiguous :
prothoracie epimera and episterna not distinct. Visible abdomi-
nal segments usually five, but sometimes only four, or as many as
seven. Tarsi frequently five-jointed, but often with one joint less.
Elytra usually covering the body and free at the tips, but oceasion-
ally shorter than the body, and even truncate behind so as to expose
from one to four of the dorsal plates; but there are at least three
dorsal plates in a membranous condition at the base of the abdomen.
These beetles are extremely diverse in size and form, some being
very minute, others upwards of an inch long, and there is also
considerable range of structure. In this family are included
the burying-beetles (ecrophorus), so well known from their habit
of making excavations under the corpses of small Vertebrates,
so as to bury them. Besides these and Si/pha, the roving
carrion- beetles, the family includes many other very different
forms, amongst them being the larger part of the cave-beetles
of Europe and North America. These belong mostly to the
genera Bathyscia in Europe, and Adelops in North America; but
of late years quite a crowd of these eyeless cave-beetles of the
group Leptoderini have been discovered, so that the European
catalogue now includes about 20 genera and 150 species. The
species of the genus Catopomorphus are found in the nests of
ants of the genus Aphaenogaster in the Mediterranean region.
Scarcely anything is known as to the lives of either the cave-
Silphidae or the myrmecophilous forms.
The larvae of several of the larger forms of Silphidae are well
known, but very little has been ascertained as to the smaller forms.
* Insect Life, i. 1889, pp. 200 and 306.
COLEOPTERA CHAP.
NO
NO
NO
Those of the burying-beetles have spiny plates on the back of the
body, and do not resemble the other known forms of the family.
The rule is that the three thoracic segments are well developed,
and that ten abdominal segments are also distinct; the ninth
abdominal segment bears a pair of cerci, which are sometimes
elongate. Often the dorsal plates are harder and better developed
than is usual in Coleopterous larvae. This is especially the case
with some that are en-
dowed with great powers
of locomotion, such as S.
obscura (Fig. 104). The
food of the larvae is as a
rule decomposing animal
or vegetable matter, but
some are predaceous, and
attack living — objects.
The larger Si/pha larvae
live, like the Necro-
phorus, on decomposing
animal matter, but run
=
/
H
|
Lo |
o|
aN) i
ow
Fra. 104.—A, Larva of Silpha obscura. Europe. about to seek it ; hence
Gatton eanede) B, Ptomaphila lacrymosa, many specimens of some
mie of these large larvae may
sometimes be found amongst the bones of a very small dead bird.
We have found the larva and imago of S. thoracica in birds’ nests
containing dead nestlings. S. atrata and S. laevigata make war
on snails. S. /apponica enters the houses in Lapland and ravages
the stores of animal provisions. S. opaca departs in a very
decided manner from the habits of its congeners, as it attacks
beetroot and other similar crops in the growing state; it is
sometimes the cause of serious loss to the growers of beet. The
larvae of the group 2 ihe
burrows in the wood contained a great deal of minute dust
indicating that the larva passed much matter through the ali-
mentary canal, probably with little result in the way of nutriment.
1 Packard, 5th Rep. U.S. Ent. Comm. 1890, p. 689.
2 Not a growing tree, but the instrument used for stretching boots.
.
|
Vv HYTOPHAGA——-CERAMBYCIDAE 287
There are numerous Longicorns that bear a great resemblance
in form and colour to Insects to which they are not related.
Haensch' has noticed that species of the genus Odontocera
resemble various Hymenoptera, one species being called 0.
braconoides; he also observed that these Hymenoptera - like
Longicorns, instead of withdrawing their underwings under the
elytra as beetles generally do, vibrate them rapidly ike Hymen-
optera. A large number of Longicorns stridulate loudly by rubbing
a ridge inside the pronotum on a highly specialised, striate surface
at the base of the scutellum, and therefore covered up when the
Insect is contracted in repose. A few produce noise by rubbing
the hind femora against the edges of the elytra, somewhat after
the fashion of grasshoppers. In this case there appears to be
comparatively little speciality of structure, the femora bearing,
however, more or less distinct small granules. The species of the
Hawanan genus Plagithmysus produce sound in both these
manners, the thoracic stridulating organ being beautifully de-
veloped, while in some species the margin of the elytra and
base of the femora are also well adapted for the purpose of sound-
production, and in a few species of the genus there are also
highly-developed stridulating surfaces on the hind and middle
coxae. This is the only case in which a beetle is known to
possess more than one set of sound-organs in the imago state.
Three divisions of this family are distinguished, viz—
1. Front coxae large and transverse ; prothorax with distinct side mar-
gins. . Sub-fam. 1. PRIONIDEs.
2. Front coxaé not greatly extended transversely, thorax not. margined ;
last joint of maxillary palpus not pointed, usually broader (more or. less)
than the preceding joint. Sub-fam. 2. CERAMBYCIDES.
3. Front coxae usually round and deeply embedded ; last joint of maxil-
lary palpus pointed ; front tibiae with a more or less distinct, slanting groove
on the inner side. Sub-fam. 3. LamipeEs.
The Prionides are on the average considerably larger in size
than the members of the other divisions, and they include some ot
the largest of Insects. The Amazonian 7%tanus giganteus and the
Fijian Macrotoma heros are amongst the most gigantic. Some
of the Prionides have a great development of the mandibles in
the male sex analogous to that we have already noticed in
Lucanidae. The larvae of the large Prionides appear in various
parts of the world to have been a favourite food with native
1 Berlin. ent. Zeitschr. xli. 1896, SB. p. 22.
288 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
tribes, and Lumholz states that they are really good eating.
In consequence of the destruction of forests that has progressed
so largely of late years these gigantic Prionides have become
much rarer.
Several aberrant forms are included in Prionides. The genus
Parandra has five-jointed tarsi; the third joint being much smaller
than usual, so that the fourth joint is not concealed by it.
The Brazilian Hypocephalus armatus was for long a subject of
dispute as to its natural position, and was placed by different
authorities in widely-separated families of Coleoptera. The
structure of this aberrant Longicorn seems to be only explicable
on the hypothesis of warfare amongst the males.‘ Nothing is,
however, known as to the habits and history of the Insect, and
only one or two specimens of the female have yet been obtained.
The family Spondylidae has been proposed for some of
these aberrant Longicorns, but as it includes but very few, and
highly discrepant, species, it is neither natural nor of much use
for systematic purposes.
The Lamuides are the most highly speciahsed division of the
Longicorns, and includes the larger number of the species. The
front of the head is usually placed at right angles to the vertex,
and in some cases (groups Hippopsini, Spalacopsini) it is strongly
inflexed, so that the mouth is placed on the under side of the
head. The extension of the eyes round the antennae is accom-
panied by very curious shapes of those organs, and not
infrequently each eye is divided into two more or less widely-
separated parts, so that the Insect has, on the external surface,
four eyes.
Series VI. Rhynchophora.
Head more or less prolonged in front to form a snout or beak, called
rostrum. Tarsi four-jointed, usually at least the third
joint broad and densely pubescent beneath.
This enormous series includes about 25,000 species, and as
may well be imagined shows a great variety of structure amongst
its forms. The vast majority may, however, be readily recognised
by the two characters mentioned above. There are some cases 1n
which the beak is indistinct, and others in which the tarsi are
1 Sharp, Ann. Soc. ent. Belgique, xxviii. 1884, CR. p. evii.
‘cases it 1s also used to push the
Vv RHYNCHOPHORA 289
five-jointed (Dryophthorus), and even slender (Platypides). In
these cases a close examination shows that the gular region on
the middle of the back of the under surface of the head cannot
be detected, and that the back of the prosternum is very strongly
consolidated by the side-pieces of the thorax meeting together
and being very firmly joined behind the coxae. The beak is in
the great majority perfectly distinct, though it varies so extremely
in form that it can only be briefly described by saying that it is
a prolongation of the head in front of the eyes, or that the
antennae are inserted on its sides near to, or far from, the tip.
It has been ascertained in many cases that the rostrum is used
by the female to assist in placing the eggs in suitable places, a
hole being bored with it ; in some
ege far into the hole in which it
has previously been placed by
the ovipositor; but there are
many forms in which it 1s fairly
certain that it is not so used.
What purpose it serves in the
male is totally unknown. In
many members of the series, the
rostrum differs in form in the
two sexes, and in most, if not in
all, these cases it is clear that the
distinctions tend in the direction
of making the beak of the female
more efficient for the mechanical
purpose we have mentioned.
It was proposed by Leconte
and Horn to separate this series
from all the other Coleoptera as
a primary division, and they
looked on it as of lower or more
imperfect structure. Packard has
Maat I HO OEE ao OG ie ee Aga ee
this interpretation ) and there of pronotum, head, and rostrum.
seems to be no reason whatever
for considering the Rhynchophora as “lower” than other beetles ;
indeed we should be inclined to place such forms as Calandrides
VOL. VI U
290 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
amongst the most perfect of Insects; their external structure (as
shown by Eugnoristus monachus, Fig. 147) being truly admirable.
Only four families of Rhynchophora can be at present
accepted as satisfactory ; one of these—Curculionidae—includes
an enormous majority of the whole series. Though it is probable
that it will ultimately be divided into several families, the
attempts to that end that have already been made are not
satisfactory.
Fam. 80. Anthribidae.—Palpi usually not covered, but dis-
tinct and flexible. Antennae often long, not elbowed, the first joint
not very lony. Third joint of tarsus small, usually much concealed
by being embraced by the second joint. Pygidium exposed ; pro-
pygidium deeply grooved in the middle. This family includes 800
or more species, which are mostly tropical; it is very sparsely
represented in the faunas of Europe and North America. It is
quite distinct from Curculionidae with which it was formerly
associated. It contains many graceful Insects having a certain
resemblance with Longicorns on account of the large development
of the antennae. The habits and meta-
morphoses are but little known. It
seems probable that many species find
their nutriment in old wood or boleti
The larvae of some genera (Cratoparis
and Araeocerus) have legs, but in others
the legs are wanting, and the larvae are
said to completely resemble those of
Curculionidae. In the larva of our
tiny British species, Choragus sheppardi,
the legs are replaced by three pairs
of thoracic, sac-like pseudopods. This
f Insect makes burrows in dead branches
Bia. 148.— Platyrhanus lati- of hawthorn. The larvae of the genus
rostris, Anthribidae. Britain. =
A, the perfect Insect; B, Brachytarsus have been ascertained te
tarsus and tip of tibia. prey on Coccidae.
Fam. 81. Curculionidae (/Vcevils)—The beak of very variable
length and thickness; the palpi small, nearly always concealed
within the mouth, short, and rigid. Labrum absent. Antennae
of the majority elbowed, ie. with the basal joint longer, and so
formed that when it is laterally extended the other joints can be
placed in a forward direction, This enormous family includes
V RHYNCHOPHORA—CURCULIONIDAE ZOT
about 20,000 known species, and yet a large portion of the
species yearly brought from the tropics still prove to be new.
The rostrum or beak exhibits excessive variety in form, and is in
many cases different in the sexes; in this case it is usually longer
and thinner in the female. As the rostrum is one of the chief
characters by which a member of the family may be recognised,
it is necessary to inform the student that in certain forms (the
Australian Amycterides, eg.) the organ in question may be so
short and thick that it is almost absent. In these cases the
Insect may be identified as a Curculionid by the gular area being
absent on the under side of the head, and by the concealment of
the palpi. The tarsi are usually of the same nature as those of
Phytophaga, already described, but the true fourth joint is less
visible. In the Brachycerides this joint is not present, and the
third joint is not lobed. The palpi are flexible and more or
less exserted in a very few species (Rhynchitides); in Rhinoma-
cerides there is also present a minute labrum. The front coxae
are deeply embedded, and in many forms the prosternum is
peculiar in structure; the side-pieces (epimera) meeting at the
back of the prosternum in the middle line. This, however, is
not universal in the family, and it occurs in some other beetles
(e.g., Megalopodides of the Phytophaga). The larvae are without
legs. They are vegetarian, the eggs being deposited by the
mother-beetle in the midst of the food. These larvae may be
distinguished from those of Longicorns by the general form,
which is sub-cylindric or rather convex, not flattened, and
more particularly by the free, exserted head, the mouth being
directed downwards; the attitude is generally a curve, and the
anterior part of the body is a little the thicker. No part of °
plants is exempt from the attacks of the larvae of Curculionidae ;
buds, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruits, bark, pith, roots and galls
may each be the special food of some Curculionid. Certain
species of the sub-families Rhynchitides and Attelabides prepare
leaves in an elaborate manner to serve as food and dwelling for
their young. If young birches, or birch bushes from 5 to 10
feet in height, be looked at in the summer, one may often notice
that some of the leaves are rolled so as to form, each one, a little
funnel. This is the work of Rhynchites (or Deporaus) betulae, a
little Curculionid beetle (Fig. 149). An inspection of one of
these funnels will show that it is very skilfully constructed. The
Z2OQ2 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
whole of a leaf is not used in the formation of a funnel, cuts being
made across the leaf in suitable directions. The beetle stand-
ing on a leaf, as shown in the figure, proceeds to cut with its
mandibles an incision shaped like an erect $, commencing at a
certain part of the circumference, and ending at the midrib of the
leaf; the beetle then goes to the other side of the midrib, and
continues its incision so as to form another §-like curve con-
siderably different from the first ; being prostrate and less abrupt.
Thus the blade of the leaf is divided into two halves by certain
curved incisions, the midrib remaining intact. The little funnel-
}
Fic, 149.—The leaf-rolling of Rhynchites betulae. Britain. A, Female beetle, magnified ;
B, the beetle forming the first incision on a leaf; C, the completed roll. (Band C
after Debey.)
twister now commences to roll up the leaf to form the funnel ;
and this part of the work is greatly facilitated by the shape of
the incisions. Going back to the spot where it commenced work,
by the aid of its legs it rolls one side of the leaf round an ideal
axis, Somewhat on the same plan as that adopted by a grocer in form-
ing a paper-funnel for sugar. The incisions are found to be just
of the right shape to make the overlaps in the rolling, and to re-
tain them rolled-up with the least tendency to spring back. After
some other operations destined to facilitate subsequent parts of its
task, the beetle enters the rolled-up part of the leaf and brings it
more perfectly together; it again comes out and, pursuing a
different system, holds on with the legs of one side of the body
’
i
ij
Vv RHY NCHOPHORA—CURCULIONIDAE 293
to the roll, and with the other legs drags to it the portion of the
leat on the other side of the midrib so as to wrap this part (7.
the result of its second incision) round the part of the funnel
already constructed. This being done the Insect again enters
the funnel, bites three or four small cavities on the inside of the
leafy wall and deposits an egg in each. Afterwards it emerges:
and fits the overlaps together in a more perfect manner so as to
somewhat contract the funnel and make it firmer; then proceeding
to the tip, this is operated on by another series of engineering
processes and made to close the orifice; this part of the opera-
tion being analogous to the closing by the grocer of his paper-
funnel after the sugar has been put in. The operation of the
beetle is, however, much more complex, for it actually makes a
sort of second small funnel of the tip of the leaf, bends this in, and
retains it by tucking in some little projections. The work, which
has probably lasted about an hour, being now completed, the creature
takes a longer or shorter rest before commencing another funnel.
We have given only a sketch of the chief points of the work,
omitting reference to smaller artifices of the craft master; but
we may remark that the curved incisions made by the beetle
have been examined by mathematicians and duly extolled as
being conducted on highly satisfactory mathematical principles.
It is impossible at present for us to form any conception as to the
beetle’s conceptions in carrying out this complex set of operations.
Our perplexity is increased if we recollect its life-history, for we
then see that neither precept or example can have initiated its
proceedings, and that imitation is out of the question. The eggs
hatch in their dark place, giving rise to an eyeless maggot,
which ultimately leaves the funnel for the earth. The parts of
this maggot subsequently undergo complete change to produce
the motionless pupa of entirely different form, from which
emerges the perfect Insect. Hence the beetle cannot be con-
sidered to have ever seen a funnel, and certainly has never
witnessed the construction of one, though, when disclosed, it
almost immediately sets to work to make funnels on the complex
and perfect system we have so imperfectly described. More
general considerations only add to the perplexity we must feel
when reflecting on this subject. Why does the Insect construct
the funnel at all? As a matter of protection it appears to be
of little use, for the larvae are known to suffer from the attacks
294 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
of parasites as other Insects do. We have not the least reason
for supposing that this mode of life for a larva is, so far as
utility is concerned, better than a more simple and usual one.
Indeed, extraordinary as this may appear, it is well known that
other species of the same genus adopt a simple mode of life,
laying their eggs in young fruits or buds. We think it possible,
however, that a knowledge of the mode of feeding of this larva
may show that a more perfect nutrition is obtained from a well-
constructed cylinder, and if so this would to a slight extent
satisfy our longing for explanation, though throwing no light
whatever on the physiology or psychology of the artificer, and
leaving us hopelessly perplexed as to why a beetle in ages long
gone by should or could adopt a mode of life that by long pro-
cesses of evolution should, after enormous difficulties have been
overcome, attain the perfection we admire.?
Fam. 82. Scolytidae.— Rostrum extremely short, broad ; tibiae
frequently denticulate externally ; antennae short, with a broad
elub. This family is not at all sharply distinguished from certain
groups of Curculionidae (from Cossonides e.g.), but as the species
have somewhat different habits, and in the majority of cases
can be readily distinguished, it is an advantage to separate
the two families. About 1400 species are at present known.
Most of them are wood- and bark-feeders; some bore into hard
wood; a few mine in twigs or small branches of trees, but the
majority live in the inner layers of the bark; and this also
serves as the nidus of the larvae. A small number of species
have been found to inhabit the stems of herbaceous plants, or to
live in dry fruits. Owing to their retiring habits they are rarely
seen except by those who seek them in their abodes, when they
may often be found in great profusion. The mother-beetle bores
into the suitable layer of the bark, forming a sort of tunnel and
depositing eggs therein. The young larvae start each one a
tunnel of its own, diverging from the parent tunnel; hence each
batch of larvae produces a system of tunnels, starting from the
parents’ burrow, and in many species these burrows are charac-
1 For a more extensive account of Rhynchites betulae and others refer to
Wasmann. Der Trichterwickler, Miinster, 1884, and Debey, Beitrage zur Lebens-
und Entwickelungs-geschichte . .. der Attelabiden, Bonn, 1846. The first in-
cludes an extensive philosophical discussion ; the second is a valuable collection
of observations.
V hkKHYNCHOPHORA——SCOLYTIDAE——-BRENTHIDAE 295
teristic in form and direction, so-that the work of particular
Scolytids can be recognised by the initiated.
The Platypides bore into the wood of trees and stumps; they
are chiefly exotic, and little is known about them. They are
the most aberrant of all Rhynchophora, the head being remarkably
short, flat in front, with the mouth placed on the under surface
of the head, there being no trace of a rostrum: the tarsi are
elongate and slender, the third jot not being at all lobed, while
the true fourth joint is visible. Hence they have not the
appearance of Rhynchophora. Some authorities treat the
Platypides as a distinct family.
Some of the members of the group Tomicides also bore into
the wood. Recent. observations have shown that there is an
important feature in the economy of certain of these wood-
borers, inasmuch as they live gregariously in the burrow, and
feed on peculiar fungi that develop there, and are called ambrosia.
According to Hubbard,* some species cultivate these fungi,
making elaborate preparations to start their growth. The fungi,
however, sometimes increase to such an extent as to seal up the
burrows, and kill the Insects by suffocation.
Scolytidae sometimes multiply to an enormous extent, attack-
ing and destroying the trees in wooded regions. Much dis-
cussion has taken place as to whether or not they are really
injurious. It is contended by one set of partisans that they
attack only timber that is in an unhealthy, dying, or dead con-
dition. It may be admitted that this is usually the case; yet
when they occur in enormous numbers they may attack timber
that is in a sort of neutral state of health, and so diminish its
vigour, and finally cause its destruction. . Hence it is of great
importance that they should be watched by competent foresters.
The larvae of Scolytidae are said to completely resemble those
of Curculionidae: except in the group Platypides, where the body
is straight and almost cylindrical, and terminates in an oblique
truncation bearing a short hard spine.”
Fam. 83. Brenthidae.— orm elongate; rostrum straight,
directly continuing the long axis of the body, often so thick as to
form an elongate head ; antennae not elbowed. The Brenthidae
form a family of about 800 species, remarkable for the excessive
1 Bull. U.S. Dep. Agric. ent. New series, No. 7, 1897.
? Perris, Ann. Sci. Nat. (2) xiv. 1840, p. 89, pl. iii.
2g6 COLEOPTERA BY
leneth and slenderness of some of its forms, and for the
extreme difference in the sexes that frequently exists. It is
well represented in the tropics
only, and very little is known
as to the natural history and
development. These beetles are
stated to be wood-feeders, and
no doubt this 1s correct in the
case of the majority of the
species; but Mr. Lewis observed
in Japan that Zemioses celtis and
Cyphagogus segnipes are pre-
daceous, and enter the burrows
Fie. 150. — Lupsalis minuta. North ob wood-boring Insects to search
America. A, Larva; B, pupa; ¢, for larvae as prey: they are
ey Bhp Sebel OT nas (CNAEE very much modified in structure
to permit this; and as the other
members of the group Taphroderides are similar in structure,
it is probable that they are all predaceous. Nothing what-
ever 1s known as to the larval history of these carnivorous
forms. Indeed an uncertainty, almost complete, prevails as to
the early stages of this family. Riley has given a sketch of a
larva which he had no doubt was that of Hupsalis minuta, the
North American representative of the family; if he is correct
the larva differs from those of Curculionidae by its elongate form,
three-jointed. Descriptions, supposed to be those of Brenthid
larvae, were formerly published by Harris and Motschoulsky ;
but it is now clear that both were mistaken.
In the higher forms of Brenthidae the rostrum of the female
is perfectly cylindrical and polished, and the mandibles are
minute, hard, pointed processes placed at its tip. This organ is
admirably adapted to its purpose; it being used for boring a hole
in wood or bark, in which an egg is subsequently deposited. The
males in these cases are extremely different, so that considerable
curiosity is felt as to why this should be so. In some cases their
head is thick, and there may be no rostrum, while large powerful
mandibles are present.
-In other cases the rostrum is slender, but of enormous
length, so that it may surpass in this respect the rest of
Vv BRENT HIDAE—AGLYCYDERIDAE ZO 7,
the body, although this itself is so drawn out as to be quite
exceptional in the Insect world:' the antennae are inserted
near the tip of the rostrum instead of near its base, as they
are in the female. The size of the males is in these cases usually
much larger than that of the female.” The males of some species
fight; they do not, however, wound their opponent, but merely
frighten him away. In Zupsalis it appears that the rostrum
of the female is apt to become fixed in the wood during her
boring operations; and the male then extricates her by pressing
his heavy prosternum against the tip of her abdomen: the stout
forelegs of the female serve as a fulerum and her long body as a
lever, so that the effort of the male, exerted at one extremity of
the body of the female, produces the required result at the other
end of her body. The New Zealand Brenthid, Lasiorhynchus
barbicornis, exhibits sexual disparity in an extreme degree: the
length of the male is usually nearly twice that of the female, and
his rostrum is enormous. It is at present impossible to assign
any reason for this; observations made at the request of the
writer by Mr. Helms some years ago, elicited the information
that the female is indefatigable in her boring efforts, and that
the huge male stands near by as a witness, apparently of the
most apathetic kind.
Coleoptera of uncertain position.
There are three small groups that it is impossible at present
to place in any of the great series of beetles.
Fam. 84, Aglycyderidae. — 7Z'arsi three-jointed, the second
joint lobed ; head not prolonged to form a beak. The two most
important features of Rhynchophora are absent in these Insects,
while the other structural characters are very imperfectly known,
many parts of the external skeleton being so completely fused
that the details of structure are difficult of appreciation. West-
wood considered the tarsi to be really four-jointed, but it is not
* In the males of the genus Cedeocera the tips of. the elytra are drawn out into
processes almost as long as the elytra themselves, and rivalling the forceps of
earwigs.
* The stature of the individuals of the same species is, in some of these
Brenthidae, subject to extreme variation, especially in the males, some individuals
of which—in the case of Brenthus anchorago—ate five times as long as others.
2908 COLEOPTERA CHAP.
at all clear that the minute knot he considered the third joint is
more than the articulation
of the elongate terminal
joimt. The family consists
only of two or three species
of Aglycyderes, one of which
occurs in the Canary
Islands, and one or two in
New Zealand and New
Caledonia. The former is
believed to live in the stems
of Huphorbia canariensis ;
Fic. 151.—Aglycyderes setifer. Canary Islands. a New Zealand species has
A, Imago 7 B, tarsus according to Westwood Sls Pop fn eemeegan
C, according to nature; D, maxilla; E,
labium. with the tree-fern Cyathea
dealbata.
Fam. 85. Proterhinidae.— 7rsi three-jointed, the second joint
lobed ; head of the male scarcely prolonged, but that of the female
RNS BE
SREERET AAT Mz
2 2eSSSS
Jorming a definite rostrum,; maxillae and ligula entirely covered
by the mentum. As in the preced-
ing family the sutures on the
under side of the head and_ pro-
sternum cannot be detected. The
minute palpi are entirely enclosed
in the buccal cavity. There is a
very minute true third joint of
the tarsus, at the base of the ter-
minal joint, concealed between the
lobes of the second joint. The
family consists of the genus Pro-
terhinus; it is confined to the Fie. 152.—Proterhinus lecontei. Ha-
Hawaiian’ Islands, where these Imeyiiaie sere ee pee
Z C, front foot, more magnified.
sects live on dead wood in the
native forests. The genus is numerous in species and individuals.
Strepsiptera (or Rhipiptera, Stylopidae).— Male small or
minute; prothorax extremely small; mesothorax moderate, the elytra
reduced to small, free slips; metathorax and wings very large ;
nervuration of the latter radiating, without cross nervules. Female
a mere sac, with one extremity smaller and forming a sort of neck
or head. These curious Insects are parasitic in the interior of
V SLREPSIPTERA 299
other Insécts, of the Orders Hymenoptera and Hemiptera. Their
structure and their life-histories entitle them to be ranked as
the most abnormal of all Insects, and entomologists are not
agreed as to whether they are aberrant Coleoptera or a distinct
Order. The newly-hatched larva is a minute triungulin (Fig.
154), somewhat lke that of MJeloe; it fixes itself to the skin
of the larva of a Hymenopterous Insect, penetrates into the
interior, and there undergoes its metamorphoses, the male emerg-
ing to enjoy a brief period of an abnormally active, indeed agitated,
existence, while the female never moves. It is important to
note that these Strepsiptera do not, like most other internal
parasites, produce the death of their hosts; these complete their
metamorphosis, and the development of the parasite goes on
simultaneously with that of the host, so that the imago of the
+. 153.—Sexes of Strep-
siptera. A, Male of
Stylops dalii (after Cur-
tis); B, female of Yenos
rossvi (after von Siebold).
Strepsipteron is found only in the imago of the host. After
the young Stylops has entered its host it feeds for a week or so
on the fat-body (apparently by a process of suction), then
moults and assumes the condition of a footless maggot, in which
state it remains till growth is completed. At the latter part of
this period the history diverges according to sex; the female
undergoes only a slight metamorphic development of certain
parts, accompanied apparently by actual degradation of other
parts; while the male goes on to pupation, as is normal in Insects.
(We may remark that the great features of the development of
the sexes are parallel with those of Coccidae in Hemiptera.)
When the Hymenopterous larva changes to a pupa, the larva
of the Strepsipteron pushes one extremity of its body between two
of the abdominal rings of its host, so that this extremity becomes
external, and in this position it completes its metamorphosis, the
1 This remark applies to the Strepsiptera parasitic on Hymenoptera : nothing
whatever is known as to the life-histories of the species that attack Hemiptera.
300 'STREPSIPTERA CHAP.
male emerging very soon after the host has become an active
winged Insect, while the female undergoes no further change of
position, but becomes a sac, in the interior of which young
develop in enormous numbers, finally emerging from the mother-
sac in the form of the little triungulins we have already
mentioned. This is all that can be given at present as a general
account; many points of the natural history are still obscure,
others have been merely guessed; while some appear to differ
greatly in the different forms. A few brief
remarks as to these points must suffice. .
Bees carrying, or that have carried, Strep-
siptera, are said to be stylopised Git being a
species of the genus Sty/ops that chiefly infests
bees); the term is also used with a wider
application, all Insects that carry a Strepsip-
terous parasite being termed stylopised, though
it may be a Strepsipteron of a genus very
different from Stylops that attacks them. The
development of one or more Strepsiptera in
an Insect usually causes some deformity in
the abdomen of its host, and effects consider-
able changes in the condition of its internal
organs, and also in some of the external char-
acters. Great difference of opinion prevails
as to what these changes are; it is clear, how-
Fic. 154.—Young larva ever, that they vary much according to the
of Stylops on a bee's- : : : 7 »
hair. Greatly magni- Species, and also according to the extent of
fied. (After Newport.) the stylopisation. Usually only one Stylops
is developed in a bee; but two, three, and
even four have been observed:’ and in the case of the wasp,
Polistes, Hubbard has observed that a single individual may
bear eight or ten individuals of its Strepsipteron (enos,
n. sp. 2).
There is no exact information as to how the young triungulins
find their way to the bee-larvae they live in. Here again the
discrepancy of opinion that prevails is probably due to great
+ Although not an invariable, it seems that it is a general rule that the Stylops
produced from the body of one individual are all of one sex; it has even been
stated that female bees produce more especially female Stylops, and male bees
male Stylops. If any correlation as to this latter point exist, it is far from general.
Vv STYLOPS 301
difference really existing as to the method. When a Stylops
carried by an Insect (a Hymenopteron, be it noted, for we have
no information whatever as to Hemiptera) produces young,
they cover the body of the host as if it were powdered, being
excessively minute and their numbers very great ; many hundreds,
if not thousands, of young being produced by a single Stylops.
The species of the wasp genus Polistes are specially subject to
the attacks of Stylops ; they are social Insects, and a stylopised
specimen being sickly does not as a rule leave the nest; in this
case the Sty/ops larva may therefore have but little difficulty in
finding its way to a Hymenopterous larva, for even though it
may have to live for months before it has the chance of attaching
itself to a nest-building female, yet it is clearly in the right
neighbourhood. The bee genus Andrena has, however, quite
different habits; normally a single female makes her nest under-
ground ; but in the case of a stylopised female it is certain that
no nest is built, and no larvae produced by a stylopised example,
so that the young triungulins must leave the body of the bee in
order to come near their prey. They can be active, and have
great powers of leaping, so that it is perhaps in this way possible
for them to attach themselves to a healthy female bee.
We have still only very imperfect knowledge as to the struc-
ture and development of Strepsip-
tera. Indeed but little informa- / >
tion has been obtained — since
1843.1 Before that time the
mature female was supposed to be
a larva, and the triungulins found
in it to be parasites. Although a B
the erroneous character of these pie, 155.—Portion of early stages of
views has been made clear, the Xenos rossti. (After von Siebold.)
A, Small male larva ; B, small female
problems that have been sug- — jarva: ¢, Pieces trvace D,
gested present ereat difticulties. full-grown female larva; E, the so-
called ‘‘ cephalothorax ” and adjacent
Apparently the change from the — segmentof adult female. (The newly-
triungulin condition (Fig. 154) to pees ae a 4S Sg ie a
as : Ce of Stylops shown in Fig. 154.
the parasitic larvae (Fig. 155, A, B)
is extremely great and abrupt, and it appears also that during
t=)
Von Siebold, Arch. Naturges. ix. 1843, pp. 137-161. Nassonoff’s recent paper
is in Russian, but so far as we can gather (cf. Zool. Centralbl. i. 1894, p- 766), it does
not add greatly to the data furnished by von Siebold.
302 SME RSL TERA CHAP.
the larval growth considerable sexual differentiation occurs (Fig.
155, C, D); details are, however, wanting, and there exists but
little information as to the later stages. Hence it is scarcely
a matter for surprise that authorities differ as to which is the
head and which the anal extremity of the adult female. Von
Siebold apparently entertained no doubt as to the part of the
female that is extruded being the anterior extremity ; indeed he
called it a cephalothorax. Supposing this view to be correct, we are
met by the extraordinary facts that the female extrudes the head
for copulatory purposes, that the genital orifice is placed thereon,
and that the young escape by it. Meinert' contends that the
so-called cephalothorax of the adult is the anal extremity, and
that fertilisation and the escape of the young are effected by the
natural passages, the anterior parts of the body being affected by
a complete degeneration. Nassonoff, in controversion of Meinert,
has recently pointed out that the “cephalothorax ” of the young
is shown by the nervous system to be the anterior extremity. It
still remains, however, to be shewn that the “ cephalothorax ” of
the adult female corresponds with that of the young, and we shall
not be surprised if Meinert prove to be correct. The internal
anatomy and the processes of oogenesis appear to be of a very unusual
character, but their details are far from clear. Brandt has given
some particulars as to the nervous system; though he does not
say whether taken from the male or female, we may presume it to
be from the former; there is a supra-oesophageal ganghon, and
near it a large mass which consists of two parts, the anterior repre-
senting the sub-oesophageal and the first thoracic ganglia, while
the posterior represents two of the thoracic and most of the
abdominal ganglia of other Insects; at the posterior extremity,
connected with the other ganglia by a very long and slender
commissure, there is another abdominal ganglion?
It is a matter of great difficulty to procure material for the
prosecution of this study; the fact that the instars to be observed
exist only in the interior of a few Hymenopterous larvae, which
in the case of the bee, Andrena, are concealed under ground ; and
in the case of the wasps, Polistes, placed in cells in a nest of
wasps, adds greatly to the difficulty. It is therefore of interest
to know that Strepsiptera occur in Insects with incomplete
1 Ent. Meddel. v. 1896. p. 148, and Ov. Danske Selsk. 1896, p. 67.
2 Horae Soc. ent. Ross. xiv. 1879, p. 14.
Vv SL OPS: 303
metamorphosis. They have been observed in several species of
Homoptera; and the writer has a large Pentatomid bug of
the genus Callidea, which bears a female
Strepslpteron apparently of large size. This
bug’ is abundant and widely distributed in
Eastern Asia, and it may prove compara-
tively easy to keep stylopised examples
under observation. Both v. Siebold and
Nassonoff think parthenogenesis occurs in
Strepsiptera, but there appear to be no facts tee Stee one
to warrant this supposition. Von Siebold — raeus) with a Strep-
:, 1 . sipteron (Xenos 9) in
speaks of the phenomena of Strepsipterous — josition, one of the
reproduction as paedogenesis, or pseudo- dorsal plates of the
paedogenesis, but we must agree with Re ir
Meinert that they cannot be so classed. tion of part of the
. : : parasite ; 6, line in-
The males of Strepsiptera live for only a dicating the position
very short time, and are very difficult of ces EEE
observation. According to Hubbard the ee
males of Yenos dash about so rapidly that the eye cannot see
them, and they create great agitation amongst the wasps in the
colonies of which they are bred. Apparently they are produced in
great numbers, and their life consists of only fifteen or twenty
minutes of fiery energy. The males of Stylops are not exposed
to such dangers as those of Yenos, and apparently live somewhat
longer—a day or two, and even three days are on record. -The
individuals of Andrena parasitised by Stylops are apparently
greatly affected in their economy and appear earlier in the season
than other individuals; this perhaps may be a reason, coupled
with their short lives, for their being comparatively rarely met
with by entomologists. .
It is not possible at present to form a valid opinion as to
whether Stylopidae are a division of Coleoptera or a separate
Order. Von Siebold considered them a distinct Order, and
Nassonoff, who has recently discussed the question, is also of that
opinion.
' Named by Mr. Distant Callidea bare ; according to the Brussels catalogue of
Hemiptera, Chrysocoris grandis var. baro.
CHAPTER Vi
LEPIDOPTERA—OR BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS
Order VI. Lepidoptera.
Wings four; body and wings covered with scales usually varie-
gate in colour, and on the body frequently more or less like
hair: nervures moderate in number, at the periphery of
one wing not exceeding fifteen, but little irregular; cross-
nervules not more than four, there being usually only one or
two closed cells on each wing, occasionally none. Imago
with mouth incapable of biting, usually forming a long
coiled proboscis capable of protrusion. Metamorphosis great
and abrupt; the wings developed inside the body; the larva
with large or moderate head and strong mandibles. Pupa
with the appendages usually adpressed and cemented to the
body so that it presents a more or less even, horny exterior,
occasionally varied by projections that are not the appendages
and that may make the form very irregular: in many
of the smaller forms the appendages are only imperfectly
cemented to the body.
LEPIDOPTERA, or butterflies and moths, are so far as ornament 1s
concerned the highest of the Insect world. In respect of
intelligence the Order is inferior to the Hymenoptera, in the
mechanical adaptation of the parts of the body it is inferior to
Coleoptera, and in perfection of metamorphosis it is second to
Diptera. The mouth of Lepidoptera is quite peculiar; the pro-
boscis—the part of the apparatus for the prehension of food—
is anatomically very different from the proboscis of the other
Insects that suck, and finds its nearest analogue in the extreme
elongation of the maxillae of certain Coleoptera, e.g. Vemognatha.
VI LEPIDOPTERA 305
The female has no gonapophyses, though in certain excep-
tional forms of Tineidae, there are modifications of structure
connected with the terminal segments, that have as yet been
only imperfectly investigated. Asa rule, the egg is simply
deposited on some living vegetable and fastened thereto.
Lepidoptera are the most exclusively vegetarian of all the Orders
of Insects; a certain number of their larvae prey on Insects
that are themselves filled with vegetable juices (Coccidae,
Fie, 157.—Metamorphosis of a Lepidopteron (Rhegmatophila alpina, Notodontidae).
(After Poujade, Ann. Soc. ent. France, 1891.) Europe. A, Egg; B, young larva,
about to moult; C, adult larva; D, head and first body-segment of adult larva,
magnified ; E, pupa, x 7; F, male moth in repose ; G, female moth in repose.
Aphidae) and a very small number (Tinea, ete.) eat animal
matter. In general the nutriment appears to be drawn ex-
clusively from the fluids of the vegetables, the solid matter
passing from the alimentary canal in large quantity in the form
of little pellets usually dry, and called frass. Hence the
quantity of food ingested is large, and when the individuals
unduly increase in number, forest trees over large areas are
sometimes completely defoliated by the caterpillars.
Lepidoptera pass a larger portion of their lives in the pupal
stage than most other Insects do; frequently during nine months
of the year the Lepidopteron may be a pupa. In other Orders of
VOL. VI ba
306 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
Insects it would appear that the tendency of the higher forms is
to shorten the pupal period, and when much time has to be
passed between the end of the feeding up of the larva and the
appearance of the imago, to pass this time as much as possible
in the form of a resting-larva, and as little as may be in the
form of a pupa; in Lepidoptera the reverse is the case; the
resting-larva period being usually reduced to a day or two.
Hence we can understand the importance of a hard skin to the
pupa. There are, however, numerous Lepidopterous pupae where
the skin does not attain the condition of hardness that is
secured for the higher forms by the chitinous exudation we
have mentioned; and there are also cases where there is a pro-
longed resting-larva period: for instance Galleria mellonella
spins a cocoon in the autumn and remains in it as a resting
larva all the winter, becoming a pupa only in the spring. In
many of these cases the resting-larva is protected by a cocoon.
It is probable that the chief advantage of the perfect chitinous
exudation of the Lepidopterous pupa is to prevent the tiny,
complex organisation from the effects of undue transpiration.
Bataillon has suggested that the relation of the fluid contents of
the pupa to air and moisture are of great importance in the
physiology of metamorphosis.
The duration of life is very different in various forms
of Lepidoptera. It is known that certain species (Hphestia
kuehniella, e.g.) may go through at least five generations a year.
On the other hand, certain species that feed on wood or roots
may take three years to complete their life-history; and it is
probable that some of the forms of Hepialidae are even longer
lived than this.
Lepidoptera have always been a favourite Order with ento-
mologists, but no good list of the species has ever been made,
and it would be a difficult matter to say how many species are
at present known, but it can scarcely be less than 50,000. In
Britain we have about 2000 species.
The close affinity of the Order with Trichoptera has long
been recognised: Réaumur considered the latter to be practically
Lepidoptera with aquatic habits, and Speyer pointed out the
existence of very numerous points of similarity between the
two. Brauer emphasised the existence of mandibles in the
nymph of Trichoptera as an important distinction: the pupa
rete
VI EXTERNAL STRUETURE 307
of Micropteryx (Fig. 211) has however been recently shown to
be similar to that of Trichoptera, so that unless it should be
decided to transfer Micropteryx to Trichoptera, and then define
Lepidoptera and Trichoptera as distinguished by the condition of
the pupa, it would appear to be very difficult to retain the two
groups as distinct.
Structure of Imago.—The head of a Lepidopteron is in large
part made up of the compound eyes; in addition to these it
frequently bears at the top a pair of small, simple eyes so much
concealed by the scales as to cause us to wonder if seeing
be carried on by them. The larger part of the front of the
head is formed by the clypeus, which is separated by a well-
Fic. 158.—External structure of a female butterfly, Anosia plexippus. (After Scudder.)
a, Base of antenna ; 6, pronotum ; 47, seutum of mesothorax ; ¢, clypeus ; ca, coxa ;
d, scutellum ; d1, scutellum of metathorax ; ¢, post-scutellum (=base of phragma) ;
em, epimeron ; ep, episternum ; 7, scutum of metathorax ; m, basal part of pro-
boscis (=maxilla); 0, eye; p,; labial palp; 7, mesosternum; s, prothoracic
spiracle ; 7, tegula ; ¢r, trochanter ; 1-9, dorsal plates of abdomen.
marked line from the epicranium, the antennae being inserted
on the latter near its point of junction with the former. There
is sometimes (Saturnia, Castnia) on each side of the clypeus a
deep pocket projecting into the head-cavity. The other parts of
the head are but small. The occipital foramen is very large.
The antennae are always conspicuous, and are very various
in form; they are composed of numerous segments, and in the
males of many species attain a very complex structure, especially
in Bombyces and Psychidae; they doubtless function in such
cases as sense-organs for the discovery of the female.
The largest and most important of the mouth-parts are the
maxillae and the labial palpi, the other parts being so small as
to render their detection difficult. The labrum is a very short,
1 Kellogg, Kansas Quarterly, ii. 1893, p. 51, plate II.
oD?
308 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
comparatively broad piece, visible on the front edge of the
clypeus ; its lateral part usually forms a prominence which has
often been mistaken for a mandible; Kellogg has applied the
term “pilifer” to this part. In the middle of the labrum a small
angular or tongue-like projection is seen just over the middle of
the base of the proboscis; this little piece is considered by
several authorities to be an epipharynx.
MANDIBLES.—Savigny, Westwood, and others considered the
parts of the labrum recently designated pilifers by Kellogg to
be the rudimentary mandibles, but Walter has shown that this
Fia. 159.—Mouth of Lepidoptera. Tiger-moth, Arctia caja. A, Seen from front ; B,
from front and below. a, Clypeus; 4, labrum; ¢, epipharynx; d, mandibular
area; d@’, prominence beneath mandibular area; e, one side of haustellum or pro-
boscis ; 7, maxillary palp; g, labial palp.
is not the case’ The mandibles are usually indistinguish-
able, though they, or some prominence possibly connected with
them,” may frequently be detected in the neighbourhood of
the pilifers; they are, according to Walter, largest and most
perfectly developed in Eriocephala, a genus that was not dis-
tinguished by him from Micropteryx and was therefore termed
“niedere Micropteryginen,’ 12¢. lower Micropteryges. The
opinion entertained by Walter that Jicropteryx proper (his
“hohere Micropteryginen”’) also possesses rudimentary mandibles
is considered by Dr. Chapman, no doubt with reason, to be
erroneous.” The mandibles, however, in the vast majority of
Lepidoptera can scarcely be said to exist at all in the imago;
there being only an obtuse projection— without trace of
1 Jena. Zeitschr. Naturw. xviii. 1885, p. 751.
2 The writer is not quite convinced that the supposed mandibles of these Macro-
lepidoptera are really entitled to be considered as such.
3 Tr. ent. Soc. London, 1893, p. 263.
;
q
V1 MOUTH-PARTS 309
articulation—on each side of the labrum; and even this pro-
jection is usually absent. Meinert recognised these projections as
mandibles in Smerinthus populi, and Kellogg in Protoparce caro-
lina, another large Sphinx moth. They appear to be unusually
well developed in that group. In Castnia they are even more
definite than they are in Sphingidae.
The MAxILLAk are chiefly devoted to the formation of the
proboscis. Their basal portions are anatomically very indefinite,
though they exist very intimately connected with the labium.
Each usually bears a small tubercle or a segmented process, the
representative of the maxillary palpus. The proboscis itself con-
sists of the terminal, or outer, parts of the two maxillae, which
parts are closely and beautifully coadapted to form the spirally
coiled organ, that is sometimes, though incorrectly, called the tongue.
The exact morphology of the Lepidopterous proboscis has not
been established. The condition existing in the curious family
Prodoxidae (see p. 432), where a proboscis coexists with another
structure called a maxillary tentacle, suggests a correspondence
between the latter and the galea of a typical maxilla; and
between the proboscis and the lacinia or inner lobe of a
maxilla: but J. B. Smith is of opinion that the tentacle in
question is a prolongation of the stipes. The condition of the
parts in this anomalous family (Prodoxidae) has not, however,
been thoroughly investigated, and Packard takes a different
view of the proboscis; he considers that “it is the two galeae
which become elongated, united and highly specialised to form
the so-called tongue or glossa of all Lepidoptera above the
Eriocephalidae.”* The proboscis in some cases becomes very
remarkable, and in certain Sphingidae is said to attain, when
unrolled, a length of ten inches. In some cases the maxillary
lobes do not form a proboscis, but exist as delicate structures,
pendulous from the mouth, without coadaptation (Zeuzera aesculi,
the Wood-leopard moth). In other forms they are absent
altogether (Cossus, e.g.), and in Hepialus we have failed to detect
any evidence of the existence of the maxillae. On the other
hand, in Micropteryx the maxillae are much more like those of a
mandibulate Insect ; and various other Microlepidoptera approach
more or less a similar condition. In the genus last mentioned
1 Amer. Natural. xxix. 1895, p. 637. It shouid be recollected that many
Lepidoptera do not possess any proboscis.
5 ILO) LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
the maxillary palpi are largely developed, flexible and slender.
According to Walter various forms of palpus intermediate between
that of Micropteryx and the condition of rudimentary tubercle
may be found amongst the Microlepidoptera.'
Lasium.—The labial palpi are usually largely developed,
though but little flexible; they form conspicuous processes
densely covered with scales or hairs, and curve forwards or up-
wards, rarely downwards, from the under side of the head, some-
what in the fashion of tusks. The other parts of the labium
are frequently represented merely by a membranous structure,
united with the maxillae and obstructing the cavity of the
pharynx. Where the proboscis is absent it is difficult to find
any orifice leading to the alimentary canal, such opening as
may exist being concealed by the overhanging clypeus and
labium. In some forms, Saturnia, e.g., there appears to be no
buccal orifice whatever. In Hepialus the labium is in a very
unusual condition ; it projects externally in the position usually
occupied by the labial palpi, these organs being themselves
extremely short. It is very difficult to form an opinion as to
the structure of the labium and other mouth-parts when the
maxillae are not developed, as in these cases the parts are of
a delicate membranous nature, and shrivel after death. This
is the explanation of the fact that in descriptive works we find
vague terms in use such as “mouth aborted” or “ tongue absent.”
The mouth of the Lepidopterous imago is a paradoxical
structure; it differs very greatly from that of the larva, the
changes during metamorphosis being extreme. We should thus
be led to infer that it is of great importance to the creatures ;
but, on the other hand, the various structures that make up the
mouth, as we have remarked, are frequently absent or reduced to
insignificant proportions ; and even in forms where the apparatus
is highly developed the individuals seem to be able to accomplish
oviposition without taking food, or after taking only very minute
quantities. It is therefore difficult to understand why so great
a change should occur during the metamorphosis of the Insects
of this Order. It has been ascertained that in some forms where
the mouth is atrophied the stomach is in a correlative condition ;
but we are not aware that any investigations have been made
as to whether this correspondence is general or exceptional.
1 Jena. Zeitschr. Naturw. xviii. 1885, p. 168.
Ng mee i ee eh ra tet i eer eee = «>
VI EXTERNAL STRUCTURE 311
The exact mode in which the proboscis acts is in several
respects still obscure, the views of Burmeister and Newport being
in some points erroneous. Towards the tip of the proboscis
there are some minute but complex structures considered by
Fritz Miiller to be sense-organs, and by Breitenbach to be
mechanical instruments for irritating or lacerating the delicate
tissues of blossoms. It is probable that Miller’s view will prove
to be correct. Nevertheless the proboscis has considerable
power of penetration; there being a moth, “ Ophideres fullonica,”
that causes considerable damage to crops of oranges by inserting
its trunk through the peel so as to suck the juices.’ The canal
formed by each maxilla opens into a cavity inside the front part
of the head. This cavity, according to Burgess,’ is a sort of sac
connected with five muscles, and by the aid of this apparatus the
act of suction is performed: the diverticulum of the alimentary
canal, usually called a sucking-stomach, not really possessing the
function formerly attributed to it.
The PROTHORAX is very small, being reduced to a collar, be-
tween the head and the alitrunk, of just sufficient size to bear the
front pair of legs. Its most remarkable feature is a pair of pro-
cesses, frequently existing on the upper surface, called “ patagia.”
These in many cases (especially in Noctuidae) are lobes capable
of considerable movement, being attached only by a narrow base.
In Hepialus, on the contrary, they are not free, but are merely
indicated by curved marks on the dorsum. The patagia are
styled by many writers “tegulae.” They are of some interest in
connection with the question of wing-like appendages on the
prothorax of Palaeozoic insects, and they have been considered
by some writers* to be the equivalents of true wings. The
MESOTHORAX is very large, especially its upper face, the notum,
which is more or less convex, and in the higher forms attains a
great extension from before backwards. The notum consists in
greater part of a large anterior piece, the meso-scutum, and a
1 Amer. Natural. xiv. 1880, p. 313.
? For an account of the structures at the tip of the proboscis of this moth, and
of the beautiful manner in which the lobes of the maxillae are dovetailed together,
see Francis Darwin, Quart. J. Mier. Sci. xv. 1875, p. 385. For details as to
numerous proboscides, and as to the difficulties that exist in comprehending the
exact mode of action of the organ, refer to Breitenbach’s papers, especially Jena.
Zeitschr. Naturw. xv. 1882, p. 151.
3 See Cholodkovsky, Zool. Anz. ix. p. 615; Haase, t.c. p. 711; also Riley,
P. ent. Soc. Washington, ii. 1892, p. 310.
ale : LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
smaller part, the meso-scutellum behind. In front of the seutum
there is a piece termed prae-scutum by Burgess. It is usually
small and concealed by the front part of the scutum; but
in Hepialus it is large and horizontal in position. It 1s of
importance as being the chief point of articulation with the pro-
thorax. The scutellum is more or less irregularly rhomboidal in
form; its hinder margin usually looks as if it were a lobe or fold
placed in front of the base of the abdomen or metathorax, accord-
ing to whether the latter is concealed or visible. In some of the
higher forms this meso-scutellar lobe is prominent, and there
may be seen under its projection a piece that has been called
the post-scutellum, and is really the base of the great meso-
phragma, a chitinous piece that descends far down into the
interior of the body. In addition to the front pair of wings the
mesothorax bears on its upper surface another pair of appendages,
the tegulae: in the higher forms they are of large size; they are
fastened on the front of the mesothorax, and extend backwards
over the joint of the wing with the body, being densely covered
with scales so that they are but little conspicuous. These
appendages are frequently erroneously called patagia, but have
also been called scapulae, pterygodes, paraptera, and shoulder-
tufts, or shoulder-lappets. The lower surface of the mesothorax
is much concealed by the large and prominent coxae, but the
sternum and the two pleural pieces on each side, episternum and
epimeron, are easily detected. The area for attachment of the
anterior wing on each side is considerable, and appears to be of
rather complex structure; its anatomy has been, however, but
little studied.
The MrrarHorax is small in comparison with the preceding
segment, to which it is intimately co-adapted, though the two
are really connected only by delicate membrane, and can conse-
quently be separated with ease by dissection. The metanotum
consists of (1) the scutum, which usually appears externally as
an anterior piece on each side; (2) the scutellum, forming a
median piece placed behind the scutum, which it tends to
separate into two parts by its own extension forwards. In order
to understand the structure of the metathorax it is desirable to
dissect it off from the larger anterior segment, and it will then
be found that its appearance when undissected is deceptive,
owing to its being greatly arched, or folded in the antero-
¥
F.
‘
#
VI EXTERNAL STRUCTURE a
posterior direction. A broad, but short phragma descends from
the hind margin of the metascutellum into the interior of the
body. It should be noted that though the metanotum is forced,
as 1t were, backwards by the great extension of the mesonotum in
the middle line of the body, yet at the sides the metanotum creeps
forward so as to keep the points of attachment of the hind wings
near to those of the front wings. In many forms of Hesperiidae,
Sphingidae, Noctuidae, etc. the true structure of the metanotum
is further concealed by the back of the mesoscutellum reposing
on, and covering it.
Difference of opinion exists as to the thoracic SPIRACLES ; there
is one conspicuous enough in the membrane behind the pronotum,
and it is thought by some writers that no other exists. West-
wood and Scudder, however, speak of a mesothoracic spiracle, and
Dr. Chapman considers that one exists. Minot describes! a
structure behind the anterior wing, and thinks it may be an
imperfect spiracle, and we have found a similar stigma in
Saturnia pavona. At the back of the thorax there is on each
side in some Lepidoptera (Noctuidae, Arctia, ete.), a curious large
cavity formed by a projection backwards from the sides of the
metasternum, and a corresponding development of the pleura of
the first abdominal segment. Minot and others have suggested
that this may be an organ of hearing.
The ABDOMEN differs according to the sex. In the female
seven segments are conspicuous dorsally, but only six ventrally,
because the first segment is entirely membranous beneath, and
is concealed between the second abdominal ventral plate and
the posterior coxae. Besides these segments there are at the
hind end two others smaller, more or less completely with-
drawn into the body, and in certain cases forming an ovipositor.
These nine segments are usually considered to constitute the
abdomen ; but according to Peytoureau,” a tenth dorsal plate is
represented on either side of the anal orifice, though there is no
trace of a corresponding ventral plate. In the male the segments,
externally conspicuous, are one more than in the female. According
to the authority quoted,’ this sex has also truly ten abdominal
segments, the ninth segment being withdrawn to a greater or
1 Fourth Rep. U.S. Entom. Commission, 1885, p. 49.
2 C.R. Ac. Sci. Paris, exviii. 1894, p. 360; and his Thesis, Bordeaux, 1895.
3 O.R. Ac. Set. Paris, exviii. 1894, p. 542.
314 IE PID © PARE RA CHAP.
less extent to the inside of the body, and modified to form part of
a copulatory apparatus ; its dorsal portion bears a process called the
“uneus”; the anal orifice opens on the inner face of this process,
and below it there is another process—developed to a greater or
less extent—called the “scaphium.” The ventral portion of the
ninth segment bears a lobe, the “saccus” (Peytoureau, /.c.). On
each side of the ninth abdominal segment there is a process called
the “ valve,’ the internal wall of which bears some hook-hke or
other processes called “ harpes”; it is continued as a membrane
surrounding the “oedeagus,’ or penis, and—bearing more or
less distinct prominences—connects with the scaphium. In many
forms the parts alluded to, other than the valves, are concealed
by the latter, which
come together when
closed, and may _ be
covered externally with
scales like the rest of
the abdomen. Peytou-
reau considers that the
uncus is really the dorsal
plate ofa tenth segment,
and that the scaphium
Fic. 160.—Acherontia atropos. The termination of 6 jg the tenth ventral
body, one side removed. JX, Ninth dorsal plate ; = ee
TX’, ninth ventral; s, lobe, saccus, of ninth plate. Thus, according
ventral plate; Y, tenth dorsal plate, or uncus; to this view. the ninth
sc, scaphium, or tenth ventral plate ; @, position of ; : :
anus ; 4, chitinised band of scaphium ; JV, valve or segment is extensive and
nye oa ae aeetege i Pee leonipl ae Heme
highly modified in all
its parts: while the tenth segment is greatly reduced. The
structure of the male organs is simpler in Lepidoptera, and less
varied than it is in the other great Orders of Insects. There
are seven pairs of abdominal spiracles on the upper parts of the
membranous pleurae.
Lrcs.—The legs are long, slender, covered with scales, and
chiefly remarkable from the fact that the tibiae sometimes bear
articulated spurs on their middle as well as at the tip. The
front tibia usually possesses on its inner aspect a peculiar
mobile pad; this seems to be in some cases a combing organ ;
it also often acts as a cover to peculiar scales. The tarsi
are five-jointed, with two small claws and a small apparatus,
Ce
P= ee eee ee ee
vI WINGS Bis
the functional importance of which is unknown, between the
claws.
Wings.—The wings are the most remarkable feature of this
Order ; it is to them that butterflies owe their beauty, the sur-
faces of the Wings being frequently adorned with colours and
patterns of the most charming and effective nature. These
effects are due to minute scales that are implanted in the wing-
membrane in an overlapping manner, somewhat similar to the
arrangement ‘of slates on the roof of a house. The scales are very
readily displaced, and have the appearance of a silky dust. We
shall describe their structure and allude to their development
subsequently. The wings are usually of large size in com-
parison with the Insect’s body: in the genus J/orpho, the
most gorgeous of the butterflies, they are enormous, though the
body is small; so that when deprived of these floats the Insect is
insignificant. The great expanse of wing is not correlative with
great powers of flight, though it is perhaps indicative of flying with
little exertion; for the small-winged Lepidoptera, Sphingidae,
etc., have much greater powers of aérial evolution than the large-
winged forms. The area of the wing is increased somewhat by
the fact that the scales on the outer margin, and on a part or on
the whole of the inner margin, project beyond the edges of the
membrane that bears them: these projecting marginal scales are
called fringes. In many of the very sinall moths the actual size
of the wing-membranes is much reduced, but in such cases the
fringes may be very long, so as to form the larger part of the
surface, especially of that of the hind wings. Frequently the
hind wings are of remarkable shape, being prolonged into pro-
cesses or tails, some of which are almost as remarkable as those
of Nemoptera in the Order Neuroptera.
The wings are very rarely absent in Lepidoptera; this occurs
only in the female sex, no male Lepidopterous imago destitute of
wings having been discovered. Although but little is known of
the physiology of flight of Lepidoptera, yet it is clearly important
that the two wings of the same side should be perfectly coadapted
or correlated. This is effected largely by the front wing over-
lapping the hind one to a considerable extent, and by the two
contiguous surfaces being pressed, as it were, together. This is
the system found in butterflies and in some of the large moths,
such as Lasiocampidae and Saturniidae; in these cases the hind
316 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
wing always has a large shoulder, or area, anterior to its point
of insertion. In most moths this shoulder is absent, but in its
place there are one or more stiff bristles projecting forwards and
outwards, and passing under a little membranous flap, or a tuft
of thick scales on the under face of the front wing; the bristle is
called the “ frenulum,” the structure that retains it a “ retinaculum.”
In Castnia (Fig. 162) and in some Sphingidae there is the un-
usual condition of a highly-developed shoulder (s) coexisting with
a perfect frenulum (/) and retinaculum (7). The frenulum and
retinaculum usually differ in structure, and the retinaculum in
position, in the two sexes of the same moth; the male, which
in moths has superior powers of flight, having the better retaining
organs. Hampson says “the form of the frenulum is of great
use in determining sex, as in the males of all the forms that
possess it, it consists of hairs firmly soldered together so as to
form a single bristle, whilst in nearly all females it consists of
three or more bristles which are shorter than that of the male;
in one female Cossid I have found as many as nine. Also in the
large majority of moths the retinaculum descends from the costal
nervure in the male, while in the female it ascends from the
median nervure.”* This sexual difference in a structure for the
discharge of a function common to the two sexes is a very re-
markable fact. There are a few—very few—moths in which the
bases of the hind wings are not well coadapted with the front
wings, and do not possess a frenulum, and these species possess
a small more or less free lobe at the base of the front wing that
droops towards the hind wing, and may thus help to keep up an
imperfect connexion between the pair; this lobe has been named
a jugum by Professor Comstock. Occasionally there is a jugum
on the hind as well as on the front wing. There is usually a
very great difference between the front and the hind wings; for
whereas in the front wing the anterior portion is doubtless of
great importance in the act of flight and is provided with
humerous veins, in the hind wing, on the other hand, the corre-
sponding part has not a similar function, being covered by the
front wing; hence the hind wing is provided with fewer nervures
in the anterior region, the divisions of the subcostal being less
numerous. than they are in the front wing. In the moths
possessing a jugum the two wings differ but little from one
1 Fauna of British India, Moths, i. 1892, p. 6.
VI WING-NERVURES a7
another, and it is probable that they function almost as four
separate wings instead of as two pairs.
WING-NERVURES.—The nervures or ribs of the wings are of
great importance in Lepidoptera, as at present they furnish the
chief characters for classification and for the discussions of
phylogeny that are so numerous in entomological literature.
On looking at wings that have been deprived of their scales it
will be noticed (Fig. 161) that the ribs are much more numerous
at the outer margins than they are near the points of attachment
of the wings, and that there is usually but one cell (or area com-
pletely enclosed by ribs). This latter point is one of the chief
peculiarities of the Lepidopterous wing ; in Insect-wings generally
the number of cells in proportion to the area of the wings and to
the number of nervures is greater than it is in Lepidoptera, for
in the latter there are few or no cross-nervures. Hence there is
sometimes no closed cell at all on the wing (Fig. 161, IT. B).
The maximum number of closed cells is six; this is found in
some species of Micropteryz, while in Hepialus there may be
three or four; but the rule is that there is only one cell in the
Lepidopterous wing. When the number of cells is increased
this is not necessarily due to an increase in the cross-nervures; and
in fact it is generally due to irregular forking or to the sinuous
form of the longitudinal nervures themselves (see wing of Castnia,
Fig. 162, A.). Some authorities consider that all transverse or
cross-veins in Lepidoptera are merely portions of longitudinal
veins having diverted courses. When a portion of a nervure
beyond the basal or primary portion serves as a common piece
to two forked parts external to it, it is called a stalk (Fig. 162,
A,e). There are cases in which the furcation takes place in the
opposite direction, so that a nervure is double at the base of the
wing (Fig. 161, I, A, la, and B, 1b). This important condition
has not yet been adequately discussed.
Turning to the mode of designation of the nervures,! we may
1 It is impossible for us to treat of the difficulties that exist on this point, and
we must refer the student to the pamphlet, ‘‘The Venation of the Wings of
Insects,” by Prof. Comstock, Ithaca, 1895, being a reprint, with an important
prefatory note, from the Elements of Insect Anatomy, by J. H. Comstock and V. L.
Kellogg, also to Packard’s discussion of the subject in Mem. Ac. Sci. Washington,
vii. 1895, pp. 84-86. The method of Spuler, alluded to in these two memoirs, is
based on development, and, when extended, will doubtless have very valuable
ro-
results. See Spuler, Zeitschr. wiss. Zool. liii. 1892, p. 597.
318 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
commence by remarking that no system satisfactory from a
practical as well as from a theoretical point of view has yet been
devised. The diagrams given in figure 161 will enable us to
explain the methods actually in vogue ; I. representing the system,
dating from the time of MHerrich-Schaeffer, chiefly used by
British naturalists, and II. that adopted by Staudinger and
Schatz in their recent great work on the Butterflies of the world.
The three anterior nervures in both front and hind wings
correspond fairly well, and are called, looking at them where
they commence at the base of the wing, “ costal,” “ subcostal,” and
Mio m2
Fic. 161.—Wing-nervuration of Lepidoptera. I, Diagram of moths’ wings (after Hamp-
son) ; II, of a butterfly’s wings (Morpho menelaus 6, after Staudinger and Schatz).
A, front, B, hind wing. I.—c, costal ; sc, subcostal ; m, median ; la, 10, 1c, in-
ternal nervures; /f, frenulum; 2, 3, 4, branches of median nervure; 5, lower
radial; 6, upper radial; 7-11, divisions of the subcostal; 12, termination of
costal ; ¢c, cell ; d, discocellular nervure. IJ.—C, costal ; SC, subcostal ; M, median ;
SM and SN, submedian nervures ; 1A, inner-margin nervure ; UR, lower radial ;
OR, upper radial ; SC! to SC®, divisions of subcostal ; M! to M®, divisions of median
nervure ; C, cell; DC, discocellulars.
“median” nervures. The nervures near the inner margin of the
wing (that is the lower part in our figures) differ much in the front
and hind wings, consisting either of two or of three separate
portions not joined even at the base. British entomologists call
these “branches or divisions of the internal nervure”: the
Germans call the more anterior of them the “ submedian,’ and the
more internal the “inner-margin nervure”; they are also frequently
called anal nervures. The cross-nervure that closes the cell is
called discocellular ; when apparently composed of two or three
eh ND MOD SP. om
eS te Te
v WING-NERVULES 319
parts joined so as to form angles, the parts are called, according
to position, upper, lower, and middle discocellulars. One or more
short spurs may exist on the front part of the basal portion of
the hind wing; these are called praecostal. The branches or
terminal divisions of the nervures should be called nervules ; they
are usually mentioned by the numbers shewn in the diagram
(Fig. 161, I.). In addition to this, it is only necessary to re-
member that number 2 is always assigned to the posterior division
of the median nervure, the nervules below this being all called 1,
and distinguished by the addition of
a,b, e when requisite. This course
is necessary, because if it were not
adopted the corresponding nervules
on the front and hind wings would
bear different numbers.
The use of this system of num-
bers for the nervules is becoming
general, and it answers fairly well
for practical purposes. On the other
hand, extreme discrepancy exists as
to the nomenclature of the nervures
and nervules, and there are almost as
many systems as there are authorities. eae Pine Ge SNe
The normal number of nervules B, hind wings. 1a, 1, le, 1d,
is, Gul the. front wing, 11+ 1 or 2 Inner marginal nervures ; 2, lower
branch of median ; 8, subcostal
inner marginal, and on the hind of hind wing; 12, subcostal of
ere Seon, aa: é front wing; ¢, “stalk” of 8 and
pee OL oe olier marcinal. Im- 9 ¢ fenalum: @ retmmcnlam:
the aberrant moths of the genus Ԥ, shoulder; g, articulation of
- 5 a wing.
Castnia the nervuration is unusually -
complex and irregular (Fig. 162), and an analogous condition
occurs in our common Goat-moth (Cossus ligniperda). In
Hepialus and Micropteryx (the jugate moths of Comstock) the
hind wings are less dissimilar in nervuration from the front
wings than they are in other Lepidoptera.’
Internal Anatomy.’—The alimentary canal extends as a long,
1 The structure and development of scales and nervures is dealt with as part of
the brief study of the development of the wing, on p. 329, ete.
? The internal anatomy of Lepidoptera has not been extensively studied. For
information refer to Dufour, C.R. Ac. Paris, xxxiv. 1852, p. 748; Seudder, Putt.
New England, i. 1889, p. 47 ; Minot and Burgess, Fourth Rep. U. S. Entom. Comm.
1885, p. 53.
320 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
slender oesophagus through the length of the thorax, dilating when
it reaches the abdomen to form a tubular stomach; before this
it is somewhat enlarged to form an indistinct crop, and gives off
a large diverticulum usually called a sucking stomach. According
to Burgess, this structure does not possess the function ascribed
to it by this name, and he terms it a food-reservoir. The Mal-
pighian tubes are six in number, three on each side, and each set
of three unite to form a common tube opening into the posterior
extremity of the stomach; behind them the alimentary canal
continues in the form of a slender, tortuous intestine, expanding
ex3 cx? LZ
Jipatie
Fic. 163.-—Internal anatomy of Lepidoptera. Section of the body of a female buttertly,
Anosia plexippus. (Atter Scudder.) The portion to the left of the vertical line*
more magnified. I. II. III. thoracic segments; 1-9, abdominal segments; 4a,
antenna; @, anus; ac, aortal chamber ; ag’, etc., abdominal ganglia; agl', agi’,
accessory glands ; ao, aorta ; br, brain; ¢, colon; cp, copulatory pouch ; cz), ca,
cx, coxae ; fr, food-reservoir ; g!, suboesophageal ganglion ; h, dorsal vessel ; @,
intestine ; Jim, area filled by wing muscles ; /.or, ovary, or egg-tubes of left side ;
mv, Malpighian tube (the two others of the right side cut away, except small por-
tions) ; mx, maxilla; 0, oviduct; 00, its orifice ; oe, oesophagus ; ov.c, end of left
ovary ; p, labial palp ; ph, pharynx ; 7.0v, terminal parts of right ovarian tubes,
turned to one side, after the tubes have been cut away ; sd, salivary duct; sgl,
salivary gland ; sp, spermatheca ; sf, stomach; ¢g, thoracic ganglia ; v, copulatory
orifice.
at the extremity of the body to form a rectum. The dorsal or
circulatory vessel commences near the posterior extremity of the
body, but in the front part of the abdomen is deflexed to pass
under the great phragma into the thorax, where it rises abruptly
to the dorsal wall, but is again abruptly deflexed, forming a loop,
and is then prolonged above the oesophagus into the head: at
the summit of the thoracic loop there may be a dilatation called
the aortal chamber. The supra- and infra-oesophageal ganglia
are consolidated into a mass pierced by the oesophagus: there is
a minute frontal ganglion; the ventral chain consists of three
much approximated thoracic ganglia and four abdominal ganglia
separated from the thoracic by a long interval.
VI INTERNAL STRUCTURE—_EGG Beh
The male sexual organs consist of the two testes placed in a
common capsule, from which proceed a pair of contiguous vasa
deferentia (dilated soon after their origin to form the vesiculae
seminales) ; into each vas there opens a long, tubular gland; the
two vasa subsequently unite to form a long, coiled, ejaculatory
duct. It is in the structure of the female sexual organs that the
most remarkable of the anatomical characters of Lepidoptera is
found, there being two external sexual orifices. The imago has,
in the great majority of cases, four ege-tubes in each ovary; the
pair of oviducts proceeding from them unite to form a single un-
paired (azygos) oviduct which terminates by an orifice quite at
the posterior extremity of the body. There is a sac, the bursa
copulatrix or copulatory pouch, which is prolonged in a tubular
manner, to open externally on the eighth ventral plate: a tube,
the seminal duct, connects the bursa with the oviduct, and on this
tube there may be a dilatation—the spermatheca. Besides these
structures two sets of accessory glands open into the oviduct, an
unpaired gland, and a pair of glands. The development of these
structures has been described by Hatchett Jackson,’ and exhibits
some very interesting features. The exact functions of the bursa
copulatrix and of the other structures are by no means clear.
According to Riley, the spermatheca in Pronuba contains some
curious radiate bodies, and Godman and Salvin describe some-
thing of the same sort as existing in butterflies. Several varia-
tions in the details of the structure of these remarkably complex
passages have been described, and the various ducts are some-
times rendered more complex by diverticula attached to them.
Some noteworthy diversities in the main anatomical features
exist. According to Cholodkovsky, there is but one sexual
aperture—the posterior one—in Nematois metallicus ; while,
according to Brandt, the number of egg-tubes in a few cases
exceeds the normal—four—hbeing in Sesia scoliaeformis fourteen.
In Nematois metallicus there is individual variation, the number
of tubes varying from twelve to twenty.
The egg has been more extensively studied in Lepidoptera
than in any other Order of Insects, It displays great variety :
we meet with elongate forms (Fig. 164) and flat forms like
buttons, while in Limacodes (Fig. 83, Vol. V.) the egg is a
1 Tr. Linn. Soc. London (2), v. 1890, p- 143.
2 P. ent. Soc. Washington, ii. 1892, p. 305.
VOLE ve
322 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
transparent scale of somewhat inconstant outline. Some are
coloured and mottled somewhat after the fashion of birds’-eggs ;
this is the case with some eggs of Lasiocampidae and Liparidae ; in
some the sculpture of the egg-shell is of the most elaborate char-
acter (Figs. 77, 78, Vol. V.). The egg-shell or chorion is, aceord-
ing to Korschelt ' and others, a cuticular product of the epithelium
of the egg-chambers of the ovaries. The number of eggs deposited
by an individual differs greatly in different species, and has been
ascertained to be variable within certain limits in the same
species. Speyer thought about 250 to be the average number
of egos deposited by an individual. The number in the case of
Aporia crataegi is beheved to be from 60 to 100, and in some
Hepialus to be several thousands. The mode of deposition also
differs greatly; where the eggs are very
numerous they seem to be discharged almost
at random in suitable spots; but moths such
as Clisiocampa neustria fasten their eggs
round the stems of the food-plant in a very
perfect and artistic manner. Butterflies
seem as a rule to prefer to oviposit by placing
an egg here and there rather than risk many
in one situation; but to this there are many
conspicuous exceptions especially in the cases
where the larvae live gregariously, as in the
Vanessae. Some moths cover the eggs with
fur from their own body, which, in the case
of certain of the Eggers (Lasiocampidae),
ie ee a ee seems to have a special supply for the pur-
cardamines, magni- pose. The period that intervenes between
pet atin ny eae Ceposition and hatching of the eggs varies
from a few days to many months. There
seems to be, asa rule, comparatively little power of extending the
period of latency beyond a single season; though certain facts
have been recorded that would lead us to believe that in
Australia eggs may last over the proper time during a drought
and be hatched as soon as rain falls.
Larva.—The young condition or larva of the Lepidopterous
Insect is commonly called a caterpillar. It is a somewhat
worm-like creature—in old English it was sometimes called
1 Acta Ac. German. li. 1887, p. 238.
VI LARVA 323
palmer-worm—and is composed of a head and thirteen divisions
or segments of the body; the first three of the latter are called
thoracic, the other ten, abdominal segments; in most caterpillars
the terminal two or three abdominal segments are more or less
run. together, and the ninth may be very small, so that the true
number is indistinct. The first three segments bear each, on
either side, a short limb, ending in a curved spine; the next
two (or three or more) segments are destitute of legs, but on
some of the following divisions another kind of leg of a more
fleshy character appears, while the body is terminated by a pair
of these thick legs of somewhat different form. The front legs
are usually called lke true legs, the others prolegs, but this latter
designation is a most unfortunate one, the term “pro” being in
entomology used to signify anterior; it is therefore ee to
call the three anterior pairs thoracic legs, and the others abdominal
feet, distinguishing the hind pair of these latter as claspers.
There is, too, an-unfortunate discrepancy amongst entomologists in
their manner of counting the body-segments, some count the head
as the first segment, while others apply this term to the first
thoracic segment. The latter is the more correct course, for, as
the head is not a single segment it should not be called such in
a terminology that affects to be morphologically exact, not simply
descriptive. The thoracic legs are transversely jointed (Fig. 165,
B), but this is not the case with the abdominal feet, which are
usually armed beneath with a circle, or with rows, of little hooks.
The thoracic legs are, independent of their form, of a different
nature from the abdominal, for these latter disappear subsequently,
while the former give rise to the legs of the imago. The number
of thoracic legs is always six, except in a few cases where there
are none at all; the abdominal feet are much more variable, and
exhibit so many distinctions that we cannot here attempt to
deal with them. M. Goossens has given a concise and interest-
ing account of this subject,’ and Speyer * a summary of the variety
in number and position,
The anatomy of the larva is simple in comparison with that
of the perfect Insect; its main features will be appreciated from
Fig. 165, from which it will be seen that the stomach is
enormous, and the silk-vessels are also very extensive. There
are three sets of glands opening by canals on the head, viz. the
1 Ann. Soc. ent. France, 1887, yp. 384-404, Pl. 7. 7 isis, 18455. sede
324 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
salivary glands proper, which open into the cavity of the mouth,
one close to the base of each mandible; the silk-glands, which
terminate by a common canal, continued externally as the spin-
neret ; and the glands of Filippi situate in the head itself, and
opening into the ducts of the silk-glands, near their union
into a common duct. It should be recollected that Fig. 165
does not indicate all the details of the anatomy; the muscular
system, for instance, being entirely omitted, though there are
an enormous number of muscles; these however are not very
complex, they being mostly repetitions in the ‘successive seg-
ments. The mouth-parts are very different from those of the
Fic. 165.—A, Section of male caterpillar of Anosia plexippus—muscular and tracheal
systems and fat-body not shown: I, pro-, II, meso-, III, meta-thorax ; 1-10,
abdominal segments ; 6, supra-oesophageal ganglion ; c, rectum ; d.v, dorsal vessel ;
g>-g°, ganglia of ventral chain ; h, head ; 7, intestine ; m.v, Malpighian tube ; 2.c,
nerve-cord of ventral chain ; oe, oesophagus ; s, spinneret ; s.o.g, infra-~oesophageal
ganglion ; st, stomach ; s.v, silk-vessel; ¢, testis. B, One of the jointed prothoracic
legs. ©, An abdominal foot with its hooks. (After Scudder and Burgess, mag-
nification about 7.)
perfect Insect, inasmuch as the maxillae and labial palpi, which
are the most remarkable structures of the imago, are small, and
are differently constructed in the caterpillar, while the mandibles,
which are the largest organs of the caterpillar, disappear in the
adult. The little organ by which the caterpillar exudes its silk
is called a spinneret; according to Packard it is a “homologue
of the hypopharynx.” It is a more or less prominent point on
the middle of the labium (Fig. 166, 7) and sometimes forms a
conspicuous spine projecting downwards. The eyes are ex-
tremely imperfect organs, consisting merely of six, in some cases
' For anatomy of caterpillars refer to Lyonnet’s famous work, 7raité anatomique
de la chenille qui ronge le bois de saule, La Haye, 1762.
VI LARVA ae5
fewer, transparent, somewhat prominent, little spaces placed on
each side of the lower part of the head; they are called “ ocelli,”
by Landois “ocelli compositi.” Under each of these external
facets there are placed percipient a
structures, apparently very imperfect a
functionally, the caterpillar’s sight
being of the poorest character.’ The
spiracles of the caterpillar are nine
on each: side, placed one on the first
thoracic segment and one on each of
the first eight abdominal segments ; Pe ey ae eae
there are no true stigmata on the a caterpillar, with the jaws
second and third thoracic segments, Leela Gia
though traces of their rudiments or ocelli ; e, maxilla ; 7, lingua; g,
vestiges are sometimes visible. spinors te cain pall,
In the caterpillar there are no traces of the external sexual
organs, so that the two sexes cannot be distinguished on super-
ficial inspection; it was however long ago demonstrated by
Herold” that the ovaries and testes exist in the youngest cater-
pillars, and undergo a certain amount of growth and development
in the larval instars; the most important feature of which is
that the testes are originally separate but subsequently coalesce
in the middle line of the body, and become enclosed in a common
capsule. In a few forms—especially of Liparidae—(Lymantriidae
of modern authors)—the caterpillars are said to be of different
colours in the two sexes. Most of what is known on this point
has been referred to by Hatchett Jackson.’
The SILK-GLANDS of Lepidoptera are of great interest from the
physiological poimt of view, as well as from the fact that they
have furnished for many ages one of the most beautiful of the
adornments made use of by our own species. The sericteria, or
vessels that secrete silk, are of simple structure, and differ greatly
in their size in the various forms of the Order; they sometimes
become of great length; in the Silk-worm each of the two
vessels is nearly five times as long as the body, while in
Bombyx yamamai and others, even this is exceeded. They
1 See Plateau, Bull. Ac. Belgique, xv. 1888, p. 28; in reference to structure of
ocelli, Blane, Téte du Bombyx mori... 1891, pp. 163, ete. ; and Landois in
Zeitschr. wiss. Zool. xvi. 1866, p. 27.
2 Entwickelungsgeschichte der Schinetterlinge, Cassel, 1815.
3 Tr. Linn. Soc. London, Zool. 2nd Ser., v. 1890, pp. 147, 148.
320 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
grow with remarkable rapidity, being in the young silk-worm
only 3 mm. long, in the adult 22 mm. The increase in weight is
still more remarkable ; when the silk-worm is thirty-one days old,
the sericteria weigh only 35 mer., but when the age is fifty days
their weight has increased to 541 mer., being then 2 of the whole
weight of the body. In the pupa they undergo a gradual atrophy,
and in the inoth they are, according to Helm, no longer to be
found, though earlier authors were of a contrary opinion.’ Ac-
cording to Joseph, the silk-vessels begin to develop. at an ex-
tremely early age of the embryo, and are very aifferent in their
nature from the salivary glands, the former being derivatives of
the’ external integument (ectoderm), while the salivary glands
belong to the alimentary system. This view is to some extent con-
firmed by the observations of Gilson as to the different manner
in which these two sets of glands discharge their functions.
The chief feature in the anatomy of the larva is the great
size of the stomach. There is a very short oesophagus and crop ;
the latter becomes enlarged, spreading out so as to form the
stomach, a great sac occupying the larger part of the body-cavity
(Fig. 165). On the hinder end of this sac the Malpighian tubes
open; they are similar in their disposition to those of the imago ;
behind the stomach the canal expands into two successive, short
dilatations, the first called an intestine, the second a rectum ;
they are connected by very short isthmuses. The dorsal vessel
is a simple, slender tube, extending from the eighth abdominal
seoment to the head. The main nervous system consists of
supra- and infra-oesophageal ganglia, a small frontal ganglion,
and a ventral chain of eleven ganglia, three thoracic and eight
abdominal, the last of these latter being double. The sexual
organs are quite rudimentary, and the passages connected with
them very incompletely developed.
Pupa.—The pupa, which is one of the most remarkable of
the instars of an Insect’s life, attains its highest development in
Lepidoptera. The Lepidopterous pupa is frequently called a “ chry-
salis,” a term originally applied to certain metallic butterfly pupae.
The Lepidopterous pupa differs from that of other Insects in the
fact that its outer skin forms a hard shell, all the appendages of
1 For information as to the structure and function of the silk-vessels, refer to
Helm, Zeitschr. wiss. Zool. xxvi. 1876, p. 484; and Gilson, La Cellule, vi. 1890,
paplelGe * Jahresber. Schlesisch. Ges. viii. 1881, p. 116.
ll i
VI IPOH ere 327
the body being glued together by an exudation so as to form a
single continuous outer skin. This form of perfect pupa is called
“pupa obtecta.” The obtected pupa is exhibited in various stages
of perfection in the Lepidoptera; the maximum of perfection is
attained by the pupae of such butterflies as are exposed without
protection or concealment ; on the other hand, we find in various
small moths conditions of the pupa that do not differ in any
marked manner from the pupae of Insects of other Orders.
Moreover, certain Coleoptera and Diptera exhibit obtected pupae
of a more or less perfect kind. Hence the pupa obtecta is to be
considered as a perfected condition that exists more frequently
in the Lepidoptera than in other Orders.
The pupa has no orifices to the alimentary canal or sexual
Fic. 167.—Section of
female pupa of
Anosia plexippus,
3-4 days old. J,
pro-, II, meso-, III,
meta-thorax ; 1-9,
abdominal seg-
ments; @, anten-
na(?); «ac, aortal
chamber ; ag! - aq’,
abdominal ganglia ;
agl, accessory
glands ; ao, aorta;
br, brain ; ¢, colon ;
cp, bursa copulatrix ; cv, cremaster ; 71, first femur ; 7, food-reservoir ; /, dorsal vessel ;
i, part of intestine ; mv, Malpighian tube; ma, base of maxilla; oe, oesophagus ; 0v, ovary ;
ph, pharynx; sd, salivary duct; sg/, salivary gland ; st, stomach; 7}, first tarsus; fg,
compound thoracic ganglion ; ¢s*, ¢s?, second and third tarsus.. (After Scudder. )
organs, but the respiratory openings are pervious. It has no
means of locomotion, but it can move a certain number of the
posterior segments (the number variable according to kind). In
some cases it is provided with spines, “adminicula,” by means of
which, aided by the wriggling movements of the abdominal seg-
ments, considerable changes of position can be effected. The
pupae of the genus Micropterye apparently use the legs for
locomotion, as do the pupae of Trichoptera.
The study of the pupa of Lepidoptera is less advanced than
that of the imago and larva, between which it is, in many points
of structure, intermediate. The interior of the pupa contains a
' The student will find important information as to the varieties of external
form of pupae in Dr. T. A. Chapman’s writings ; see especially 7’r. ent. Soc. London,
1893, 1894, and 1896.
320 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
quantity of cream-like matter, including the results of histolysis
—hbut this, as well as the condition of the internal organs, differs
much according to whether the change from the caterpillar to
the moth is much or little advanced.
Many pupae are protected by cocoons. These are masses of silk
—very various in form—disposed by the caterpillar around itself
_ during the last stage of its existence. Some of these cocoons are
so perfect that the moth has considerable difficulty in escaping
when the metamorphosis is complete. Various devices are used
for the purpose of emergence ; the Puss-moth excretes a corrosive
fluid, containing potassium hydroxide, and then protects itself
from this by retaining on the head while passing through it a
shield formed of a portion of the pupa-skin.' Lepidopterous pupae
usually have the body terminated by a projection of very various
and peculiar form called “cremaster.” In certain cases these
projections are used for the suspension of the pupa, and are then
frequently provided with hooks (Fig. 177, C, D). In other cases
the cremaster is frequently called the anal armature (Fig. 205, B).
The development of the wings
of Lepidoptera has recently been
much studied. It has been known
since the time of Lyonnet, that
the rudiments of the wings exist
inside the body of the caterpillar
when it is nearly adult. Verson
considers that he has detected the
rudiments in the silk-worm larva
even before hatching, and he
attributes their origin to a
modification of form of those
Fic. 168.—Wing-rudiments of Pieris hypodermal cells that occupy
brassicae. A, Rudiments of a wing :
the spots where the spiracles
before the first moult of the cater-
pillar: ce, embryonic cells; ch, ex- of the second and third thor-
ternal cuticle; h, hypodermis ; 0, : : ‘
opening of the invagination; ¢, aci¢ segments might be looked
trachea. B, posterior wing-rudiment foy, (It will be recollected that
of full-grown caterpillar; }, semi- ‘
circular pad; c, a bundle of the there are no spiracles on these
rolled tracheae ; e, envelope ; 7, pedi- “ay pr ; yj]
Boe Gaies (after Cony two thoracic segments in Lepi
dopterous larvae). Gonin has
examined the wing-rudiments in the caterpillar, a few days old, of
1 Latter, Tr. ent. Soc. London, 1895, p. 399.
‘ascertained ; but 1t would appear from
VI DEVELOPMENT—WINGS—NERVURES 329
Pieris brassicae, and finds that the future wing is then indi-
cated by a thickening and bagging inwards of the hypodermis,
and by some embryonic cells and a trachea in close relation with
this mass (Fig. 168, A). The structure grows so as to form a sac
projecting to the interior of the body, connected with the body-
wall by a pedicel, and penetrated by a trachea forming branches
consisting of rolled and contorted small tracheae (Fig. 168, B).
If the body-wall be dissected off the caterpillar immediately
before pupation the wings appear in crumpled form, as shown
in Fig. 169. This fact was known
to the older entomologists, and gave
rise to the idea that the butterfly
could be detected in a caterpillar by
merely stripping off the integument.
The exact mode by which the
wings become external at the time
of appearance of the chrysalis is not
Gonin’s observations that it 1s not py¢, 169.—Anterior parts of a cater-
by a process of evagination, but by Pillar of P. brassicae, the body-
3 3 é wall having been dissected off,
destruction of the hypodermis lying immediately before pupation.
y
outside the wince, “However this may % %» Snterior and pasterior
cota wings ; st J, first spiracle ; p, p’,
be, 16 1s well known that, when the second and third legs. (After
caterpillar’s skin is finally shed and ©o™™)
the chrysalis appears, the wings are free, external appendages,
and soon become fastened down to the body by an exudation
that hardens so as to form the shell of the chrysalis.
Scales and nervures.—Before tracing the further develop-
ment it will be well to discuss the structure of the scales and
nervures that form such important features in the Lepidopterous
wing.
If a section be made of the perfect wing of a Lepidopteron,
it is found that the two layers or walls of the wing are firmly
held together by material irregularly arranged, in a somewhat
columnar manner. The thickness of the wing is much greater
where the section cuts through a nervure (Fig. 170, A). The
nervures apparently differ as to the structures found in them.
Spuler observed in a nervure of 7riphaena pronuba, a body having
in section a considerable diameter, that he considered to be a
1 Bull. Soc. Vaudoise, xxx. 1894, No. 115.
330 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
trachea, and also a “ wing-rib” and blood-cells. He remarks that
even in nervures, perfectly formed as to their chitinous parts,
either wing-rib or trachea or both may be absent.! Schiffer?
was unable to find any tracheae in the completed wings he
examined, and he states that the *
matrix of the tracheae and even
their inner linings disappear. The
wing-ribs were, however, found by
him to be present (Fig. 170, A
and B).
The scales that form so con-
spicuous a feature in Lepidoptera
exist in surprising profusion, and
Fia. 171.—Scales of male Lepidoptera.
A, Scale from upper surface of
Everes comyntas ; B, from upper
Fic. 170.—Structure of wing of imago. A, surface of Pieris rapae ; C, from
Transverse section of basal portion of wing
[of Vanessa ?] containing a nervure ; ¢,
cuticle ; fr, wing-rib ; g, wall of nervure
(“Grundmembran”’) ; h, hypodermis ; p,
connecting columns : 7, lumen of nervure ; B,
section of a rib ; 4, one of the chitinous pro-
jections ; str, central rod. (After Schiiffer.)
inner side of fold of inner margin
of hind wing of Laertias philenor ;
D, one of the cover-scales from the
costal androconium of Hudamus
proteus ; E, F, G, scales from andro-
conium of Thorybes pylades. (After
Scudder).
are of the most varied forms. They may be briefly described
as delicate, chitinous bags; in the completed state these bags
are flattened, so as to bring the sides quite, or very nearly,
together. Their colour is due to contained pigments, or to stria-
tion of the exposed surface of the scale; the latter condition
1 Zeitschr. wiss. Zool. liii. 1892, p. 623. 2 Zool. Jahrb. Anat. iii. 1889, p. 646.
|
|
VI SCALES Sei |
giving rise to metallic “ interference-colours.” The walls of the
scales are themselves, in some cases, tinted with pigment. It is
said that some of the scales contain air, and that the glistening
whiteness of certain scales is due to this. The exposed surface of
the scale usually differs from the
surface that is pressed down on
the wing in being delicately and
regularly striated; the colours
of the upper and under surfaces
of a scale may also be quite
different. Scales are essentially
of the nature of hairs, and all y,
the transitions between hairs and yg. 179. Insertion of scales. A.
true scales may be found on the — Socket holding the stalk in Galleria
‘ : 2 mellonella ; B, insertion of the scale
wings of certain Lepidoptera that of Polyommatus phloeas. 6, Base of
bear both hairs and scales, eg. Seale fee be 2D IESE (Os
Ithomia. It has Veen calculated es ct
that there are a million and a half of scales on the wings of an
individual of the genus Morpho. The scales are arranged on
the wing in an overlapping manner, somewhat like slates on the
roof of a house. ach scale has a short stalk, and is maintained
in position by the stalk fitting into a cavity in a projection of
the wing-membrane (Fig. 172).
Androconia.—The males of numerous butterflies possess
scales peculiar in kind and various in arrangement. They may
be either irregularly scattered over the wing, or they may form
very complex definite structures (Fig. 173). They were formerly
called “plumules,” but Scudder has replaced this name by the
better one, “androconia.” The function of the androconia is
still obscure. An odour is believed to be connected with them.
Thomas supposes ' that these scales are hollow tubes in connec-
tion with glands at their bases, and that matter secreted by the
glands passes through the scales and becomes diffused. In
nearly all Lepidoptera it is the male that seeks the female; if
therefore odorous scales were present in one sex only we should
have supposed that this would have been the female rather than
the male. As, however, the reverse is the case, the function of
the androconia is supposed to be that of charming the female.
Scudder considers that the covering part of the androconial
7
i
1 Amer. Natural., xxvii. 1893, p. 1018.
332 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
structures is sometimes ornamental. As a rule, however, the
“brands” of male Lepidoptera detract from their beauty to
our eyes.
WN
il i
\
4
iii
LJ
Fia. 173.—A, section of part of wing showing the complex androconia of Thanaos tages,
a Skipper butterfly. The turning over of the costal margin of the wing is in this
case part of the arrangement. a, Upper covering-scales attached to the costal
portion of the under surface of the wing; }, edge of costal margin of the wing ;
c, costal nervure with its scales ; d, field of the wing next the costal nervure, bearing
stunted scales; e, the androconia proper, or male scales; jf, posterior covering
scales ; g, lumen of the costal nervure: B, a portion of the costal area flattened
out and seen from above; lettering as before: C, section of androconium on the
second nervure of Argynnis paphia. (After Aurivillius.)
resuming our consideration of the development of the wings,
we may remark that the history of the changes during the
pupal state is still imperfect. By the changes of relative size
ot the thoracic segments the hind wing is brought to he under
the anterior one (ze. between it and the body), so that in the
newly formed pupa the arrangement is that shown in Fig. 174.
The wings are two sacs filled with material surrounding peri-
tracheal spaces in which run tracheae. The subsequent history
of the tracheae is very obscure, and contrary opinions have been
expressed as to their growth and disappearance. We have
alluded to the fact that in some nervures tracheae are present,
while in others they are absent; so that it is quite possible that
VI WING-DEVELOPMENT
Ww
Los)
Ww
the histories of the formation of the nervures and of their
relation to tracheae are different in various Lepidoptera. This
conclusion is rendered more probable by the statement of Com-
stock and Needham,’ that in some Insects the “ peritracheal
spaces” that mark out the position of
the future nervures are destitute of
tracheae. Gonin thinks the nervures
are derived from the sheaths of the
peritracheal spaces, and a review of all
the facts suggests that the tracheae
have only a secondary relation to the
nervures, and that the view that a
study of the pupal tracheae may be
looked on as a study of the pre-
liminary state of the nervures is not
sufficiently exact. It is, however,
probable that in Lepidoptera the
pupal tracheae play an important
though not a primary part in the
* ae Oe “1 Fic. 174.—Transverse section of
formation of the nervures ; possibly ans Gi dine. madk; Ghecuenl
this may be by setting up changes in chrysalis of Pieris brassicae,
tl ll nl ae eat showing the position and struc-
1 Cems hear them py means 9 ue ture of the wings, hanging
air they supply. Semper long ago from Che ee es ue body.
li ee | I i, d : l : li 1 i tr aa, Anterior wing ; &p, pos-
discovered hypodermal cylinders tra- terior wing; ¢, ¢, peritracheal
versed by a string (Fig. 170 B) spaces ; ¢, ¢, tracheae. (After
co) fo) ) ? ites
: Gonin.)
placed near the tracheae in the
pupa.” It appears probable that the “wing-ribs” found in
the nervures (Fig. 170, A fr and B) are the final state of these
cylinders, but the origin and import of the cylinders are still
unknown.
The formation of the scales of the wing commences very
early—apparently soon after the casting of the larval skin—
though the completion of the scales and their pigmentation is
delayed to a late period of the pupal life. The scales are formed
by special cells of the hypodermis that are placed deeper in the
interior of the wing than the other hypodermal cells. Each
scale is formed by one cell, and protrudes through the over-
lying hypodermis; the membrane into which the scales are
inserted is a subsequently developed structure, and the beautiful
1 Amer. Natural., xxxii. 1898, p, 256. 2 Zeitschr. wiss. Zool. viii. 1857, p. 326.
334 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
articulation of the scale. with the wing takes place by a division
of the stalk of the scale where it is encompassed by the mem-
brane. Semper was not able to show that the scale-forming
cells are certainly hypodermal cells, but this has since been
demonstrated by Schiffer, who also shows that each of the cells
contains an excretory vesicle.
Very little is positively known as to the development of the
colour in the wing-scales. It has been pointed out by Hopkins!
that in some cases the colours are of the nature of urates; that
is, of excretory matter of the kind that usually passes from the
body by direct channels, and in the case of Lepidoptera, by the
Malpighian tubes. Miss Newbigin suggests that the organic
pigments used in scale-coloration will be found to be of two
Fia. 175.—#arly condition of scales and nervures. (After Semper.) A, Section of
portion of wing of pupa of Sphinx pinastri; a, basal membrane with trachea
beneath it ; c, scale-forming cell; d, early state of a scale; e, e, more advanced
stages; f, hypodermal cells. B, part of a cellular cylinder that excretes the
nervure [or more probably the rib or ‘‘ Rippe” of Schiiffer ; cf. Fig. 170, B]; 0.
epithelial [hypodermal] cells ; a, central string [supposed by Semper to be a nerve}.
kinds, urates and melanins, the urates being derivatives from nitro-
genous, the melanins from carbonaceous, matters.” Marchal, who
has devoted a great deal of attention to the study of the Malpi-
ghian tubes, informs us that the subdermal pigments of cater-
pillars are frequently in large part deposits of urates, and he is
of opinion that, the function of the Malpighian tubes being
arrested at certain periods of the metamorphosis, elimination of
the matter they separate when functionally active then takes
place in a variety of other ways.
=
S
Ss
ks
=
>
nN
S
=
Lea
2
=
S
=
ie)
3S
=I
—~
S
x
=~
j
ew
183.-
male,
Fra,
allied to Papilio, and contains some of the most remarkable of
butterflies, the homes of the species being the islands of the Malay
Archipelago, and outlying groups of islands, there being a smaller
number of species in the neighbouring continents. The females
are of great size, and are so excessively different from their
(‘AviS pur ‘ayy Sfortq ‘smMopoH “eoBJANS Jopun
ey} SUIMOYS “potovyep “opts }YUSLU oyy WO ‘sour aL)
"OTRULay ‘pasippiod (nibsaquaoyoy ) plapdoyjJUULO
362 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
consorts of the other sex, as to arouse in the student a feeling of
surprise, and astrong desire to fathom the mysteries involved. It
would be difticult to surpass the effective coloration of the males
in many of the species of Ornithoptera ; they are, too, very diverse
in this respect; O. brookiana is of an intense black colour, with
a band of angular green marks extending the whole length of
its wings, while behind the head there is a broad collar of crimson
colour. Perhaps the most remarkable of all is the O. paradisea,
recently discovered in New Guinea; in this species the sexual
disparity reaches its maximum. The female (Fig. 184) is a
large, sombre creature of black, white and grey colours, but the
male (Fig. 183) is brilliant with gold and green, and is made
additionally remarkable by a long tail of unusual form on each
hind wing. -
We may anticipate that these extraordinary cases of sexual
total dissimilarity in appearance are accompanied by equally
remarkable habits and physiological phenomena. In the case of
O. brookiana the female is extremely rare, so that the collector,
Kiinstler, could only obtain fifteen females to a thousand males.
According to Mr. Skertchly, instead of the crowd of males being
eager to compete for the females, the reverse is the case; the
female diligently woos the male, who exhibits a reluctance to
coupling. This observer apparently considered that the “emerald
feathers” of the male are a guide or incitement to the female.'
In Africa Ornithoptera is to a certain extent represented
by two extremely remarkable forms, Papilio zalmoxis and P.
(Drurya) antimachus. There are about a dozen other genera of
Papilionidae ; most of them contain but few species. Parnassius,
however, is rich in species inhabiting the mountains and elevated
plateaus of the northern hemisphere in both the Old and New
Worlds; it is remarkable for the small amount of scales on the
wings, and for the numerous variations of the species. The female
possesses a peculiar pouch at the end of the body; although only
formed during the process of coupling, it has a special and
characteristic form in most of the species. The curious Indian
genus Leptocircus has parts of the front wings transparent, while
the hind pair form long tails. This genus is of interest in that
1 Ann. Nat. Hist. (6), iv. 1889, p. 2138. We trust there will not be many more
Kiinstlers, as this beautiful butterfly must certainly become extinct, if the female
be really as rare as is supposed.
VI BUTTERFLIES—SKIPPERS 363
it is said to connect Papilionidae to some extent with Hesperiidae.
The larvae of this family are remarkable on account of a curious
process on the thoracic segment called an “osmeterium.” It is
usually retracted, but at the will of the caterpillar can be everted
in the form of a long furcate or Y-shaped process; there is a
gland in the osmeterium, and as a result a strong odour is
emitted when the exstulpation occurs.
The pupation of Papilionidae is similar to that of Pieridae,
the pupa being placed with the head upwards, fixed by the tail,
and girt round the middle. A very curious diversity of pupation
occurs in the genus Zhais, in which the pupa is attached by the
tail as usual, and—which is quite exceptional—also by a thread
placed at the top of the head. Scudder thinks there is also a
girdle round the middle, but Dr. Chapman inclines to the view
that the thread attaching the head is really the median girdle
slipped upwards. The pupation of Parnassius is exceptional,
inasmuch as, like Satyrides, it is terrestrial, in a slight construc-
tion of silk.
Fam. 6. Hesperiidae (Shippers), Six perfect legs: metanotum
not free, largely covered by the mesonotum. A pad on the front tibia.
Claws short and thick ; empodium present. Although this family
has been comparatively neglected by entomologists, upwards of
2000 species and more than 200 genera are known, and it is not
improbable that it may prove to be as extensive as Nymphalidae.
We have already said that Hesperiidae is generally admitted to
be the most distinct of the butterfly groups. It has been thought
by some taxonomists to be allied to Papilionidae, but this is a
mistake. It is undoubtedly more nearly allied to Heterocera,
and when the classification of Lepidoptera is more advanced, so
that the various natural groups placed in that sub-Order are
satisfactorily distinguished, it is probable that Hesperiidae will
be altogether separated from Rhopalocera. We have already
mentioned that E. Reuter considers the Hesperiidae to be phylo-
genetically unconnected with Rhopalocera proper; but though
quite ready to admit that he will probably prove correct in this,
we think Lepidopterists will not be willing to recognise the
family as a sub-Order equivalent in value to all Heterocera.
The body is shorter and thicker than it is in most butterflies,
and is pointed at the tip rather than knobbed or bent down-
wards; the wings are less ample; the antennae are not truly
364 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
knobbed, but are thicker before the actual tip, which is itself
pointed and more or less bent backwards, so that the antennae
are somewhat hook-shaped.
In habits as well as structure the family is markedly distinct
from butterflies; the pupation is peculiar, and the name Skipper
has been apphed to the perfect Insects, because so many of them
indulge in a brief, jerky flight, mstead of the prolonged aerial
courses characteristic of the higher butterflies.
There is great difference among the members of the family,
and some of them possess a very high development of the powers
of locomotion, with a correspondingly perfect structure of the
thoracic region, so that, after inspection of these parts, we can
quite believe Wallace’s statement that the larger and strong-
bodied kinds are remarkable for the excessive rapidity of their
flight, which, indeed, he was inclined to consider surpassed that
of any other Insects. “The eye cannot follow them as they dart
past ; and the air, forcibly divided, gives out a deep sound louder
than that produced by the humming-bird itself. If power of
wing and rapidity of flight could place them in that rank, they
should be considered the most highly organised of butterflies.”
It was probably to the genera Pyrrhopyge, Erycides, etc., that
Mr. Wallace alluded in the above remarks. Although the Hes-
periidae are not as a rule beautifully coloured, yet many of these
higher forms are most tastefully ornamented ; parts of the wings,
wing-fringes, and even the bodies being set with bright but agree-
able colours. We mention these facts because it is a fashion to
attribute a lowly organisation to the family, and to place it as
ancestral to other butterflies. Some of them have crepuscular
habits, but this is also the case with a variety of other Rhopalo-
cera in the tropics.
In their early stages the Skippers—so far as at present known
—depart considerably from the majority of butterflies, Imasmuch
as they possess in both the larval and pupal instars habits of con-
cealment and retirement. The caterpillars have the body nearly
bare, thicker in the middle, the head free, and more or less
notched above. They make much greater use of silk than other
butterfly-larvae do, and draw together leaves to form caves for
concealment, and even make webs and galleries. Thus the habits
are almost those of the Tortricid moths. Pupation takes place
under similar conditions ; and it is interesting to find that Chap-
SL TS I I
VI HESPERIIDAE—SKIPPERS 365
man considers that the pupa in several points of structure re-
sembles that of the small moths. Not only does the larva draw
together leaves or stalks to make a shelter for the pupa, but it
frequently also forms a rudimentary cocoon. These arrangements
are, however, very variable, and the accounts that have been
given indicate that even the same species may exhibit some
amount of variation in its pupation. Scudder considers that, in
the North American Skippers, the cremaster is attached to a single
Y-like thread. In other cases there is a silk pad on the leaf for
the cremaster to hook on. An interesting account given by Mr.
Dudgeon of the pupation of a common Indian Skipper, Badamia
exclamationis, shows that this Insect exercises considerable in-
Fic. 185. —Pupation of
Badamia exclamationis.
(After Dudgeon. VJ.
Bombay Soc. x. 1895,
p. 144). A, One side
of the leaf-cradle, the
other (nearest to the
observer) being broken
away ; B, transverse sec-
tion of entire cradle. a,
The pupa; 4, fastenings
of perpendicular threads
round pupa; ¢, cross
thread retaining the leaf
in cradle form ; d, mar-
gins of the leaf; e, mid-
rib of leaf.
genuity in the structure of the punparium, and also that the
arrangements it adopts facilitate one of the acts of pupation most
difficult for such pupae as suspend themselves, viz. the hooking the
cremasters on to the pad above them. badamia uses a rolled-up
leaf (Fig. 185); the edges of the leaf are fastened together by
silk at d; from this spot there descends a thread which, when
it reaches the pupa, a, forks so as to form an inverted Y, and is
fastened to the leaf on either side ; the two sides of the leaf are kept
together by a cross thread, ce. Mr. Dudgeon was fortunate enough
to observe the act of pupation, and saw that “although the anal
prolegs of the larva were attached to a tuft or pad of silk in the
usual way, and remained so until nearly the whole skin had been
shuftled off, yet when the last segment had to be taken out, the
pupa drew it entirely away from the skin and lifted it over the
366 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
empty skin, and by a series of contortions similar to those made
by an Insect in depositing an egg, it soon re-attached its anal
segment or cremaster to the web, throwing away the cast-off skin
by wriggling its body about.”
Series II. Heterocera. Moths.
Although Rhopalocera—if exclusion be made of the Hes-
periidae—is probably a natural group, yet this is not the case
with Heterocera. The only definition that can be given of
Heterocera is the practical one that all Lepidoptera that are not
butterflies are Heterocera. Numerous divisions of the Heterocera
have been long current, but their mits have become more and
more uncertain, so that at the present time no divisions of greater
value than the family command a recognition at all general. This
is not really a matter of reproach, for it arises from the desire to
recognise only groups that are capable of satisfactory definition.
Several attempts have recently been made to form a rough
forecast of the future classification of moths. Professor Comstock,
struck by some peculiarities presented by the Hepialidae, Microp-
terygidae (and Eriocephalidae), recently proposed to separate them
from all other Lepidoptera as a sub-order Jugatae. Comstock’s
discrimination in making this separation met with general ap-
proval. The character on which the group Jugatae is based is,
however, comparatively trivial, and its possession is not sufti-
cient, as pointed out by Packard,’ to justify the close association
of Hepialidae and Micropterygidae, which, in certain important
respects, are the most dissimilar of moths. The characters
possessed by the two families in common may be summarised by
saying that the wings and wing-bearing segments remain in a
low stage of development. In nearly all other characters the
two families are widely different. Packard has therefore, while
accepting Comstock’s separation of the familes in question,
proposed a different combination. He considers that Eriocepha-
lidae should be separated from all others as “ Protolepidoptera ”
or “ Lepidoptera Laciniata,” while the whole of the other Lepi-
doptera, comprised under the term “ Lepidoptera Haustellata,”
are divided into Palaeolepidoptera (consisting only of Microp-
terygidae) and Neolepidoptera, comprising all Lepidoptera (in-
1 Mem. Ac. Washington, vii. 1895, p. 57.
VI HETEROCERA——-MOTHS 367
clusive of Hepialidae) except the Eriocephalidae and Microptery-
gidae. The question is rendered more difficult by the very close
relations that exist between Micropterygidae and a sub-Order,
Trichoptera, of Neuroptera. Dr. Chapman, by a sketch of the
classification of pupae,’ and Dyar, by one on larval stages,? have
made contributions to the subject; but the knowledge of early
stages and metamorphosis is so very imperfect that the last two
memoirs can be considered only as preliminary sketches ; as indeed
seem to have been the wishes of the authors themselves.
Simultaneously with the works above alluded to, Mr. Mey-
rick has given®-a new classification of the Order. We allude,
in other pages, to various points in Mr. Meyrick’s classifica-
tion, which is made to appear more revolutionary than it really
is, In consequence of the radical changes in nomenclature com-
bined with it. ;
As regards the various aggregates of families that are widely
known in literature by the names Bombyces, Sphinges, Noctuae,
Geometres, Pyrales, we need only remark that they are still
regarded as to some extent natural. Their various limits being
the subject of discussion and at present undecided, the groups
are made to appear more uncertain than is really the case. The
group that has to suffer the greatest changes is the old Bom-
byces. This series comprises the great majority of those moths
that have diurnal habits. In it there were also included several
groups of moths the larvae of which feed in trunks of trees or
in the stems of plants, such as Cossidae, that will doubtless prove
to have but little connection with the forms with which they were
formerly associated. These groups with aberrant habits are those
that give rise to the greatest difficulties of the taxonomist.
The following key to the families of Heterocera is taken from
Sir G. F. Hampson’s recent work, Fauna of British India—Moths#
It includes nearly all the families at present recognised among
the larger Lepidoptera; certain families? not mentioned in this
key are alluded to in our subsequent remarks on the families :—
Tr. ent. Soc. London, 1893, p. 97, with Suppl. op. cit. 1896, pp. 129 and 567.
* Amer. Natural. xxix. 1895, p. 1066. See also Ann. N. York Ac. viii. 1895,
p- 194, and Ent. Record, 1897, pp. 186 and 196.
3 Handbook of British Lepidoptera, 1895.
* London, 1892. Published under the authority of the Secretary of State for
India in Council.
° Those numbered 2, 8, 10, 17, 22, 27, 44, and 46 in our arrangement.
368 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
Key To THE FAMILIES oF Motus!
N.B.— This table is not simply dichotomic ; three contrasted categories are used
in the case of the primary divisions, A, B, C, and the secondary divisions,
i, nde
A. Fore wing with nervule 5 coming from the middle of the discocellulars,
or nearer 6 than 4 (Categories I, II, III = 1-18).
I. Frenulum rudimentary . . Fam. 38. Epicopeiidae, see p. 418
Il. Frenulum absent (Categories 1-8).
1. Proboscis present, legs with spurs (Cat. 2-5).
2. Hind wing with nervule 8 remote from 7 (Cat. 3 and 4).
3. Fore wing with nervule 6 and 7 stalked
Fam. 39. Uraniidae, see p. 419.
4. Fore wing with nervules 6 and 7 not stalked
Fam. 5. Ceratocampidae, see p. 375.
5. Hind wing with nervule 8 nearly touching 7 beyond end of cell
Fam. 4. Brahmaeidae, see p. 374.
6. Proboscis absent, legs without spurs (Cat. 7 and 8).
7. Hind wing with one internal nervure
Fam. 3. Saturniidae, see p. 372.
8. Hind wing with two or three internal nervures
Fam. 6. Bombycidae, see p. 375.
III. Frenulum present (Cat. 9-18).
9. Antennae fusiform [spindle-shaped] Fam. 9. Sphingidae, see p. 380.
10. Antennae not fusiform (Cat. 11-18).
11. Proboscis absent . . Fam. 7. Eupterotidae, see p. 376.
12. Proboscis present (Cat. 13-18).
13. Hind wing with nervule 8 curved and almost touch-
ing 7 after end of cell; nervure la reaching anal angle
Fam. 12. Cymatophoridae, see p. 386.
14. Hind wing with nervule 8 remote from 7 after end of
cell (Cat. 15-18).
15. Tarsi as short as tibia, hairy; stoutly built moths
Fam. 11. Notodontidae,? sce p. 383.
16. Tarsi long and naked; slightly built moths (Cat.
17 and 18)
17. Fore wing with nervule 7 remote from 8, and
generally stalked with 6
Fam. 40. Epiplemidae, see p. 420.
18. Fore wing with nervule 7 given off from 8 ; hind
wing with nervure la short or absent
Fam. 36. Geometridae, see p. 411.
1 For explanatory diagram of the wings, see Fig. 161, I. When the nervuration
is obscured by the wing-scales, it may be rendered temporarily visible by the appli--
cation, with a camel’s-hair brush, of a little benzine. The wings may be per-
manently denuded of their scales by being placed fora short time in Eau de Javelle
(hypochlorite of potash).
2 The genus Cyphanta (one species from India) has nervule 5 of the fore wing
proceeding from the lower angle of the cell.
VI HETEROCERA—MOTHS 369
B. Fore wing with nervule 5 coming from lower angle of cell or nearer 4
than 6 [see figures 161 and 162, pp. 318, 319] (Categories 19-58).
19. Hind wing with more than 8 nervules (Cat. 20, 21).
20. Proboscis absent, no mandibles nor ligula; size not very small
Fam. 23. Hepialidae, see p. 396.
21. Mandibles, long palpi and ligula present ; size very small
Fam. 47. Micropterygidae, see p. 435.
2. Hind wing with not more than 8 nervules (Cat. 23-58).
23. Hind wing with nervule 8 remote from 7 after origin of
nervules 6 and 7 (Cat. 24-51).
24. Frenulum absent (Cat. 25-29).
25. Hind wing with one internal nervure; nervule 8 with
a precostal spur, Fam. 31. Pterothysanidae, see p. 406.
26. Hind wing with two internal nervures (Cat. 27 and 28).
27. Hind wing with a bar between nervules 7 and 8
near the base; nervure 1a directed to middle of inner
margin . Fam. 30. Endromidae, see p. 406.
28. Hind wing with no bar between nervules 7 and 8 ;
nervure la directed to anal angle
Fam. 29. Lasiocampidae, see p. 405.
29. Hind wing with three internal nervures
Fam. 21. Arbelidae, see p. 396.
30. Frenulum present (Cat. 31-51).
31. Hind wing with nervule 8 aborted,
Fam. 15. Syntomidae, see p. 388.
32. Hind wing with nervule 8 present (Cat. 33-51).
33. Antennae knobbed Fam. 1. Castniidae, see p. 371.
34. Antennae filiform, or (rarely) dilated a little towards
the tip (Cat. 35-51).
35. Fore wing with nervure Ic present (Cat. 36-43).
36. Hind wing with nervule 8 free from the
base or connected with 7 by a bar (Cat.
37-42).
37. Proboscis present
Fam. 16. Zygaenidae, see p. 390.
38. Proboscis absent (Cat. 39-42).
39. Palpi rarely absent; @Q winged ;
larvae wood-borers
Fam. 20. Cossidae, see p. 395.
40. Palpi absent ; 2 apterous (Cat. 41,
42),
41. 9 rarely with legs; 2 and
larvae case-dwellers
Fam. 19. Psychidae, see p. 392.
42. ? and larvae free !
Fam. 18. Heterogynidae, see p. 392.
bo
bo
1 This is a mistake of Sir George Hampson’s. It has long been known that the
female of Heterogynis does not leave the cocoon (for references see p. 392) ; the
larvae, however, do not live in cases, as those of Psychidae do.
VOL. VI 2B
370 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
43. Hind wing with nervule 8 anastomosing
shortly with 7
Fam. 26. Limacodidae, see. p. 401.
44. Fore wing with nervure le absent (Cat. 45-51).
45. Hind wing with nervule 8 rising out of 7
Fam. 34. Arctiidae, see p. 408.
46. Hind wing with nervule 8 connected with 7
by a bar, or’ touching it near middle of
cell (Cat. 47, 48).
47. Palpi with the third joint naked and
reaching far above vertex of head ;
proboscis present
Fam. 33. Hypsidae, see p. 408.
48. Palpi not reaching above vertex of
head ; proboscis absent or very minute
Fam. 32. Lymantriidae, see p. 406.
49. Hind wing with nervule 8 anastomosing
shortly with 7 near the base ; proboscis
well developed (Cat. 50, 51).
50, Antennae more or less thick towards tip
Fam. 35. Agaristidae, see p. 410.
51. Antennae filiform
Fam. 37. Noctuidae, see p. 414.
52, Hind wing with nervule 8 curved and nearly or quite
touching nervule 7, or anastomosing with it after origin of
nervules 6 and 7 (Cat. 53-58).
53. Hind wing with nervure Ic absent (Cat. 54-57).
54. Hind wing with nervule 8 with a precostal spur
Fam. 24. Callidulidae, see p. 400.
55. Hind wing with nervule 8 with no precostal spur
(Cat. 56, 57).
56. Hind wing with nervure la absent or very short
Fam. 25. Drepanidae, see p. 400.
57. Hind wing with nervure la almost or quite
reaching anal angle
Fam. 28. Thyrididae, see p. 404.
58. Hind wing with nervure le present
Fam. 41. Pyralidae, see p. 420.
©. Fore wing with 4 nervules arising from the cell at almost even dis-
tances apart (Cat. 59-66).
59. Wings not divided into plumes (Cat. 60-63).
60. Hind wing with nervule 8 coincident with 7
Fam. 13. Sesiidae, see p. 386.
61. Hind wing with nervule 8 free (Cat. 62, 63).
62. Fore wing with nervure 1b simple or with a very
minute fork at base
Fam. 14. Tinaegeriidae, see p. 387.
63. Fore wing with nervure la forming a large fork
with 1b at base Fam. 45. Tineidae, see p. 428.
VI HETEROCERA—CASTNIIDAE aye it
64. Wings divided into plumes (Cat. 65, 66).
65. Fore wing divided into at most two, hind wing into three
plumes . é . Fam. 42. Pterophoridae, see p. 426.
66. Fore wing and hind wing each divided into three plumes
Fam. 43. Alucitidae (= Orneodidae), see p. 426.
Fam. 1. Castniidae.— Zhe Jnsects of this family combine to a
large extent the characters of butterflies and moths. The antennae
are knobbed or hooked at the tip, there is a large precostal area to
the hind wing. The nervules of the front wing are complex and
anastomose so as to form one or more accessory cells (Fig. 162). This
important, but not extensive, family consists chiefly of forms found
in tropical America and Australia. The diversity of size, form and
appearance is very great, and it is probable that the members of the
family will be separated; indeed, taxonomists are by no means
in agreement as to the limits of the family. The Castniidae
are diurnal Insects, and the North American genus J/egathymus
is by many con-
sidered to belong
to the Rhopalo-
cera. Huschemon
rapfilesiae (Fig. 186)
is extremely hke a
large Skipper with
long antennae, but
has a. well-marked
frenulum. The
Fic. 186.—Euschemon rafilesiae. Australia. (After
Doubleday. )
members of the
Australian genus
Synemon are much smaller, but they also look like Skippers.
Their habits are very like those of the Hesperiidae ; they
tht about in the hot sunshine, and when settling after their
brief flights, the fore wings are spread out at right angles to
the body, so as to display the more gaily coloured hind
wings; at might, or in cloudy weather, the Insect rests on
blades of grass with the wings erect, meeting vertically over
the back, like a butterfly. Hecatesia, another Australian genus,
is now usually assigned to Agaristidae; its members look like
inoths. The male of H. fenestrata is provided with a sound-
producing organ similar to that of the Agaristid genus Aegocera.
The Castnia of South America are many of them like
37 2 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
Nymphalid butterflies, but exhibit great diversity, and resemble
butterflies of several different divisions of the family.!
The species are apparently great lovers of heat and can
tolerate a very dry atmosphere.” The transformations of very
few have been observed; so far as is known the larvae feed in
stems ; and somewhat resemble those of Goat-moths or Leopard-
moths (Cossidae); the caterpillar of C. therapon lives in the stems
of Brazilian orchids, and as a consequence has been brought to
Europe, and the moth there disclosed. The pupae are in general
structure of the incomplete character, and have transverse rows
of spines, as is the case with other moths of different families,
but having larvae with similar habits.? Castnia eudesmia forms
a large cocoon of fragments of vegetable matter knitted together
with silk. These Insects are rare in collections ; they do not ever
appear in numbers, and are generally very difficult to capture.
Fam. 2. Neocastniidae.— The Oriental genus TZascina
formerly placed in Castniidae has recently been separated by
Sir G. Hampson and associated with Neocastnia nicevillei, from
East India, to form this family. These Insects have the appear-
ance of Nymphald butterflies. They differ from Castniidae by
the want of a proboscis.
Fam. 3. Saturniidae.—This is a large and varied assemblage
of moths; the larvae construct cocoons; the products of several
species being used as silk. These moths have no frenulum and
no proboscis. The hind wings have a very large shoulder, so
that the anterior margin or costa stretches far forward beneath
the front wing, as it does in butterflies. The antennae of the
males are strongly bipectinated and frequently attain a magnifi-
cent development. The family includes some of the largest
and most remarkable forms of the Insect-world. Coscinocera
hercules, inhabiting North Australia, is a huge moth which,
with its expanded wings and the long tails thereof, covers a
space of about 70 square inches. One of the striking features
of the family is the occurrence in numerous forms of remarkable
transparent spaces on the wings; these window - like areas
usually occur in the middle of the wing and form a most remark-
able contrast to the rest of the surface, which is very densely
1 See Westwood, Zr. Linn. Soe. London (2), i. 1877, p. 165, ete.
* For habits of some Brazilian Castnia see Seitz, Hnt. Zeit. Stettin, li. 1890, p. 258.
3 For pupa see Chapman, Ent. Rec. vi. 1895, pp. 286, 288.
VI HETEROCHERA—SATURNIIDAE 3
N
WwW
scaled. In —
“The hag-moth larvae do not seek to hide away their cocoons,
but attach them to leaves and twigs fully exposed to view, with,
however, such artful management as to surroundings and_har-
monising colours that they are of all the group the most difficult
to discover. A device to which this Insect frequently resorts
exhibits the extreme of instinctive sagacity. If the caterpillar
cannot find at hand a suitable place in which to weave its
cocoon, it frequently makes for itself more satisfactory surround-
ings by killing the leaves, upon which, after they have become
dry and brown in colour, it places its cocoon. Several of these
vaterpillars unite together, and selecting a long and vigorous
immature shoot or leader of the orange tree, they kill it by
cutting into its base until it wilts and bends over. The
leaves of a young shoot in drying turn a light tan-color, which
1 See Packard, P. Amer. Phil. Soc. xxxi. 1893, pp. 83, 108, Plates. (He uses
the term Cochliopodidae instead of Limacodidae) ; also Dyar, as above.
* Insects affecting the Orange, Washington, 1885, p. 143.
404 IEAM IODKONEME EVAN CHAP.
harmonises most perfectly with the hairy locks of the caterpillar
covering the cocoon. The latter is, consequently, not easily
detected, even when placed upon the exposed and upturned
surface of the leaf.”
The cocoons of Limacodidae are unusually elaborate, the
larva forming a perfect lid in order to permit itself to escape
when a moth. Chapman states that the larva hes unchanged
in the cocoon all winter, moulting to a pupa in the spring, and
that the pupa escapes from the cocoon previous to the emergence
of the moth.’ Both Chapman and Packard look on the family
as really nearer to Microlepidoptera than to Bombyces ; Meyrick
(calling it Heterogeneidae) places it at the end of his series
Psychina next Zygaenidae.
We may allude here to the little moths, described by West-
wood under the name of Hpipyrops, that have the extraordinary
habit of living on the bodies of live Homopterous Insects of the
family Fulgoridae in India. What their nutriment may be is
not known. The larva exudes a white flocculent matter, which
becomes a considerable mass, in the midst of which the caterpillar
changes to a pupa. Westwood placed the Insect in Arctiidae ;
Sir George Hampson suggests 1t may be a Limacodid, and this
appears probable.
Fam. 27. Megalopygidae (or Lagoidae).—The American
genera, Megalopyge and Lagoa, are treated by Berg and by
Packard * as a distinct family intermediate between Saturniidae
and Limacodidae. The larva is said by the latter authority to
have seven pairs of abdominal feet instead of five pairs—the
usual number in Lepidoptera. When young the caterpillars of
Lagoa opercularis are white and resemble a flock of cotton wool.
When full grown the larva presents the singular appearance of
a lock of hair, moving in a gliding, slug-like manner. Under
the long silky hair there are short, stiff, poison-hairs. The
larva forms a cocoon, fitted with a hinged trap-door for the
escape of the future moth. This curious larva is destroyed by
both Dipterous and Hymenopterous parasites.
Fam. 28. Thyrididae.—A small family of Pyraloid moths,
exhibiting considerable variety of form and colour, frequently
with hyaline patches on the wings. They are mostly small
1 Tr, ent. Soc. London, 1894, p. 348. 2 Op. cit. 1876, p. 522 ; and 1877, p. 433.
3 P. Amer. Phil. Soc, xxxii. 1894, p. 275.
VI HETEROCERA—THYRIDIDAE—LASIOCAMPIDAE 405
Insects, and contain no very striking forms. Some of them
look like Geometrids of various groups. The family is widely
distributed in the tropical zone, and includes 25 genera, of
which Rhodoneura, with upwards of 100 species, is the chief
one. The larvae are said to be similar to those of Pyralidae.
This family is considered by Hampson and Meyrick to be
ancestral to butterflies.
Fam. 29. Lasiocampidae (Lygers, Lappet -moths).— Usually
large Insects densely covered with scales, without frenulum,
but with the costal area of the hind wing largely developed,
and the male antennae beautifully pectinate, Lasiocampids are
easily recognised. They are well known in Britain, though we
have but few species. The flight of some of the species is
powerful, but ill-direected, and the males especially, dash about
as if their flight were quite
undirected ; as indeed it
probably is. The differ-
ence in the flight of the
two sexes 1s great in some
species. In the genus
Suana and its allies we meet
with moths in which the
difference in size of the Fic. 201.—Lappet-moth, Gastropacha querci-
folia, 2. Britain.
two sexes is extreme; the
males may be but 14 inches across the wings, while the very
heavy females may have three times as great an expanse. Kirby
separates these Insects to form the family Pinaridae; it in-
cludes the Madagascar silkworm, Borocera madagascariensis.
The African genus Hilbrides is remarkable for the wings being
destitute of scales, and consequently transparent, and for being of
very slender form like a butterfly. The eggs of Lasiocampidae
are smooth, in certain cases spotted in an irregular manner like
birds eggs. Sometimes the parent covers them with hair.
The larvae are clothed with a soft, woolly hair, as well as with a
shorter and stiffer kind, neither beautifully arranged nor highly
coloured, and thus differmg from the caterpillars of Lyman-
triidae; this hair in some cases has very irritating pro-
perties. Cocoons of a close and compact nature are formed, and
hairs from the body are frequently mixed with the cocoon. In
1 Revision of the Thyrididae ; Hampson, P. Zool. Soc. London, 1897, p. 608.
406 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
some species the walls of the cocoons have a firm appeaz-
ance, looking very lke egg-shell—a fact which is supposed to
have given rise to the name of Eggers. Professors Poulton
and Meldola have informed us that this appearance is produced
by spreading calcium oxalate on a slight framework of silk,
the substance in question being a product of the Malpighian
tubes.’ In various families of Lepidoptera it happens that
occasionally the pupa exists longer than usual before the appear-
ance of the perfect Insect, and in certain members of this family
—notoriously in Poecilocampa populi, the December moth—this
interval may be prolonged for several years. There is not at
present any explanation of this fact. It may be of interest to
mention the following case :—From a batch of about 100 eggs
deposited by one moth, in the year 1891 (the Puss-Moth of the
family Notodontidae), some sixty or seventy cocoons were obtained,
the feeding up of all the larvae having been effected within
fourteen days of one another; fourteen of the Insects emerged
as moths in 1892; about the same number in 1893; in 1894,
twenty-five; and in 1895, eleven emerged. Lasiocampidae is a
large family, consisting of some 100 genera and 500 or more
species, and is widely distributed. It is unfortunately styled
Bombycidae by some naturalists.
Fam. 30. Endromidae.—The “Kentish glory,” EHndromis
versicolor, forms this family; it 1s a large and strong moth, and
flies wildly in the daytime in birch-woods. The larva has but
few hairs, and is said when young to assume a peculiar position,
similar to that of saw-fly larvae, by bending the head and thorax
backwards over the rest of the body. .
Fam. 31. Pterothysanidae.—Consists of the curious East
Indian genus Pterothysanus, in which the inner margins of the
hind wings are fringed with long hairs. They are moths of
slender build, with large wing-expanse, black and white in colour,
like Geometrids. There is no frenulum. Metamorphoses un-
known.
Fam. 32. Lymantriidae.—(Better known as Liparidae).
These are mostly small or moderate-sized moths, without brilliant
colours; white, black, grey:and brown being predominant ; with
highly-developed, pectinated antennae in the male. The larva
is very hairy, and usually bears tufts or brushes of shorter hairs,
1 P. ent. Soc. London, 1891, 1b AA
\Git HETEROCERA—-LYMANTRIIDAE 407
together with others much longer and softer, these being some-
times also amalgamated to form pencils; the coloration of these
larvae is in Inany cases very conspicuous, the tufts and pencils
being of vivid and strongly contrasted colours. Some of these
hairy larvae are poisonous. A cocoon, in which much hair is
mixed, is formed. The pupae are remarkable, inasmuch as they
too are frequently hairy, a very unusual condition in Lepidoptera.
The Lymantriidae is one of the largest familes of the old group
Bombyces ; it includes some 180 genera and 800 species, and is
largely represented in Australia. Dasychira rossii is found in the
Arctic regions. In Britain we have eight genera represented by
eleven species; the Gold-tails, Brown-tails and Vapourer-moths
being our commonest Bombyces, and the latter being specially fond
of the London squares and gardens, where its beautiful larva may
be observed on the leaves of roses. Most of the Lymantriidae are
nocturnal, but the male Vapourer-moth flies in the daytime. In
this family there are various species whose females have the
wings small and unfit for flight, the Insects being very sluggish,
and their bodies very heavy. This is the state of the female of
the Vapourer-moth. The males in these cases are generally re-
markably active, and very rapid on the wing.
Some of these moths increase in numbers to an enormous
extent, and commit great ravages. Psilwra monacha—the Nun,
“die Nonne” of the Germans,'—is one of the principal troubles of
the conservators of forests in Germany, and great sums of money
are expended in combating it; all sorts of means for repressing
it, including its infection by fungi, have been tried in vain. The
caterpillars are, however, very subject to a fungoid disease, com-
municated by natural means. It is believed, too, that its con-
tinuance in any locality is checked after a time by a change
in the ratio of the two sexes. It is not a prolific moth, for it
lays only about 100 eggs, but it has been shown that after
making allowance for the numerous individuals destroyed by
various enemies, the produce of one moth amounts in five genera-
tions to between four and five million individuals. The larva
feeds on Coniferae, and on many leafy trees and shrubs. The young
1 This moth is known under several generic names—Psilura, Liparis, Ocneria,
Lymantria ; there is now a very extensive literature connected with it. A good
general account by Wachtl may be found in Wien. ent. Zeit. x. 1891, pp. 149-180,
2 Plates.
408 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
larva is provided with two sets of setae, one set consisting of very
long hairs, the other of setae radiating from warts ; each one of this
second set of spines has a small bladder in the middle, and it has
been suggested that these assist in the dissemination of the young
caterpillars by atmospheric means.' These aerostatic setae exist
only in the young larva. The markings of the moth are very
variable ; melanism is very common both in the larva and inago ;
it has been shown conclusively that these variations are not
connected, as black larvae do not give a larger proportion of black
moths than light-coloured caterpillars do. In England this
moth is never injurious. A closely allied form, Ocneria dispar,
was introduced by an accident into North America from Europe
about thirty years ago; for twenty years after its introduction it
did no harm, and attracted but little attention; it has, however,
now increased so much in certain districts that large sums of
money have been expended in attempting its extirpation.
Dasychiva pudibunda has occasionally increased locally to an
enormous extent, but in the limited forests of Alsace the evil was
cured by the fact that the caterpillars, having eaten up all the
foliage, then died of starvation.” Zeara melanosticta is said to
produce columns of processionary caterpillars in Australia.
Fam. 33. Hypsidae (or Aganaidae).—A family of compara-
tively small extent, confined to the tropical and sub-tropical
regions of the Eastern hemisphere. The colours are frequently
buff and grey, with white streaks on the outer parts of the wings.
We have nothing very like them in the European fauna, our
species of Spilosoma are perhaps the nearest approach. In
Euplocia the male has a pouch that can be unfolded in front of
the costa at the base of the anterior wing; it 1s filled with very
long, peculiar, hair-like scales growing from the costal margin ;
both sexes have on each side of the second abdominal segment
a small, projecting structure that may be a sense-organ. The
female is more gaily coloured than the male.
Fam. 34. Arctiidae.— With the addition recently made to
it of the formerly separate family Lithosiidae, Arctiidae has
become the most extensive family of the old Bombycid series of
moths, comprising something like 500 genera and 3000 species.
Hampson recognises four sub-families— Arctinae, Lithosiinae,
1 Wachtl and Kornauth, Mitt. forst. Versuchswesen Osterreichs, Heft xvi. 1893.
* Crahay, Ann. Soc. ent. Belyique, xxxvii. 1893, p. 282.
VI HETEROCERA—ARCTIIDAE 409
Nolinae, Nycteolinae,—to which may be added others from
America—Pericopinae, Dioptinae, Ctenuchinae; these sub-families
being treated as families by various authors. The sub-family
Arctiinae includes our Tiger- and Ermine-moths, and a great
many exotic forms of very diverse colours and patterns; the
species of this division are, on the whole, probably more variable
in colour and markings than in any other group of Lepidoptera.
There are many cases of great difference of the sexes; in the
South American genus Ambryllis the male is remarkable for its
hyaline wings with a few spots; while the female is densely
scaled, and very variegate in colour. There are some cases (the
South European genus Ocnogyna) where the female is wingless
and moves but little, while the male flies with great rapidity.
Epicausis smithi, from Madagascar, one of the most remarkable
of moths, is placed in this division of Arctiidae; it is of a tawny
colour, variegate with black; the abdomen of this latter colour
is terminated by a large tuft of long scarlet hairs; the Insect
has somewhat the appearance of a Hummingbird-hawkmoth.
Ecpantheria is an extensive genus of tropical American moths
(having one or two species in North America), of black and
white or grey colours, with very complex markings; the male in
some species has a part of the hind wing produced as a tail, or
lobe, of a different colour.
The sub-family Pericopinae are almost peculiar to South
America (two species of Gnophaela exist in North America) ;
some of this sub-family bear a great resemblance to Heliconid
butterflies.
The Dioptinae are likewise American moths of diurnal habits,
and many of them bear a striking resemblance to the Ithomiid
butterflies they associate with when alive.
The sub-family Lithosiinae is of great extent; our native
“ Footmen ” give a very good idea of it; the moths are generally
of light structure, with long, narrow front wings; a simple system
of yellow and black colour is of frequent occurrence. Many of
this group feed in the larval state on lichens. Hampson includes
in this group the Nyctemeridae—light-bodied diurnal moths,
almost exclusively of black and white colours, of Geometrid
form, frequently treated as a distinct family.
The sub-family Nolinae is a small group of rather insignificant
Insects, in appearance like Pyralids or Geometrids; four or five
410 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
species are native in Britain. Packard maintains the family
Nolidae as distinct."
The sub-family Nycteolinae consists of a few small moths the
position of which has always been uncertain; Wycteola (better
known as Sarrothripus), Halias, and Harias are all British genera
that have been placed amongst Tortrices, to which they bear a
considerable resemblance. Sarrothripus is at present placed by
Hampson in Noctuidae, by others in Lithosidae, by Meyrick in
Arctiidae. The sub-family forms the family Cymbidae of Kirby;”
it includes at present only about 70 species, all belonging to the
Eastern hemisphere. Two types of larvae are known in it: one
bare, living exposed on leaves; the other, Harias, hairy, living
among rolled-up leaves. Halias prasinana is known from the
testimony of numerous auditors to produce a sound when on the
wing, but the modus operandi has not been satisfactorily ascer-
tained. Sound-production seems to be of more frequent occurrence
in Arctiidae than it is in any other family of Lepidoptera ;
Donychopus niveus produces a sound by, it 1s believed, friction
of the wings, In the case of the genera Setina and Chelonia
the process is said to be pecuhar to the male sex: Laboulbene
believes it to proceed from drum-like vesicles situate one on each
side of the base of the metathorax.’
Fam. 35. Agaristidae.—An interesting assemblage of moths,
many of them diurnal and of vivid colours, others crepuscular.
There is considerable variety of appearance in the family, although
it is but a small one, and many of its members remind one of
other and widely separated families of Lepidoptera. The style
and colour of the Japanese Husemia villicoides are remarkably
like our Arctia villica. In some forms the antennae are some-
what thickened towards the tip and hooked, like those of the
Skipper butterflies. The family consists at present of about 250
species, but we doubt its being a sufficiently natural one. It is
very widely distributed, with the exception that it is quite absent
from Europe and the neighbourhood of the Mediterranean Sea.
In North America it is well represented. The larvae, so far as
known, are not very remarkable; they have some lateral tufts of
hair, as well as longer hairs scattered over the body.
Amer. Natural. xxix. 1895, p. 801.
2 Catalogue of Lepidoptera Heterocera, i. 1892.
3 Ann. Soc. ent. France (4), iv. 1864, p. 689.
VI HETEROCERA—AGARISTIDAE—GEOMETRIDAE 411
The male of the Indian Aegocera tripartita has been noticed
to produce a clicking sound when flying, and Sir G. Hampson has
shown ' that there is a peculiar structure on the anterior wing ;
he considers that this is rubbed against some spines on the front
feet, and that the sound is produced by the friction. Though
this structure is wanting in the acknowledged congeners otf
A, tripartita, yet it occurs in a very similar form in the genus
Hecatesia, already noticed under Castniidae.
Fam. 36. Geometridae (Carpets, Pugs, etc.)— This very
extensive family consists of fragile moths, only a small number
being moderately stout forms; they have a large wing-area;
the antennae are frequently highly developed in the males,
but on this point there is much diversity. Either the frenulumn
or the proboscis is absent in a few cases. The caterpillars are
elongate and slender, with only one pair of abdominal feet—
placed on the ninth segment—in addition to the anal pair, or
claspers. They progress by moving these two pairs of feet up to
the thoracic legs, so that the body is thrown into a large loop, and
they are hence called Loopers or Geometers. The family is uni-
versally distributed, and occurs even in remote islands and high
latitudes ; in Britain we have about 270 species. The family was
formerly considered to be closely connected with Noctuidae, but at
present the opinion that it has more intimate relations with the
families we have previously considered is prevalent. Packard
considers it near to Lithosiidae, while Meyrick merely places the
six families, of which he treats it as composed, in his series Noto-
dontina. Hampson adopts Meyrick’s six families as sub-familes,
but gives them different names, being in this respect more con-
servative than Meyrick, whose recent revision of the European
forms resulted in drastic changes in nomenclature.” This
classification is based almost exclusively on wing-nervuration.
The number of larval legs and the consequent mode of walking
is one of the most constant characters of the group; the few
exceptions that have been detected are therefore of interest.
Anisopteryx aescularia has a pair of undeveloped feet on the eighth
segment, and, according to Meyrick, its allies “sometimes show
rudiments of the other two pairs.” The larva of Himera
1 P. Zool. Soc. London, 1892, p. 188.
2 Tr. ent. Soc. London, 1892, pp. 53-140; for criticism on the nomenclature,
see Rebel, Ent. Zeit. Stettin, lili. 1892, p, °247.
AI2 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
pennaria is said to have in early life a pair of imperfect feet on
the eighth segment, which disappear as the larva approaches
maturity.
The position of the abdominal feet and claspers throws the
holding power of the larva to the posterior part of the body,
instead of to the middle, as in other caterpillars. This, com-
bined with the elongate form, causes these larvae when reposing
to assume attitudes more or less different from those of other
larvae ; holding on by the claspers, some of these Insects allow all
the anterior parts of the body to project in a twig-hke manner.
The front parts are not, however, really free in such cases, but
are supported by a thread of silk extending from the mouth
to some point near-by. Another plan adopted is to prop the
front part of the body
against a twig placed
at right angles to the
supporting leaf, so that
the caterpillar 1s in a
diagonal line between
the two (Fig. 202).
Other Geometers assume
peculiar coiled or spiral
attitudes during a whole
or a portion of their
lives; some doing this
on a supporting object
-—leaf or twig—while
others hang down
(Ephyra pendularia).
Certain of the larvae of
E 3 Geometridae vary in
colour, from shades of
brown to green; there
Fig. 202.—Larva of Amph idasis betularia, reposing is much diversity in
on a rose-twig. <1. Cambridge. 4 iy.
this variation. In some
species it is simple variation; in others it is dimorphism,
i.e. the larvae are either brown or green. In other cases the
larvae are at first variable, subsequently dimorphic. In Amphi-
dasis betularia it would appear that when the larva is hatched
the dimorphism is potential, and that the future colour, whether
ae GEOMETRIDAE ve
green or brown, is settled by some determining condition during
the first period of larval life and cannot be subsequently moditied.!
According to Poulton, the dark tint is due in A. betularia to
colouring matter in the skin or immediately below it, and the
green tint to a layer of fat between the hypodermis and the
superficial muscles; this layer beimg always green, but more
brightly green in the larvae that are of this colour externally.
Much discussion has occurred about these larval attitudes and
colours, and it seems probable that Professor Poulton has over-
rated the value of protection from birds, mammals and ento-
mologists; the chief destroying agents being other than these,
and not liable to be thus deceived, even if the vertebrates are.
In some cases such resemblance as undoubtedly exists is not
made the best use of. The larva shown in figure 202 bore
a wonderful resemblance, when examined, to the rose-twigs it
lived on, but the effect of this as a concealing agent was entirely
destroyed by the attitude; for this, being on different lines to
those of the plant, attracted the eye at once. This larva, and we
may add numerous other larvae, could have been perfectly con-
cealed by adopting a different attitude, but never did so; the
position represented being constantly maintained except while
feeding.
In some species of this family the adult females are without
wings, or have them so small that they can be of no use for
fight. This curious condition occurs in various and _ widely-
separated groups of the Geometridae ; and it would be naturally
supposed to have a great effect on the economy of the species
exhibiting it, but this is not the case. Some of the flightless
females affect the highest trees and, it is believed, ascend to their
very summits to oviposit. It has been suggested that they are
carried up by the winged males, but this is probably only an
exceptional occurrence ; while, as they are known to be capable
of ascending with rapidity by means of crawling and running,
it may be taken for granted that this is the usual method with
them. Some of these wingless females have been found in
numbers on gas-lamps, and are believed to have been attracted
by the light, as is the case with very many of the winged forms.”
1 See Poulton, 77. ent. Soc. London, 1884, p. 51; op. cit. 1892, p. 293; and
Bateson, p. 213; Gould, p. 215.
2 Giraud, Ann. Soc. ent. France (4), v. 1865, p. 105; Fauvel, 7.c. Bull. p. liii.
414 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
Neither is the geographical distribution limited by this inferior
condition of the most important of the organs of locomotion, for
Cheimatobia brumata (the Winter-moth) one of the species with
flightless female, is a common and widely distributed Insect in
Europe and North America.
Although the classification of this family is based almost
entirely on wing-nervuration, yet there are some divisions of the
Geometridae in which this character is remarkably variable,
certain individuals frequently exhibiting considerable abnor-
inality.' Amphidasis betularia is believed to have changed its
variation considerably in the course of the last fifty years. Pre-
vious to that time a black variety of the species was unknown,
but it has now become common; and it is believed that other
species of Geometridae are in process of exhibiting a similar
phenomenon.”
Fam. 37. Noctuidae (Owlet-Moths, Eulen of the Germans).
-—This very extensive assemblage consists of moths rarely seen
in the day-time, of generally sombre colours, with antennae desti-
tute of remarkable developments in the male (except in a small
number of forms); proboscis and frenulum both present; a com-
plex sense-organ on each side of the body at the junction of the
metathorax and abdomen. The number of species already known
can scarcely be less than 8000; owing to their large numbers
and the great general resemblance of the forms, their classifica-
tion is a matter of considerable difficulty. Although the peculiar
structure at the base of the thorax was long since pointed out,
it has never received any thorough investigation. Few other
remarkable structures have yet been discovered: the most in-
teresting is perhaps the pecuhlarity in the hind wings of the
males of certain Ommatophorinae recently pointed out by Sir
G. F. Hampson *: in the genera Patula and Argiva the form of
the hind wings is normal in the females, but in the male the
anterior one-half of each of these wings is aborted, and the
position of the nervures changed; this condition is connected
with the development of a glandular patch or fold on the wing,
and is remarkable as profoundly affecting a structure which is
1 For a table, see Meyrick, J.c.
’ Barrett, ‘‘ Increasing Melanism in British Geometridae,” Ent. Monthly Mag.
1895, p. 198.
3 P. Zool. Soc. London, 1892, p. 192.
VI NOCTUIDAE 415
otherwise so constant that the classification of the family is
largely based on it.
The larvae are as a rule destitute of the remarkable adorn-
ments of hairs and armatures of spines that are so common in
many of the families we have previously considered; they are
fond of concealing themselves during the day and coming out at
night to feed; many of them pass most of their time at, or
beneath, the surface of the ground, finding nourishment in roots
or the lower parts of the stems of plants; this is notably the
case in the genus Agrotis, which is perhaps the most widely
clistributed of all the genera of moths. Such caterpillars are
known as Cut-worms in North America.’ The great resemblance,
enter se, of certain of these Cut-worms, much astonished the
American naturalist Harris, who found that larvae almost per-
fectly similar produced very different moths. The majority of
Noctuid larvae have the usual number of legs, viz., three pairs
of thoracic legs, four pairs of abdominal feet and the terminal
claspers. In some divisions of the family there is a departure
from this arrangement, and the abdominal feet are reduced to
three, or even to two, pairs. One or two larvae are known—e.g.
Huclidia mi—in which the claspers have not the usual function,
but are free terminal appendages. When the abdominal legs
are reduced in number (Plusia, e.g.) the larvae are said to be
‘Half-loopers, or Semi-loopers, as they assume to some extent the
peculiar mode of progression of the Geometrid larvae, which are
known as Loopers. In the case of certain larvae, e.g. 7riphaena,
that have the normal number of feet, it has been observed that
when first hatched, the one or two anterior pairs of the abdom-
inal set are ill developed, and the larvae do not use them for
walking. This is the case
with the young larva of our
British Brephos notha (Fig.
203). Subsequently, how-
ever, this larva undergoes
a considerable change, and Fic. 203.—Brephos notha. Larva, newiy
appears in the form shown aa a aaa
in Fig. 204. This interesting larva joins together two or three
1 Although this term is widely used in North America, it is not in use in Eng-
land, though it may possibly have originated in Scotland. See Slingerland, Budi.
Cornell University Exp. Stat. 104, 1895, p, 555.
416 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
leaves of aspen and lives between them, an unusual habit for
Noctuid laryae. When about to pupate it bores imto bark or
soft wood to change to a pupa, Fig. 205;
the specimen represented closed the hole
of entry by placing two separate doors
of silk across the burrow, as shown at d.
The anal armature of this pupa is ter-
minated by a curious transverse process.
The systematic ‘position of this inter-
Fia. 205.—Brephos notha. A,
Pupa, ventral aspect; B,
extremity of body, magni-
tied ; C, the pupa in wocd ;
d, diaphragms constructed
Fic. 204.—Brephos notha. Adult larva. by the larva.
esting Insect is very uncertain: Meyrick and others associate it
with the Geometridae.
The larva of Leucania unipunctata is the notorious Army-
worm that commits great ravages on grass and corn in North
America. This species sometimes increases in numbers to a con-
siderable extent without being observed, owing to the retiring
habits of the larvae; when, however, the increase of numbers
has been so great that food becomes scarce, or for some other
cause—tfor the scarcity of food is supposed not to be the only
reason—the larvae become gregarious, and migrate in enormous
swarms: whence its popular name. The Cotton-worm, Aletia
aylinae is even more notorious on account of its ravages. Tiley
states ' that in bad years the mischief it commits'on the cotton
crop causes a loss of £6,000,000, and that for a period
of fourteen successive years the annual loss averaged about
£3,000,000. This caterpillar strips the cotton plants of all but
their branches. It is assisted in its work by another highly
destructive Noctuid caterpillar, the Boll-worm, or larva of
Heliothis armigera, which bores into the buds and pods. This
1 Fourth Rep. U.S Ent. Commission, 1885, p. 3.
VI HETEROCERA——-NOCTUIDAE 417
latter Insect attacks a great variety of plants, and has a very
wide distribution, being found even in England, where happily
it is always a rare Insect.
In Britain, as well as in parts of Northern Europe, a Noctuid
moth, Charaeas graminis, occasionally increases to an enormous
extent: its larva is called the Hill-grub and lives on the grass of
pastures, frequently doing great damage in hill-lands. The in-
crease of this moth seems to take place after the manner of an
epidemic ; a considerable number of years may pass during which
it 1s scarcely seen, and it will then appear in unusual numbers
in widely separated localities. This moth lays a large number
of eggs, and is not completely nocturnal in habits ; sometimes it
may be seen on the wing in great numbers in the hottest sun-
shine, and it has been noticed that there is then a great dispro-
portion of the sexes, the females being ten or twenty times as
numerous as the males. In Australia, the Bugong moth, Agrotis
spina, occurs in millions in certain localities in Victoria: this
moth hibernates as an imago, and it formerly formed, in this
instar, an important article of food with the aborigines. The
powers of increase of another Noctuid moth—AFrastria scitula
—are of great value. Its habits have been described by
Rouzaud.' On the shores of the Mediterranean the larva of this
little moth lives on a Scale-Insect—Lecaniwm oleae—that infests
the peach; and as the moth may have as many as five genera-
tions in a year, it commits laudable havoc with the pest. The
larva is of remarkable form, very short and convex, with small
head, and only two pairs of abdominal feet. The scale of the
Lecanium is of larger size than is usual in that group of Insects,
and the young larva of the Hrastria buries itself, as soon as
hatched, in one of the scales; it destroys successively numerous
scales, and after having undergone several moults, it finds itself
provided, for the first time, with a spinneret, when, with the aid
of its silk, it adds to and adapts a Coccid scale, and thus forms a
portable habitation ; this it holds on to by means of the pair of
anal claspers, which are of unusual form. The case is afterwards
subjected to further alteration, so that it may serve as a protec-
tion to the creature when it has changed to a pupa. This moth
is said to be free from the attacks of parasites, and if this be the
case it is probable that its increase is regulated by the fact that
1 Insect Life, vi. 1894 p. 6.
VOL. VI 2E
418 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
when the creature becomes numerous it thus reduces the food
supply, so that its own numbers are afterwards in consequence
diminished.
One of the most remarkable genera of British Noctuidae is
Acronycta, the larvae of which exhibit so much diversity that it
has been suggested that the genus should be dismembered and its
fragments treated as allied to several different divisions of moths.
There are many points of interest in connection with the natural
history of these Acronycta. A. psi and A. tridens are practically
indistinguishable as moths, though the larvae are easily separated :
the former species is said to be destroyed to an amazing extent
by parasites, yet it remains a common Insect. The genus
Apatela is very closely allied to Acronycta, and Harris says that
“ Apatela signifies deceptive, and this name was probably given to
the genus because the caterpillars appear in the dress of Arctians
and Liparians, but produce true owlet-moths or Noctuas.”* The
species of another British genus, Lryophila, possess the excep-
tional habit of feeding on lichens. Some of the American group
Erebides are amongst the largest Insects, measuring seven or
eight imches across the expanded wings.
The Deltoid moths are frequently treated as a distinct family,
Deltoidae, perhaps chiefly because of their resemblance to Pyra-
lidae. At present, however, they are considered to be separated
from Noctuidae by no valid characters.
Fam. 38—Epicopeiidae.—The genus Epicopeia consists of
only a few moths, but they are amongst the most extraordinary
known : at first sight they would be declared without hesitation
to be large swallow-tail butterflies, and Hampson states that they
“mimic” the Papilios of the Polyxenus group. Very little is
known about these extremely rare Insects, but the larva is stated,
on the authority of Mr. Dudgeon, to surpass the moths themselves
in extravagance ; to be covered with long processes of snow-white
efflorescence, like wax, exuded from the skin, and to “mimic” a
colony of the larva of a Homopterous Insect. ~Some_ ten
species of this genus are known from Java, India, China, and
Japan. In this family there is said to be a rudimentary frenu-
lum, but it is doubtful whether the hairs that have given rise to
this definition really justify it.
1 See Chapman, The Genus Acronycta and its Allies, London, 1893.
” Insects Injurious, ete., Ed. 1862, Boston, p. 437.
VI HETEROCERA—URANIIDAE 419
Fam. 39. Uraniidae.—A family of small extent, including
light-bodied moths with ample wings and thread-like antennae ;
most of them resemble Geometridae, but a few genera, Urania
and Nyctalemon, are like Swallow-tail butterflies and have
sunilar habits. The Madagascar moth, Chrysiridia madagascar-
iensis (better known as Urania rhipheus), is a most elegant and
beautiful Insect, whose only close allies (except an East African
congener) are the tropical American species of Urania, which
were till recently treated as undoubtedly congeneric with the
Madagascar moth. The family consists of but six genera and
some sixty species. The question of its affinities has given rise
to much discussion, but on the whole it would appear that these
Insects are least ill-placed near Noctuidae! The larva of the
South American genus Coro-
nidia is in general form * like
a Noctuid larva, and has the
normal number of legs; it
possesses a few peculiar fleshy
processes on the back. A
description of the larva of
Chrysiridia madagascariensis
has been widely spread; but
according to Camboué,’ the
account of the metamorphoses,
first. given by Boisduval, is
erroneous. The larva, it ap-
pears, resembles in general
form that of Coronidia, and Fic. 206.—Abdomen of Chrysiridia mada-
gascariensis. A, Horizontal section show-
has sixteen feet ; 1b 18, how- ing the lower part of the male abdomen :
ever, armed with long, spatu- 1, first segment; 2, spiracle of second
4 : segment ; 4-8, posterior segments. B,
late black hairs ; 1t changes to the abdomen seen from the side, with the
a pupa in a cocoon of open segments numbered, The section is that
of an old, dried specimen.
network.
In all the species of this family we have examined, we have
noticed the existence of a highly peculiar structure that seems
hitherto to have escaped observation. On each side of the
second abdominal segment there is an ear-lke opening (usually
' See Westwood, Zr. Zool. Soc. London, x. pp. 507, ete., for discussion of this
question and for figures ; also E. Reuter, ct. Soc. Sci. Fenn. xxii. 1896, p. 202.
* Congr. Internat. Zool. ii. 1892, pt. 2, p. 180.
420 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
much concealed by overlapping scales), giving entrance to a
chamber in the body; this chamber extends to the middle line,
being separated from its fellow by only a thin partition. At
its anterior and lateral part there is a second vesicle-like
chamber, formed by a delicate membrane that extends as far
forwards as the base of the abdomen. There can be little doubt
that this is part of some kind of organ of sense, though it 1s
much larger than is usual with Insect sense-organs.
Fam. 40. Epiplemidae.—Under this name Hampson has
assembled certain Geometroid moths, some of them placed previ-
ously in Chalcosiidae, some in Geometridae. They form a varied
group, apparently closely allied to Uraniidae, and having a similar
peculiar sense-organ; but are distinguished by the presence of a
frenulum. The larva seems to be like that of Uraniidae.
Fam. 41. Pyralidae——This division is to be considered rather
as a group of familes than as a family; it includes a very large
number of small or moderate-sized moths of fragile structure,
frequently having long legs; antennae simple, only in a few
cases pectinate ; distinguished from Noctuidae and all the other
extensive divisions of moths by the peculiar course of the costal
nervure of the hind wing, which either keeps, in the middle of
its course, near to the sub-costal or actually unites with it,
subsequently again separating. Members of the Pyralidae are
found in all lands; in Britain we have about 150 species. The
larvae are usually nearly bare, with only short, scattered setae;
and little coloration; they have most varied habits, are fond of
concealment, and are very lively and abrupt in movement,
wriggling backwards as well as forwards, when disturbed; a
cocoon is formed for the metamorphosis.
The family as a whole consists of Insects of unattractive
appearance, although it contains some very elegant and interesting
moths and numerous forms of structural interest. In the genus
Thiridopteryx little transparent spaces on the wings occur as a
character pecuhar to the males; the spaces are correlative with
a greater or less derangement of the wing-nervures. In some
other forms there is a remarkable retinaculum, consisting of large
scales, and this, too, is connected with a distortion of the wing-
nervures. The Pyralidae—Pyralites of Ragonot, Pyralidina of
1 Ragonot, Ann. Soc. ent. France, 1890 and 1891; and Meyrick, Zr. ent. Soc.
London, 1890, p. 429.
VI HETEROCERA——PYRALIDAE 421
Meyrick——have recently been revised by two naturalists of dis-
tinction almost simultaneously; unfortunately their results are
discrepant, Meyrick including Pterophoridae and Orneodidae,
and yet admitting in all only eight families; while Ragonot does
not include the two groups named, but defines seventeen tribes
of the two familes—Pyralidae and Crambidae—that he admits.
The Pyraustidae of Meyrick is an enormous division including
the Hydrocampidae and Scopariidae of many authors, as well as
the Pyraustinae proper and a small group of Ragonot’s, the
Homophysinae. The division Scopariinae is believed to be
amongst the “most ancient” of Lepidoptera; the food of the
larvae consists of moss and lichens. This group is widely dis-
tributed, being richly represented in Australia, New Zealand,
and the Hawaiian Islands, as well as in Europe; and probably
really occurs wherever their food-plants exist accompanied by
a tolerable climate. The statistics of the distribution of this
group, so far as at present known, have been furnished by
Mr. Meyrick, as follows :—European region, about 25 species ;
Madeira, 3); St. Helena, 6; South Atrica, 2° or 3-3. India,’ 9;
Malayan region, 3 or 4; Australia, 24; New Zealand, 64;
Hawaiian Islands, 50; North America, 17 (one of them Euro-
pean); South America, 10. The Hydrocampinae—the China-
marks—are of great interest, as being amongst the few forms
of Lepidoptera adapted for aquatic life. It is believed that all
their larvae are aquatic, though of only a few is there much
known. The diversity amongst these forms is of considerable
interest. The habits of Hydrocampa nymphaeata were long since
described by Reaumur, and have more recently been dealt with
by Buckler,’ W. Miiller* and Prof. Miall.2 Although there are
some discrepancies in their accounts, due we believe to the
observations being made at different periods of the life and under
somewhat different circumstances, yet the account given by
Miiller is we feel no doubt substantially correct. The larvae
when hatched mine in the leaves of a water-plant for a short
time—thirty hours to three days according to Buckler—and are
completely surrounded by water, which penetrates freely into
their burrows; at this period the caterpillar breathes by its
skin, the spiracles being very small, and the tubes leading from
1 Ent. Mag. xii. 1876, p. 210, and xvii. 1881, p. 249.
2 Zool. Jahrb. Syst. vi. 1892, p. 617. % Nat. Hist. Aquatic Insects, London, 1895.
4.22 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
them closed and functionless. After this brief period of mining
life, the larva moults and then constructs a habitation by cutting
a piece out of a leaf, and fastening it to the under side of another
leaf; it is thus provided with a habitation, but it is one into
which the water freely enters, and the respiratory apparatus
remains in the state we have described. The Insect passes
through several moults, and then hibernates in the water. On
its revival in the spring a change occurs, and the larva constructs
a portable, or we should rather say ‘free, habitation out of two
large pieces of leaf of lens-shape, fastened together at the
edges; but the larva has some method of managing matters so
that the water can be kept out of this house; thus the creature
lives in air though immersed in the water. A correlative change
occurs in the structure of the skin and tracheal system. The
former becomes studded with prominent points that help to
maintain a coat of air round the Insect, like dry velvet immersed
in water; the spiracles are larger than they were, and they and
the tracheal tubes are open. One or two moults take place and the
creature then pupates. There is a good deal of discrepancy in
the accounts of this period, and it seems probable that the pupa
is sometimes aerial, sometimes aquatic. Buckler’s account of the
formation of the case shows that the larva first cuts off, by an
ingenious process, one piece of leaf, leaving itself on this, as on
araft; this it guides to a leaf suitable for a second piece, gets
the raft underneath, and fastens it with silk to the upper portion,
and then severs this, leaving the construction free ; afterwards the
larva goes through a curious process of changing its position and
working at the two extremities of the case, apparently with the
object of making it all right as regards its capacity for including
air and keeping out water. He believes that Réaumur was
correct in his idea that the larva regulates the admission of air
or of water to the case in conformity with its needs for respiration.
Miiller calls special attention to the great changes in habit and
in the structure of the integument during the life of this larva ;
but the reader will gather from what we relate as to various
terrestrial Lepidopterous larvae, that these phenomena are not
very dissimilar from what frequently take place in the latter; a
change of habits at some particular moult, accompanied by great
changes in the integument, and even in the size of the stigmata,
being of frequent occurrence.
VI HETEROCERA—PYRALIDAE 23
The larva of Nymphula stagnata, a close ally of H. nymphaeata,
has aquatic habits of a somewhat similar but simpler nature ;
while V. (Paraponyx) stratiotata is very different. This larva is
provided with eight rows of tufts of flexible branchiae, occupying
the position of the spots or setigerous warts usual in caterpillars,
and reminding one of the spines of certain butterfly-larvae, though
they are undoubtedly respiratory filaments. These caterpillars
protect themselves by forming silken webs or cases, or by adopt-
ing the case of some other larva, and are in the habit of holding
on by the anal claspers, and rapidly and energetically moving
the anterior parts of the body in an undulating fashion. The
spiracles exist, but are functionless. The pupa lives under water,
and has no branchiae; but three of the pairs of abdominal
spiracles are open, and project from the body. Miiller informs
us that in a Brazilian Paraponyx these three pairs of spiracles
were already large in the larva, though the other pairs were very
small, or absent. He considers that the moth of this species
descends beneath the water of a rapid stream, and fastens its
eggs on the stems of plants therein. Cataclysta lemnata lives in
a case of silk with leaves of duckweed attached to it, or in a
piece of a hollow stem of some aquatic plant; it is believed to
breathe, hke H. nymphaeata, at first by the integument and
subsequently by open stigmata; but particulars as to how it
obtains the requisite air-supply are not forthcoming: the aquatic
pupa breathes by three large abdominal spiracles like Paraponyz.
Musotimidae’ is a small group of two or three genera found in
Australia and Polynesia ; and the Tineodidae also consist of only
two Australian genera. Siculodidae is likewise a small Antarctic
group, placed by Meyrick in Pyralidina; but his view is not
accepted by Snellen and Ragonot. Epipaschiinae (formerly
treated as a separate family) and Endotrichiinae are, according
to Meyrick, subdivisions of the family Pyralidae proper, an
enormous group of more than 100 genera. The Chrysauginae
consist chiefly of American forms, and have not been treated by
Meyrick ; some of this group have been classed with Tortricidae
or Deltoidae on account of the undulating costa of the front wings
and the long, peculiar palpi. The Galleriidae are a small group
including Insects that live in bees’-nests, and feed on the wax
' For Bibliographic references connected with the divisions of Pyralidae see
Ragonot, Ann. Soc. ent. France (6), x. 1890, pp. 458, ete.
424 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
etc.; others eat seeds, or dried vegetable substances. Three
out of our five British species of this family occur (usually
gregariously) in bee-hives, and have the peculiar habit
of spinning their cocoons together. The mass of common
cocoons formed in this manner by Aphomia sociella is remark-
ably tough and enduring; portions of it are not infrequently
picked up, and as the cocoons are of a peculiar tubular form
their nature gives rise to some perplexity.
Phycitidae’ is another very large assemblage of Insects with
very diverse habits. The frenulum and retinaculum are similarly
formed in the two sexes: the males frequently have the basal-joint
of the antennae swollen; hence the term “ Knot-horns” applied
by collectors to these moths. The larvae of the species of
Ephestia infest groceries, and most children have become to a slight
extent acquainted with them amongst dried figs; that of JZ.
kuehniella has become very injurious in flour-mills, its enormous
increase being due in all probability to the fact that the favour-
able and equable temperature maintained in the mills promotes a
rapid succession of generations, so that the Insect may increase
to such an extent as to entirely block the machinery. Many of
the Phycitidae feed on the bark of trees in galleries or tunnels
constructed partially of silk. A very peculiar modification of
this habit in Cecidipta excoecaria has been described by Berg. ”
In Argentina this Insect takes possession of the galls formed by
a Chermes on Excoecaria biglandulosa, a Euphorbiaceous tree.
The female moth lays an egg on a gall, and the resulting larve
bores into the gall and nourishes itself on the interior till all is
eaten except a thin external coat; the caterpillar then pupates
in this chamber. The galls vary in size and shape, and the
larva displays much constructive ability in adapting its home to
its needs by the addition of tubes of silk or by other modes. Some-—
times the amount of food furnished by the interior of the gall is
not sufficient ; the larva, in such cases, resorts to the leaves of the
plant for a supplement, but does not eat them in the usual
manner of a caterpillar; it cuts off and carries a leaf to the
entrance of its abode, fastens the leaf there with silk, and then
itself entering, feeds, from the interior, on the food it has thus
acquired. Another Phycitid, Dakrwma coccidivora, is very
1 Monograph, by Ragonot, in Romanoff, Mem. Lep. vii. 1893.
2 Ent. Zeit. Stettin, 1878, p. 230.
VI HETEROCERA—PYRALIDAE A425
beneficial in North America by eating large Scale-Insects of the
Lecanium group, somewhat after the fashion of Hrastria scitula ; it
does not construct a case, but shelters itself when walking from
one scale to another by means of silken tubes; it suffers. from
the attacks of parasites.’ Oxychirotinae, an Australian group,
is interesting because, according to Meyrick, it possesses forms
connecting the Pterophoridae with the more normal Pyralids.
Crambidae, or Grass-moths, are amongst the most abundant
Lepidoptera in this country, as they include the little pale moths
that fly for short distances amongst the grass of lawns and
pastures; they fold their wings tightly to their body, and
have a head pointed in front, in consequence of the form
and direction of the palpi. They sit in an upright position
on the stems of grass, and it has been said that this is done
because then they are not conspicuous. Perhaps: but it would be
a somewhat difficult acrobatic performance to sit with six legs
across a stem of grass. The larvae are feeders on grass, and
construct silken tunnels about the roots at or near the surface.
The Ancylolominae are included in Crambidae by Meyrick and
Hampson. Schoenobiinae” are included by Meyrick in Pyraustidae,
but this view appears not to meet with acceptance, and the group
is more usually associated with the Crambidae. Most writers
place the anomalous genus Acentropus as a separate tribe, but it
is associated by both Meyrick and Hampson with Schoenobius.
This Insect is apparently the most completely aquatic of all the
Lepidoptera, and was for long associated with the Trichoptera
in consequence of its habits and of the scaling of the wings
being of a very inferior kind. The males may sometimes be
found in large numbers fluttering over the surface of shallow, but
large, bodies of water; the females are rarely seen, and in some
cases have no wings, or have these organs so small as to be useless.
The female, it would appear, comes quite to the surface for
coupling, and then takes the male beneath the water. The larvae
have the usual number of Lepidopterous feet, and apparently feed
on the leaves of plants below water just as Lepidopterous larvae
ordinarily do in the air.’ They have no trace of gills, and their
1 Howard, Insect Life, vii. 1895, p. 402.
* Monograph by Hampson, P. Zool. Soc. London, 1895, p. 897-974.
8 Disqué, Ent. Zeit. Stettin, li. 1890, p. 59. Cf. also Rebel, Zool. Jahrb. Syst.
xii. 1898, p. 3.
426 LEPIDOPTERA CHAP.
mode of respiration is unknown. A great deal has been written
about these Insects, but really very little is known. They are
abundant, though local in many parts of North and Central
Europe; some of the females have, as we have said, abbreviated
wings, but how many species there are, and whether the modifica-
tions existing in the development of the wings are constant in
one species or locality, are unknown as yet.
Fam. 42. Pterophoridae! (P/wime-moths)—Elegant Insects
of small size, usually with the wings divided (after the fashion of
a hand into fingers) so as to form feathers: the extent of this
division is diverse, but the hind wings are more completely divided
than the front, which indeed are sometimes almost entire. The
group is placed by Meyrick in his Pyralidina, but there are many
entomologists who look on it as distinct. It consists of two
sub - families, Agdistinae and Pterophorinae, that have been
treated as families by many entomologists. The
setae
.
eee,
eavene.
Weewean
i
if
il
ii
cit
3ii\\
|
weer
ve
@
\
Fic. 223. — Bittaco-
mor pha
cla vipes.
North America x 3.
(After
Larva ;
7, the
right
tube.
Hart.) A,
B, pupa:
lett, 7, the
respiratory
of this genus mostly inhabit high latitudes, and delight in
1 Bull. Illinois Lab., iv. 1895, p. 193. 2 Miall’s Aquatic Insects, 1895, p. 174.
3 “Studies,” etc., Berlin. ent. Zeitschr. xxxi.
1887.
474 DIPTERA CHAP.
a low temperature; it has been said that they may be seen
on the wing’ in the depth of winter when the temperature is
below freezing, but it is pretty certain that the spots chosen by
the Insects are above that temperature, and Eaton states that the
usual temperature during their evolutions is about 40° or 45°
Fahr. They often appear in the damp conditions of a. thaw
when much snow is on the ground. 7. simonyi was found at an
elevation of 9000 feet in the Tyrol, crawling at a temperature
below the freezing-point, when the ground was deeply covered with
snow. 7. regelationis occurs commonly in mines even when they
are 500 feet or more deep. The most extraordinary of the
Limnobiunae is the genus Chionea, the species of which are totally
destitute of wings and require a low temperature. C. araneoides
inhabits parts of northern Europe, but descends as far south as
the mountains near Vienna; it is usually said to be only really
active in the depth of winter and on the surface of the snow.
More recently, however, a large number of specimens were found
by Professor Thomas in the month of October in his garden in
Thuringia; they were caught in little pit-falls constructed to
entrap snails. The larva of this Insect is one of the interesting
forms that display the transition from a condition with spiracles
at the sides of the body to one where there is only a pair at the
posterior extremity.
A very peculiar Fly, in which the wings are reduced to mere
slips, Halirytus amphibius, was discovered by Eaton in Kerguelen
Land, where it is habitually covered by the rising tide. Though
placed in Tipulidae, it is probably a Chironomid.
The group Cylindrotomina is considered by Osten Sacken? to
be to some extent a primitive one having relationship with the
Tipulinae; it was, he says, represented by numerous species in
North America during the Oligocene period. It is of great
interest on account of the larvae, which are in several respects
similar to caterpillars of Lepidoptera. The larva of Cylindrotoma
distincta lives upon the leaves of plants—Anemone, Viola,
Stellaria—almost like a caterpillar; it is green with a crest
along the back consisting of a row of fleshy processes. Though
this fly is found in Britain the larva has apparently not been
observed here. The life-history of Phalacrocera replicata has
been recently published by Miall and Shelford.? The larva eats
1 Tr. ent. Soc. London, 1897, p. 362. 2 Tr. ent. Soc. London, 1897, pp. 343-361.
VII TIPULIDAE——-BIBIONIDAE 475
submerged mosses in the South of England, and bears long forked
filaments, reminding one of those of caterpillars. This species
has been simultaneously discussed by Bengtsson, who apparently
regards these Tipulids with caterpillar-like larvae—he calls them
Erucaeformia'—as the most primitive form of existing Diptera.
The Tipulinae—Tipulidae Longipalpi, Osten Sacken*—have
the terminal joint of the palpi remarkably long, longer than the
three preceding joints together. The group includes the largest
forms, and the true daddy-long-legs, a Chinese species of which,
Tipula brobdignagia, measures four inches across the expanded
wings. The group contains some of the finest Diptera. Some
of the exotic forms allied to Ctenophora have the wings coloured
in the same manner as they are in certain Hymenoptera, and
bear a considerable resemblance to members of that Order.
- Fam. 10. Bibionidae.—/Vies of moderate or small size, some-
times of different colours in the two sexes, with short, thick, straight,
antennae; front tibiae usually with a long pointed process ,;
coxae not elongate. Eyes of male large, united, or contiguous in
Fic. 224.—Head of Bibio. «10. A, Of male, seen from the front ; C, from the side ;
a, upper, b, lower eye ; B, head of female.
front. The flies of the genus BAibio usually appear in England
in the spring, and are frequently very abundant; they are of
sluggish habits and poor performers on the wing. The differ-
ence in colour of the sexes is very remarkable, red or yellow
predominating in the female, intense black in the male; and
1 Acta Univ. Lund. xxxiii. (2) No. 7, 1897.
2 «« Studies,” etc., Berlin. ent. Zeitschr. xxx. 1886, p. 153.
476 DIPTERA CHAP.
it is a curious fact that the same sexual distinction of colour
reappears in various parts of the world—England, America, India,
and New Zealand; moreover, this occurs in genera that are by
no means closely allied, although allied species frequently have
concolorous sexes. The eyes of the males are well worth study,
there being a very large upper portion, and,
abruptly separated from this, a smaller, differ-
ently faceted lower portion, practically a
separate eye; though so largely developed the
upper eye 1s In some cases so hairy that it
must greatly interfere with the formation
of a continuous picture. Carriere con-
siders that the small lower eye of the male
corresponds to the whole eye of the female.
The larvae of Bibio (Fig. 225) are caterpillar-
like in form, have a horny head, well de-
veloped, biting mouth-organs, and spine-like
processes on the body-segments. They are
certified by good authorities’ to possess the ex-
tremely unusual number of ten pairs of spiracles;
a larva found at Cambridge, which we refer to
Bibio (Fig. 225) has nine pairs of moderate
spiracles, as well as a large terminal pair
separated from the others by a segment without
spiracles. The genus Dilophus is closely
allied to Bibio, the larvae of which (and those
of Bibionidae in general) are believed to feed
on vegetable substances; the parasitism of
Dilophus vulgaris on the larva of a moth, Zpino-—
Fic. 225.—Larva of tia (Chaetoptria) hypericana, as recorded by
see sp. Cam Meade,” must therefore be an exceptional case.
In the genus Scatopse there is a very im-
portant point to be cleared up as to the larval respiratory
system; it is said by Dufour and Perris* to be amphipneustic ;
there are, however, nine projections on each side of the body that
were considered by Bouché, and probably with good reason, to
1 Osten Sacken, Berlin. ent. Zeitschr. xxxvii. 1892, p. 450.
2 Entomologist, xiv. 1881, p. 287. This observation has never, we believe, been
confirmed.
3 Ann. Soc. ent. France (2) v. 1847, p. 46.
VII BIBIONIDAE—SIMULIIDAE AV,
be spiracles. The food of Scatopse in the larval state is
principally vegetable. The larva of Scatopse changes to a
pupa inside the larval
skin; the pupa is pro-
vided on the thorax with
two branched respiratory
processes that project
outside the larval skin.!
Lucas has given an in-
teresting account of the
occurrence of the larva
of Bibio marci in enorm-
ous numbers at Paris;
they lived together in
masses, there being ap-
parently some sort of Fic. 226.—Portion of integument of Bibio sp. Can-
bridge. yp, Intersegmental processes ; s, spiracle.
connection between the
individuals.” In the following year the fly was almost equally
abundant.
Owing to the great numbers in which the species of Bibionidae
sometimes appear, these Insects have been supposed to be very
injurious. Careful inquiry has, however, generally exculpated
them as doers of any serious injury, though Dilophus febrilis—a
so-called tever-fly—appears to be really injurious in this country
When it multiplies excessively, by eating the roots of the hop-
plant.
Fam. 11. Simuliidae (Sand-jties, Buffalo-gnats).—Small obese
flies with humped back, rather short legs and broad wings, with short,
straight antennae destitute of setue; proboscis not projecting.
- There is only one genus, Simulium, of this family, but it is very
widely spread, and will probably prove to be nearly cosmo-
poltan. Some of the species are notorious from their blood-suck-
ing habits, and in certain seasons multiply to an enormous extent,
alight in thousands on cattle, and induce a disease that produces
death in a few hours; it is thought as the result of an instilled
poison. S. columbaczense has occasioned great losses amongst
the herds near the Danube; in North America the Buffalo- and
Turkey-gnats attack a variety of mammals and birds. In Britain
* Perris, in Ann. Soc. ent. France (2) v. 1847, p. 37, pl. i.
2 Ann. Soc. ent. France (5) i. 1871, Bull. p. lxvii.
478 DIPTERA CHAP.
and other parts of the world they do not increase in numbers to
an extent sufficient to render them seriously injurious: their bite
is however very annoying and irritating to ourselves. In their
early stages they are aquatic and require well aérated waters:
the larvae hold themselves erect, fixed to a stone or some other
object by the posterior extremity, and have on the head some
beautiful fringes which are agitated in order to bring food within
reach; the pupae are still more remarkable, each one being
placed in a pouch or sort of watch-pocket, from which projects
the upper part of the body provided with a pair of filamentous
respiratory processes. For an account of the interesting circum-
stances connected with the metamorphoses of this species the
reader should refer to Professor Miall’s book; and for the life-
history of the American Buffalo-gnat to Riley."
Fam. 12. Rhyphidae.—This is another of the families that
have only two or three genera, and yet are very widely distributed.
These lttle flies are distinguished from other Nemocera Anomala
(cf. p. 456) by the presence of a discal cell; the empodia of the
feet are developed as if they were pulvilli, while the true pulvilli
remain rudimentary. The larvae are lke little worms, being
long and cylindric; they are amphipneustic, and have been
found in decaying wood, in cow-dung, in rotten fruits, and
even in dirty water. The “petite tipule,” the metamorphoses of
which were described and figured by Réaumur, is believed to
be the common Rhyphus fenestralis. R. fenestralis is often
found on windows, as its name implies.
Series 2. Orthorrhapha Brachycera
Fam. 13. Stratiomyidae.—a
<8
3
3
<=6R=
¢.
ae
0g,
SS 5
923:
W
os)
i=}
ae Risto SMT gy
GO
7
pth
KR
PF
ot
a
wy
2
—LE}
P,
6 l=.
Fic. 239.—Larva of Microdon sp. Portugal. A, Dorsal view of the larva, x 4; 1,
the stigmatic structure ; B, posterior view of stigmatic structure; C, a portion of
the marginal fringe of the body.
larva was recently found by Mr. Budgett in Paraguay. The
flies themselves are scarce, Microdon mutabilis (formerly called
M. apiformis) being one of the rarest of British flies. They have
the antennae longer than is usual in Syrphidae, and the cross-
veins at the outside of the wing are irregularly placed, so that
the contour is very irregular: the resemblance to bees is very
marked, and in some of the South American forms the hind legs
are flattened and hairy like those of bees. The oviposition of
Microdon has been observed by Verhoeff ;° he noticed that the fly
was frequently driven away by the ants—in this case, Mormica
sanguinea—but returned undiscouraged to its task.
A brief résumé of the diverse modes of life of Syrphid larvae
fas been given by Perris,’ and he also gives some information as
to the curious horns of the pupae, but this latter point much
1 Ent. Zeit. Stettin, vi. 1845, p. 384, pl. i.
2 Ann. Soc. ent. France (6) iii. 1883, p. 23, pl. i.
* Ent. Nachr. xviii. 1892, p. 13. 4 Ann. Soc. ent. France (4) x. 1870, p. 330.
VII MUSCIDAE ACALYPTRATAE 503
wants elucidation. Whether the Syrphidae, or some of them,
possess a ptilinum that helps them to emerge from the pupa is
more than doubtful, though its existence has been aftirmed by
several authors of good repute."
Series 4. Cyclorrhapha Schizophora
Fam. 33. Muscidae acalyptratae—This group of flies has
been the least studied of all the Diptera; it is generally treated
as composed of twenty or thirty different families distinguished
Fia. 240.—Diopsis
apicalis. Natal.
A, The fly ; B, ex-
tremity of cephalic
protuberance, more
magnified. a,
The eye; 0b, the
antenna; C, middle
of head, front
view ; ¢, ocelli.
se =
by very slight characters. It is, however, generally admitted by
systematists that these assemblages have not the value of the
families of the other divisions of Diptera, and some even go so
far as to say that they are altogether only equivalent to a single
family. We do not therefore think it necessary to define each
one seriatim ; we shall merely mention their names, and allude
to certain points of interest connected with them. Taken collec-
tively they may be defined as very small flies, with three-jointed
antennae (frequently looking as if only two-jointed), bearing a
bristle that is not terminally placed ; frequently either destitute of
squamae or having these imperfectly developed so as not to cover the
halteres ; and possessing a comparatively simple system of nervura-
tion, the chief nervures being nearly straight, so that consequently
few cells are formed. These characters will distinguish the group
1 See on this difficult subject, Becher, Wien. ent. Zeit. i. 1882, p. 49.
504 DIPTERA CHAP.
from all the other Diptera except from forms of Aschiza, and
from certain Anthomyiidae, with both of which the Acalyptratae
are really intimately connected. Considerable difference of
opinion prevails as to the number of these divisions, but the
families usually recognised are :—
1. Doryceridae. 12. Dryomyzidae. 21. Trypetidae.
2. Tetanoceridae. 13. Borboridae. 99 JSapromyzidae
3. Sciomyzidae. 14. Phycodromidae. ““\incl.. Lonchaeidae.
4, Diopsidae. 15. Thyreophoridae. 23. Rhopalomeridae.
5. Celyphidae. 16. J Scatophagidae. 24. Ortalidae.
6 /Sepsidae * \(=Scatomyzidae). ( Agromyzidae
* (incl. Piophilidae. . f Geomyzidae 25. incl. Phytomyzi-
~ f Chloropidae ts \eiavels Opomyzidae. dae.
Ms \ (= Oscinidae). 18 { Drosophilidae ; 26. Milichiidae.
8. Ulidiidae. “* \inel. Asteidae. 27. Octhiphilidae.
9. Platystomidae. 19. Psilidae. 28. Heteroneuridae.
10. Ephydridae. 20 f Tanypezidae 29. Cordyluridae.
11. Helomyzidae. “~~ \ (= Micropezidae).
Brauer associates Conopidae with Acalyptrate Muscids, and
calls the Group Holometopa; applying the term Schizometopa
to the Calyptrate Muscidae.
No generalisation can yet be made as to the larvae of these
divisions, neither can any characters be pointed out by which
they can be distinguished from the larvae of the following
families. In their habits they have nothing specially distinctive,
and may be said to resemble the Anthomyiidae, vegetable
matter being more used as food than animal; many of them
mine in the leaves or stems of plants; in the genus Dorycera the
larva is aquatic, mining in the leaves of water-plants, and in
Ephydridae several kinds of aquatic larvae are found, some of
which are said to resemble the rat-tailed larvae of Syrphidae ;
certain of these larvae occur in prodigious quantities in lakes,
and the Insects in some of their early stages serve the Mexicans
as food, the eggs being called Ahuatle, the larvae Pusci, the
pupae Koo-chah-bee. Some of the larvae of the Sciomyzidae are
also aquatic: that of Tetanocera ferruginea is said by Dufour to
consist only of eight segments, and to be metapneustic; Brauer
considers the _> Z :
of . interest ; their :
mouth - organs ATE aaah |
=) Oy AN . hi)
: : ss MQ. SR Se a
unique in structure; By» Weer KI
besides this, they ex- L prrmnm
hibit so many points eS
of dissimilarity from = we
other Insects that it 7 a" ie
is impossible to treat
them as subdivisions
of any other Order.
They have, however,
been considered by
some to be aberrant
Pseudoneuroptera (cf.
Vol. V.), while others
have associated them
with Hemiptera. Both
3rauer and Packard
have treated® Thysa-
noptera as a separate
Order, and there can
be no doubt that this Fie. 253.—Idolothrips spectrum. Australia.
is correct. Thysano-
ptera have recently been monographed by Uzel in a work that 1s,
unfortunately for most of us, in the Bohemian language.’
The antennae are never very long, and are 6 to 9-jointed.
The head varies much, being sometimes elongate and tubular,
but sometimes short ; it has, however, always the peculiarity that
the antennae are placed quite on its front part, and that the
mouth appears to be absent, owing to its parts being thrust
against the under side of the thorax and concealed. Their most
remarkable peculiarity is that some of them are asymmetrical :
Uzel looks on the peculiar structure, the “ Mundstachel,’ m, m
1 Monographie der Ordnungy Thysanoptera, Koniggratz, 4to, 1895.
528 THYSANOPTERA
CHAP.
(Fig. 254) found on the left side of the body, as probably an enor-
mous development of the epipharynx. Previous to the appearance
of Uzel’s work, Garman had, however,
correctly described the structure of the
mouth;' he puts a different interpretation
on the parts; he points out that the
mandibles (7), so-called by Uzel, are at-
tached to the maxillae, and he considers
that they are really jointed, and that
they are lobes thereof; while the Mund-
stachel or piercer is, he considers, the
left mandible ; the corresponding struc-
ture of the other side being nearly
entirely absent. He points out that
the labrum and endocranium are also
asymmetrical. We think Garman’s
view a reasonable one, and may re-
mark that dissimilarity of the man-
dibles of the two sides is usual in
Fia. 254.—Face (with base of
a a et ee -
the antennae) of Aeolothrips
fasciata. (After Uzel.) a,
Labrum ; 6, maxilla with its
palp (c); 6l, terminal part of
vertex near attachment of
mouth-parts ; d, membrane
between maxilla and mentum ;
é, mentum ending in a point
near f/f; g, membrane of
attachment of the labial palp
h; 1, ligula ; 7, 7 the bristle-
like mandibles ; 4, the thicker
base of mandible ; /, chitin-
ous lever; mm, mouth-spine,
with its thick basal part n,
and o, its connection with
the forehead, 7, 7; p, for-
amen of muscle; s and ¢,
points of infolding of vertex ;
u, a prolongation of the
gena.
Insects, and that the mandibles may
be hollow for sucking, as is shown by
the larvae of Hemerobiides. There
are usually three ocelli, but they are
absent in the entirely apterous forms.
The wings appear to "spring from
the dorsal surface of the body, not
from the sides; the anterior pair is
always quite separated from the pos-
terior ; the wings are always slender,
sometimes very slender; in other re-
spects they exhibit considerable variety ;
sometimes the front pair are different
in colour and consistence. from the
other pair. The abdomen has ten seg-
ments, the last of which is often tubular in form. The peculiar
vesicular structures by which the feet are terminated are, during
movement, alternately distended and emptied, and have two hooks
or claws on the sides. The stigmata are extremely peculiar,
there being four pairs, the first being the mesothoracic, 2nd
1 Bull. Essex Inst. xxii. 1890, p. 24; also Amer. Natural. xxx. 1896, p. 591.
vil THRIPS 529
metathoracic, 3rd on the second abdominal segment, 4th on the
eighth abdominal segment.’ There are four Malpighian tubes,
and two or three pairs of salivary glands. The dorsal vessel
is said to be a short sack placed in the 7th and 8th abdominal
segments. The abdominal gangha of the ventral chain are con-
centrated in a single mass, placed in, or close to, the thorax ; the
thorax has two other approximated ganglia, as well as an anterior
one that appears to be the infra-oesophageal.
The metamorphosis is also pecuhar; the larva does not differ
greatly in appearance from the adult, and has similar mouth-
organs and food-habits. The wings are developed outside the
body at the sides, and appear first, according to Heeger, after
the third moult. The nymph-condition is like that of a pupa
inasmuch as no nourishment is taken, and the parts of the body
are enclosed in a skin: in some species there is power of movement
to a slight degree, but other species are quite motionless. In
some cases the body is entirely bright red, though subsequently
there is no trace of this colour. Jordan distinguishes two
nymphal periods, the first of which he calls the pronymphal; in
it the Insect appears to be in a condition intermediate between
that of the larva and that of the true nymph; the old cuticle
being retained, though the hypodermis is detached from it
and forms a fresh cuticle beneath it. This condition, as Jordan
remarks, seems parallel to that of the male Coccid, and ap-
proaches closely to complete metamorphosis; indeed the only
characters by which the two can be distinguished appear to
be (1) that the young has not a special form; (2) that the
wings are developed outside the body.
Thrips take their food, it is believed, in the same manner
as Aphidae, by suction; but the details of the process are not by
any means certain, and examination of the stomach is said to have
resulted in finding pollen therein. Walsh thought that Thy-
sanoptera pierce and suck Aphidae. An _ elaborate inquiry
by Osborn ® failed to elicit satisfactory confirmation of Walsh’s
idea, though Riley and Pergande support it to some extent ;
Osborn concludes that the ordinary food is not drawn directly
from sap, but consists of exudation or pollen, the tissues
1 Jordan in an interesting paper, Zeitschr. wiss. Zool. xlvii. 1888, p. 573, says
that in the division ‘‘ Terebrantia”’ there are only three pairs of stigmata.
2 Insect Life, i. 1888, p. 138.
VOL. VI 2
ad
onl
530 THYSANOPTERA CHAP.
of the plant being pierced only when a supply of food from
the usual sources falls short. Members of this family have
been reputed as being very injurious to cultivated plants, especially
‘to cereals, and it is said that as a result the harvests in Europe
have been seriously diminished. Several species may take part:
in the attacks. These appear to be directed chiefly against
the inflorescence. Lindeman thought that Limothrips denticornis
(= Thrips secalina), and Anthothrips aculeata (= Phloeothrips
frumentarius), were the most destructive species in an attack of
Thrips on corn that he investigated in Russia. Uzel suggests
that injuries due to other causes are sometimes ascribed to Thrips."
In hot-houses these Insects are well known, and sometimes
occasion considerable damage to foliage. The German _horti-
culturalists call them black-fly, in distinction from Aphidae or
ereen-fly. Some Thysanoptera live under bark, and even in
fungi, and in Australia they form galls on the leaves of trees.
This observation is due to Mr Froggatt, and is confirmed by
specimens he sent to the writer. Vesicular bodies in the leaves
of Acacia saligna were traversed on one side by a longitudinal
sht, and on a section being made, nothing but Thrips, in various
stages of growth, was found inside them. A second kind of gall,
forming masses of considerable size on the twigs of Callistemon,
is said by Mr Froggatt to be also due to Thrips, as is a third
kind on Bursaria spinosa. It is curious that Thrips’ galls have
not been observed in other parts of the world.
Thysanoptera are devoured by small bugs of the genus
Triphleps, as well as by beetles; a small Acarid attacks them by
fixing itself to the body of the Thrips. Nematode worms and their
eges were found by Uzel in the body-cavity. He found no less
than 200 Nematodes in one Thrips, and noticed that they had
entirely destroyed the ovaries. Woodpeckers, according to him,
tear off the bark of trees and eat the Thysanoptera that are
concealed thereunder, though one would have surmised that
these minute Insects are too small to be game for such birds.
They have, it appears, no special protection, except that one
species (a larva of Phloeothrips sp.) is said to emit a protective
fluid.
Parthenogenesis seems to be frequent amongst Thysanoptera,
1 See Lindemann, Buil. Soc. Moscow, 1xii. 1886, No. 2, p. 296, and Uzel, Mon.
1895, pp. 397, 398.
VII THRIPS 531
and is found in concurrence with diversity as to winged and wing-
less females of the same species, so as to have given rise to the idea
that the phenomena in this respect are parallel with those that
are more widely known as occurring in Aphidae. Under certain
circumstances few or no males are produced (one of the cir-
cumstances, according to Jordan, being season of the year), and
the females continue the species parthenogenetically. In other
cases, though males are produced they are in very small numbers.
Some species of Thysanoptera are never winged; in others the
individuals are winged or wingless according to sex. But there
are other cases in which the female is usually wingless, and
is exceptionally winged. The winged specimens in this case
are, it is thought, of special use in disseminating the species.
Jordan has suggested that these phenomena may be of a
recular nature, but Uzel does not take this view. Another
condition may be mentioned, in which the species is usually wing-
less, but winged individuals of the male as well as of the female
sex oceasionally appear. Zhrips lini apparently makes regular
migrations, feeding at one time underground on the roots
of flax, and then changing to a life in the open air on other
plants.
Numerous forms of Thysanoptera, belonging to both of the
great divisions of the Order, have been found fossil in Europe
and North America, but all are confined to deposits of the Tertiary
epoch.
Of the 135 species known to Uzel, 117 are European; they
are divided into two Sub-Orders. 1, Terebrantia, in which the
females are provided with an external toothed ovipositor, of two
valves; 2, Tubulifera, in which there is no ovipositor, and the
extremity of the body is tubular in both sexes. The British
species are about 50 in number, and were described by
Haliday about 60 years ago; of late they have been very
little studied.
The name Physopoda or Physapoda is used for this Order,
instead of Thysanoptera, by several naturalists.
1 Entomological Magazine, ili. 1836, p. 489, and iv. 1837, p. 144.
CHAPTER VIII
HEMIPTERA——_OR BUGS
Order IX. Hemiptera.
Mouth consisting of a proboscis or mobile beak (usually concealed
by being bent under the body), appearing as a transversly-
jointed vod or grooved sheath, in which are enclosed long
slender setae (like horse-hairs). Wings (nearly always) four ;
the anterior frequently more horny than the posterior pair,
and folding flat on the back, their apical portions usually
more membranous than the base (Heteroptera); or the four
wings may cover the abdomen in a vroof-like manner, and
those of the anterior pair may not have the basal and apical
parts of different consistences (Homoptera); sometimes all
four of the wings are transparent. The young resembles the
adult in general form ; the wings are developed outside the
body, by growth, at the moults, of the sides of the hinder por-
tions of the meso- and meta-notum ; the metanotal prolonga-
tions being more or less concealed by the mesonotal.
THE Hemiptera or Bugs are perhaps more widely known as
Rhynchota. In deciding whether an Insect belongs to this
Order the student will do well to examine in the first place
the beak, treating the wings as subordinate in importance, their
condition being much more variable than that of the beak. The
above definition includes no reference to the degraded Anoplura
or Lice. These are separately dealt with on p. 599; they are
absolutely wingless, and have an unjointed proboscis not placed
beneath the body, the greater part of it being usually withdrawn
inside the body of the Insect.
The Hemiptera are without exception sucking Insects, and
q
x
CHAP. VIII BUGS S16)
the mouth-organs of the individual are of one form throughout
its life. In this latter fact, coupled with another, that the
young are not definitely different in form from the adult,
Bugs differ widely from all other Insects with sucking-mouth.
They agree with the Orthoptera in the facts that the mouth does
not change its structure during the individual life, and that the
development of the individual is gradual, its form, as a rule,
changing but little. In respect of the structure of the mouth,
Orthoptera and Hemiptera are the most different of all the
Orders. Hence, Hemiptera is really the most isolated of all the
Orders of Insects. We shall subsequently see that, like Orthoptera,
Fic. 255.—Husthenes
pratti (Pentato-
midae). China. A,
Nymph : a, case of
anterior, b, of pos-
terior wing ; ¢, ori-
fices of stink-
glands; B, the
adult Insect.
the Order appeared in the Palaeozoic epoch. Although a very
extensive Order, Hemiptera have for some incomprehensible
reason never been favourite objects of study. Sixty years ago
Dufour pointed out that they were the most neglected of all the
ereat Orders.of Insects, and this is still true; our acquaintance
with their lfe-histories and morphology especially being very -
limited.
There is probably no Order of Insects that is so directly con-
nected with the welfare of the human race as the Hemiptera ;
indeed, if anything were to exterminate the enemies of Hemiptera,
we ourselves should probably be starved in the course of a few
months. _The operations of Hemiptera, however, to a large ex-
tent escape observation, as their mouth-setae make merely pricks
that do not attract notice in plants: hence, it is probable that
534 HEMIPTERA CHAP.
injuries really due to Hemiptera are frequently attributed to
other causes.
In the course of the following brief sketch of the anatomy
and development of Hemiptera, we shall frequently have to use
the terms Heteroptera and Homoptera; we may therefore here
mention that there are two great divisions of Hemiptera having
but little connection, and known by the above names: the
members of these two Sub-Orders may in most cases be dis-
tinguished by the condition of the wings, as mentioned in the
definition at the commencement of this chapter.
External structure.—The mouth-parts consist of an anterior
or upper and a posterior or lower enwrapping part, and of the
organs proper, Which are four hair-hke bodies, dilated at their
bases and resting on a complex chitinous framework. The
lower part forms by far the larger portion of the sheath and is of
very diverse lengths, and from one to four-jointed: it is as it were
an enwrapping organ, and a groove may be seen running along it,
in addition to the evident cross-segmentation. The upper
covering part is much smaller, and only fills a gap at the base
of the sheath ; it can readily be lifted so as to disclose the setae ;
these latter organs are fine, flexible, closely connected, rods, four
in number, though often seeming to be only three, owing to the
intimate union of the components of one of the two pairs; at
their base the setae become broader, and are closely connected
with some of the loops of the chitinous framework that is con-
tained within the head. Sometimes the setae are much longer
than the sheath; they ‘are capable of protrusion. Although
varying considerably in minor points, such as the lengths of the
sheath and setae, and the number of cross-joints of the sheath,
these structures are so far as 1s known constant throughout the
Order. There are no palpi, and the only additions exceptionally
present are a pair of small plates that im certain forms (aquatic
family Belostomidae) lie on the front of the proboscis near the
tip, overlapping, in fact, the last of the cross-articulations.
Simple as is this system of trophi its morphology is uncertain,
and has given rise to much difference of interpretation. It may
be granted that the two portions of the sheath are respectively
upper lip, and labium; but as to the other parts wide difference
of opinion still prevails. On the whole the view most generally
accepted, to the effect that the inner pair of the setae correspond
VII STRUCTURE 535
in a broad sense with maxillae of mandibulate Insects, and the
outer pair with mandibles, is probably correct. Mecznikow, who
studied the embryology,! supports this view for Heteroptera,
but he says (4c. p. 462), that in Homoptera the parts of the
embryo corresponding with rudimentary maxillae and mandibles
disappear, and that the setae are subsequently produced from
peculiar special bodies that are at first of a retort-shaped form ;
the neck of the retort becoming afterwards more elongate to form
the seta; also that in the Heteropterous genus Gerris the
embryology in general resembles that of Homoptera, but the
Fic. 256.—Mouth - parts of
cat Hemiptera. (After
Pigs Wedde.) A, Section of
the head and proboscis of
Pyrrhocoris apterus : dr,
gland ; 7.g, infra - oeso-
phageal ganglion; /b,
labium ; 77, labrum; m,
muscles ; m1, muscle (de-
pressor of labium); m7,
muscle of syringe; ph,
pharynx; s, setae; sg,
supra - oesophageal gang-
lion; sp. dr, salivary
gland; spr, syringe: B,
transverse section of pro-
boscis of Pentatoma ruji-
pes, at third joint of
sheath: m, m, muscles ;
md, mandibular seta ; ma,
maxillary setae ; 7, nerve ;
p, the sheath or labium ;
tr, trachea.
KW!
development of the setae is like that of other Heteroptera (¢.c. p.
478). This discontinuity in the development of the Homopterous
mouth has since been refuted by Witlaczil,? who found that the
retort-shaped bodies really arise from the primary segmental
appendages after they have sunk into the head. We are there-
fore justified in concluding that the mouth-parts are at first
similarly developed in all Hemiptera, and that this development
is of a very peculiar nature.
Smith is convinced that there are no traces of mandibular
structure in any Hemiptera.” On the other hand, numerous
entomologists have supposed they could honiologise satisfactorily
various parts of the Hemipterous trophi with special parts of the
1 Zeitschr. wiss. Zool. xvi. 1866, p. 389. 2 Arb. Inst. Wien. iv. 1882, p. 415.
3 Tr. Amer. Phil. Soc. xix. 1896, p. 176.
536 HEMIPTERA CHAP.
maxillae and labium of mandibulate Insects. This point has
recently been discussed by Marlatt’ and by Heymons.” From
the latter we gather that the mode of growth is peculiar by the
extension backwards of some of the sclerites, and their becoming
confounded with parts of the wall of the head. From all this it
appears that at present we cannot correctly go farther than
saying that the trophi of Hemiptera are the appendages of three
head-segments, like those of other Insects. The views of Savigny,
Léon,’ and others to the effect that labial palpi, and even other
parts of the labium of Mandibulata can be satisfactorily identified
are not confirmed by Heymons.
Underneath the pharynx, in the head, there is a peculiar
structure for which we have as yet no English term. It was
apparently discovered by Landois and Paul Mayer,’ and has been
called “ Wanzenspritze,’ which we translate as syringe. It may be
briefly described as a chamber, into which the salivary ducts open,
prolonged in front to the neighbourhood of the grooves of the
setae in the rostrum; behind, it is connected with muscles ;
it has no direct connection with the pharynx, and though it was
formerly supposed to be an organ of suction, it seems more prob-
able that it is of the nature of a force-pump, to propel the pro-
ducts of some of the bug’s glands towards the tips of the setae.
The rostrum being extended from its position of repose, the
tip of the sheath is brought into contact with the object to be
pierced, the surface of which is probably examined by means of
sensitive hairs at the extremity of the sheath; these therefore
functionally replace to some extent the palpi of other Insects.
As a rule the sheath does not penetrate (though there is reason
for believing that in various of the animal-feeding bugs it does
so), but the setae are brought into action for piercing the skin
of the plant; they are extremely sharp, and the outer pair are
usually barbed, so that when once introduced a hold is easily
maintained. This being established it is thought that the salivary
pump comes into play, and that a fluid is injected into the object
pierced so as to give rise to irritation or congestion, and thus
keep up a supply of fluid at the point operated on: this fluid
extends along the grooved setae by capillary attraction, and the
1 P. ent. soc. Washington, iii. 1895, p. 241. 2 Ent. Nachr. xxii. 1896, p. 178.
3 Zool. Anz. 1897, No. 527, p. 73.
4 Arch. Anat. Physiol. 1874, p. 318, and 1875, p. 309.
vu STRUCTURE Sey
rapidity of the current is increased by a pumping action of the
pharynx, and possibly by movements of the setae themselves.
Though the setae are often extremely elongate—sometimes several
times the length of the body—they are nearly always slender, and
there is no reason to suppose that a perfect, or air-tight, tube is
formed; hence it is probable that capillary attraction is really
the chief agent in the ingestion of the fluid. The slight diversity
of structure of the Hemipterous trophi is in very striking con-
trast with what we find in mandibulate Insects, and in the less
purely suctorial Insects, such as Diptera and some divisions of
Hymenoptera. Schiodte im com-
menting on this has suggested that
it is probably due to the small variety
of actions the rostrum is put to.!
The head exhibits great variety
of form; in the Homoptera the
front part is deflexed and inflexed,
so that it is placed on the under
surface, and its anterior margin
is directed backwards; it is often
peculiarly inflated ; in the Lantern-
flies or Fulgoridae (Fig. 282) toan f{
incomprehensible extent. In the great
Water-bugs, Belostomidae, there ison |
the under surface a deep pocket for
each antenna, beautifully adapted to f
the shape of the curious.;-.ormed ap-
pendage (Fig. 279). The prothorax is
always very distinct, frequently large,
and in many of the Heteroptera
(Fig, 207), as well as in the Homop- M6, 27 5s, Ratan
terous family, Membracidae (Fig. (Antennae absent in the specimen
283), assumes the most extraordinary Eepeceeater)
shapes. Both meso- and meta-thorax are well developed. The
former is remarkable for the great size of the scutellum ; in
some cases (Plataspides, Scutellerides) this forms a large process,
1 For the structure and development of the Hemipterous trophi, see Mayer, Arch.
Anat. Physiol. 1874 and 1875 ; Mecznikow, Zeitschr. wiss. Zool. xvi. 1866, p. 389 ;
Geise, Arch. Naturgesch. xlix. 1, 1883, p. 315; Wedde, op. cit. li. 1, 1885, p. 113 ;
Mark, Arch. mikr. Anat. xiii. 1877, p. 31: Smith, Zr. Amer. Phil. Soc. xix. 1896,
p- 176.
538 HEMIPTERA CHAP.
that entirely covers and conceals the alar organs, so that the
Insect has all the appearance of being apterous. The exact com-
position of the abdomen has not been satisfactorily determined,
opinions varying as to whether the segments are nine, ten, or
eleven in number. The difficulty of determining the point
is due to two facts: viz. the extreme modification of the terminal
segments in connection with the genital appendages, and the
prominence of the extremity of the alimentary canal. If this
terminal projection is to be treated as a segment, it would appear
that eleven segments exist, at any rate in some cases; as the
writer has counted ten distinct segments in a young Coreid bug,
in addition to the terminal tube. This tube in some of the male
Heteroptera is very subject to curious modifications, and has
been called the rectal cauda. Verhoeff considers that ten seg-
ments were invariably present in the females examined by him
in various families of Heteroptera and Homoptera.’ In Aphidae
(a division of Homoptera), Balbiani considers there are eleven
abdominal segments present; but he treats as a segment a pro-
jection, called the cauda, situate over the anus; this structure does
not appear to be homologous with the rectal cauda we have just
mentioned. In Coccidae the number of abdominal segments is
apparently reduced. Schiodte states” that the older authorities
are correct in respect of the stigmata; there are, he says, in
Heteroptera invariably ten pairs; one for each thoracic segment ;
and seven abdominal, placed on the ventral face of the pleural
fold of the abdomen. In some cases there are additional orifices
on the external surface that have been taken for stigmata, though
they are really orifices of odoriferous glands; these openings may
exist on the metasterna or on the dorsal surface of the abdomen.
The lateral margins of the abdomen are frequently greatly de-
veloped in Heteroptera, and are called “connexivum ;” the upper
and lower surfaces of the body meeting together far within the
marginal outline. Dr Anton Dohrn many years ago® called atten-
tion to the extremely remarkable structure of the terminal segments
in many male Hemiptera; and the subject has been subsequently
very umpertectly treated by the present writer and other ento-
mologists, but it has never received the attention it deserves.
Ent. Nachr. xix. 1893, p. 369.
2 Naturhist. Tidskr. (8) vi. 1896; translated in Ann. N. Hist. (4), vi. 1870,
10 2S. 3 Ent. Zeit. Stettin, xxvii. 1866, p. 321.
Vil STRUCTURE 539
In the females of numerous Heteroptera and Homoptera
(Capsidae, Cicadidae, etc.) there is a well-developed ovipositor, that
serves both as a cutting instrument to make slits in the stems
of plants, and as a director to introduce the eggs therein. Verhoeff
considers that it always consists of two pairs of processes (though
one pair may be very small), one from the eighth abdominal
segment, the other from the ninth."
The antennae usually have very few joints, often as few as
four or five, their maximum number of about twenty-five being
attained in the males of some Coccidae, this condition being,
however, present in but few of even this family. In Selostoma
(Fig. 279) they assume extremely curious forms, analogous to
what we find in the Coleopterous genus Hydrophilus. In addi-
tion to the compound eyes, there are usually ocelli, either two or
three in number, but wanting in many cases. The usual number
of joints of the tarsi is three, but in Coccidae there is only one
joint.
The wings (Fig. 258) exhibit much diversity. The anterior
pair usually differ greatly from the pos-
terior ; they are called elytra, hemi-elytra
or tegmina. This difference in the two
pairs is the rule in the first of the great
divisions of the Order, and the name
Heteroptera is derived from the fact. In
this Sub-Order the front wings close over
the back, and are more or less horny, the
apical part being, however, membranous.
Systematists make use of the wings for
the purpose of classification in Heterop-
tera, and distinguish the following parts,
“ clavus,’ “corium,’ “membrane,” the B
corium being the larger horny division, Fie. 258.—Alar organs of a
; 7 7 Capsid bug (Capsus lani-
avus ying ne3 = g
the clavus the part lying next the scu sR Mivtron :
tellum and frequently very sharply dis- clavus; 3, corium; ©,
: ‘ : cuneus ; D, membrane ;
: : an 0; :
tinguished from the corium; the mem aie cell Gf tha with.
brane is the apical part. The outer brane ; B, hind-wing.
or costal part of the wing is also often
sharply delimited, and is called the “embolium;” in the great
family Capsidae and a few others, the outer apical part of the
1 Ent. Nachr. xix. 1893, p. 375.
540 HEMIPTERA CHAP.
corium is differentiated from the rest of the surface, and is termed
the “cuneus.” In Plataspides, one of the divisions in which
the alar organs are entirely covered by the scutellum, they are
modified in a very remarkable manner. In the Homoptera the
divisions named above do not exist, and the wings in repose are
placed in a different position, as stated in our definition of the
Order. It is said to be very difficult to homologise the wing-
nervures of Hemiptera, and nothing appears to be known as to
the mode of their development.
The alar organs in Hemiptera exhibit a very frequent form
of variation within the limits of the same species; this has not
yet been elucidated.’ In some cases in the Heteroptera nearly
all the individuals of a generation may have the wings aborted ;
sometimes this occurs as a local variation. In Aphidae the
occurrence of winged and wingless individuals is very common,
and has even become an important factor in their extraordinary
life cycles. (See Chermes, etc., subsequently.)
Internal anatomy.—The alimentary canal presents consider-
able diversity and some remarkable features. There is a slender
tube-like oesophagus and a large crop. It is difficult to assign
any of the parts posterior to this to the divisions usual in
other Insects, and it is said that the distinction of parts histo-
logically is as vague as it is anatomically. In the Heteroptera
the Malpighian tubes open into two (or one) vesicular dilatations
seated immediately in front of the short rectum: between this
point and the crop there may be a very elongate, slender portion
with one or more dilatations, these parts apparently replacing
the true or chylific stomach. There is no gizzard. In the
Homoptera the relations of the divisions of the alimentary canal
are even more puzzling; the canal is elongated and forms coils,
and these are connected with tissues and tunics so as to make
their dissection extremely difficult. List says that there are
great differences in the alimentary canal among the members
of the one family Coccidae. There are usually four Malpighian
tubes, but in Coccidae there is only one pair, and in Aphidae
none. The excretory cells of these tubes are in Hemiptera of
remarkably large size. There is a large development of salivary
glands, at least two pairs existing. There can be little doubt
that some of their products are used for purposes of injection, as
' On this subject, see Reuter, Ann. Soc. ent. France (5) v. 1875, p. 225.
VIII STRUCTURE 541
already described, though Kiinckel came to the conclusion that
the saliva when placed in living plants is totally innocuous.’
The ganglia of the nervous system are all concentrated in
the thorax and head. In some cases (in various Homoptera) the
infra-oesophageal ganglion is placed at a distance from the supra-
oesophageal ganglion, and may even be united with the thoracic
mass of ganglia (Orthezia, etc.); in this case the chitinous frame-
work of the mouth-parts is interposed between the supra-.and
the infra-oesophageal ganglia. In Pentatoma all the three gan-
glionic masses are brought into close proximity, but in Nepa the
thoracic mass of ganglia and the infra-oesophageal ganglion are
widely separated.
The ovarian tubes vary greatly in number: according to List
in Orthezia cataphracta the number differs considerably in dif-
ferent individuals, and even in the two ovaries of the same
individual, the number being usually ten. The testes are not
placed in a common tunic, though they are frequently approxi-
mated or even contiguous.”
The smell of bugs is notorious. In many species it is not
unpleasant, though as a rule it is decidedly offensive. It is a
remarkable fact that the structures connected with the production
of this odour are different in many cases in the young and in
the adult. The odour emitted by the latter proceeds from a sac
seated at the base of the abdomen, and opening exteriorly by
means of an orifice on each side of the metasternum; while in
the young there are two glands situated more dorsally and a
little more backwards, and opening on two of the dorsal plates
of the abdomen (Fig. 255, A). In the young the dorsum of the
abdomen, where the stink-glands open, is exposed, but this part
in the adult is covered by the wings. The odorific apparatus is
specially characteristic of Heteroptera, and Kiinckel states that
there is so much variety that generic and even specific characters
might be drawn from conditions of the stink-glands. As a rule
they are most constantly present in the plant-feeding forms; in
some essentially carnivorous forms (Reduviidae, Nepidae, Noto-
1 Ann. Soc. ent. France (4) vii. 1867, p. 45.
* The chief work on the internal anatomy of Hemiptera is still Dufour’s Ze-
cherches anatomiques et physiologiques sur les Hémiptéres, Mem. Savans Etrungers,
Paris, iv. 1833, p. 129.
3 Kunckel, Ann. Soc. ent. France (4) vil. 1867, p, 45, and C.&. Ac. Paris, cxx.
1895, p. 1002.
542 HEMIPTERA CHAP.
nectidae) they are entirely absent. The offensive matter emitted
by Notonecta. is of a different nature, and is probably anal in
origin.
Metamorphosis or postembryonic development.—In the
language of the systematists of metamorphosis, Hemiptera are
said to be Homomorpha Paurometabola—that is, the young
differ but little from the adult. According to Brauer’s general-
isations they are Menorhynchous, Oligonephrous, Pterygogenea,
i.e. they have a sucking mouth that does not change during life,
few Malpighian tubes, and are winged in the adult state. It is
generally admitted that the Homoptera do not completely agree
with Heteroptera in respect of the metamorphosis, it being
more marked in the former, and in Coccidae attaining (as we
shall mention when discussing that family) nearly if not quite
the condition of complete metamorphosis of a pecuhar kind.
Unfortunately we are in almost complete ignorance as to the
details of the life-histories and development of Heteroptera, so
that we can form no generalised opinion as to what the post-
embryonic development really is in them, but there are grounds
for supposing that considerable changes take place, and that
these are chiefly concentrated on the last ecdysis. The young of
some bugs bear but httle resemblance to the adult; the magnifi-
cently-coloured species of Husthenes (Fig. 255), before they attain
the adult condition are flat, colourless objects, almost as thin as a
playing-card ; it is well known that the extraordinary structures
that cover and conceal the body in Plataspides, Scutellerides,
Membracides, ete., are developed almost entirely at the last moult :
it is not so well known that some of these changes occur with much
rapidity. A very interesting account of the processes of colour-
change, as occurring in Poecilocapsus lineatus at the last ecdysis,
Ras been given by Lintner,’ and from this it appears that the
characteristic coloration of the imago is entirely developed in
the course of about two hours, forming a parallel in this respect
with Odonata. When we come to deal with Aphidae we shall
describe the most complex examples of cycles of generations that
exist in the whole of the animal kingdom.
Fossil Hemiptera.—Hemiptera are believed to have existed
in the Palaeozoic epoch, but the fossils are not numerous, and
opinions differ concerning them. Hugereon hockingi, a Per-—
1 In Slingerland’s Cornell Univ. Bull. No. 58, 1893, p. 222.
VI FOSSIL FORMS—CLASSIFICATION 543
mian fossil, was formerly supposed to be a Homopterous Insect,
but it is very anomalous, and its claim to a position in Hemip-
tera is denied by Brauer,’ who considers it to be Orthopterous.
It is now generally recognised that this fossil requires complete
reconsideration. Another Permian fossil, Fulgorina, is admitted
to be Homopterous by Scudder, Brauer and Brongniart. Scudder
thinks the Carboniferous Phthanocoris was an Archaic Hetero-
pterous Insect, and if correct this would demonstrate that both of
the two great Sub-Orders of Hemiptera existed in Palaeozoic times.
Brauer, however, is inclined to refer this fossil to Homoptera, and
Brongniart > speaks of it as being without doubt a Fulgorid.
Dictyocicada, Rhipidioptera and Meganostoma, from the Carboni-
ferous shales of Commentry, have also been referred to Fulgoridae
by Brongniart, but the evidence of their alliance with this group
is far from satisfactory. In the Secondary epoch numerous
Hemiptera existed, and are referred to several of the existing
families. They come chiefly from the Oolite. In the Eocene of
the Isle of Wight a fossil has been discovered that is referred to
the existing Homopterous genus 7'riecphora.
We are not entitled to conclude more from these facts than
that Homoptera probably appeared before Heteroptera, and date
back as far as the Carboniferous epoch.
Classification and families—No complete Laney of
Hemiptera exists, but one by M. Severin is in course of publica-
tion. It is probable that there are about 18,000 species at
present described, two-thirds of this number being Heteroptera.
In Britain we have about 430 species of Heteroptera and 600
of Homoptera. The classification of the Order is not in a very
advanced condition. The following table exhibits the views of
Schiédte® in a modified form :—
Front of head not touching the coxae. I, HETEROPTERA.
Front of head much inflexed so as to be in contact with the coxae.
Il. Homoptera.
Sub-Order I. HrTEROPTERA.
Posterior coxae nearly globose, partiy embedded in cavities, and having
a rotatory movement. Mostly terrestrial forms. 1. Trochalopoda.
Posterior coxae not globose, larger, and not embedded ; their articulation
with sternum almost hinge-like. Posterior aspect of hind femur usually
1 SB. Ak. Wien. xci. 1 Abth., 1885, p. 275.
° Les Insectes fossiles, etc., 1894, p. 452. 3 Ann. Nat. Hist. (4) vi. 1870, p. 225.
544 HEMIPTERA CHAP.
more or less modified for the reception of the tibia when closed on it: mostly
aquatic forms, 2. Pagiopoda.
Division 1, TROCHALOPODA.
This division includes the majority of the families of Heteroptera—viz.
the whole of the terrestrial families except Saldidae, and it also includes
Nepidae, a family of water-bugs.
Division 2. PaGropopa.
This includes the six purely aquatic families of Heteroptera, except
Nepidae, which appear to have very little connection with the other aquatic
bugs. The only terrestrial Insects included in the family are the Saldidae ;
in these the femora are not modified as they are in the aquatic forms.
Hemiptera that live on the surface of water, not in the water, are classed
with the terrestrial species. With these exceptions this arrangement agrees
with that of Gymnocerata and Cryptocerata as usually adopted,! and
therefore followed in the following pages. Schiddte’s characters, moreover,
do not divide his two divisions at all sharply.
Sub-Order IT. Homoprera.
Tarsi usually three-jointed : . Series Trimera.
s », two-jointed », Dimera.
‘ » Of one joint ; : », Monomera.
The classification of Homoptera is in a most unsatisfactory state ;2 no two
authors are agreed as to the families to be adopted in the series 'Trimera.
We have recognised only five—viz. Cicadidae, Fulgoridae, Membracidae,
Cercopidae, and Jassidae. The Dimera consists of Psyllidae, Aphidae,
Aleurodidae ; and the Monomera of Coccidae only. It is usual to associate the
Dimera and Monomera together under the name of either Phytophthires or
Sternorhyncha, but no satisfactory definition can be given of these larger
groups, though it seems probable that the families of which they are com-
posed are natural and distinct.
Sub-Order I. HETEROPTERA.
Series 1. Gymnocerata.
The majority of the terrestrial families of Heteroptera form
the series Gymnocerata, in which the antennae are conspicuous,
and can be moved about freely in front of the head, while in
1 A table of the families is given by Ashmead, but does not work out quite
satisfactorily, Hntom. Americana, iv. 1888, p. 65; a brief table of the characters
of the British families is given by Saunders, Hemiptera-Heteroptera of the British
Islands, 1892, p. 12.
2? Those who wish to see tables of the families are referred to Ashmead, Joc.
cit. ; to Pascoe, Ann. Nat. Hist. (5) ix. 1882, p. 424; to Stal’s Hemiptera Afri-
cana, vol. iv. 1866; and for the families found in Britain to Edwards, Hemiptera-
Homoptera of the British Islands. For a discussion in Danish on the value of the
characters used, cf. Hansen, Ent. Tidskr. xi. 1890, pp. 19-76.
Sad saan
musitciliaiines
VIII HETEROPTERA—PENTATOMIDAE 545
Cryptocerata they are hidden. The series Gymnocerata includes
all the terrestrial Heteroptera, and the two families, Hebridae
and Hydrometridae, which live on the surface of the water or in
very damp places; while Cryptocerata includes all the forms that
live under water.
Fam. 1. Pentatomidae.—Scutellum very large, at least half
as long us the abdomen, often covering the whole of the after-body
and alar appendages. Antennae often five-jointed. Proboscis-
sheath four-jointed. Ocelli two. Hach tarsal claw with an
appendage.-—This, the largest and most important family of the
Heteroptera, includes upwards of 4000 species, and an immense
variety of forms. It is divided into no less than fourteen sub-
families. The species of one of these, Plataspides, are remarkable
for their short, broad forms, and the peculiar condition of the
alar organs, which are so completely
concealed by the great scutellum that
it is difficult to believe the Insects are
not entirely apterous. The head is usually
inconspicuous though broad, but in a
few forms it is armed with horns.
Though this sub-family includes upwards
of 200 species, and is very widely dis-
tributed in the Old World, it has no
representatives in America. The Scutel-
lerides also have the body covered by
the scutellum, but their organs of flight
are less peculiar than they are in the |
Plataspides ;< the: Insects: of this’ sub- ~ Ps/209:— Phdeen corticata.
South America.
family are highly remarkable on account
of their varied and frequently vivid coloration; some of them
are metallic, and the colour of their integuments differs greatly
in some cases, according to whether the specimen is wet or
dry ; hence the appearance after death is often very different
from that of the living specimen. These Insects are extremely
numerous in species. The sub-family Phloeides (Fig. 259), on
the contrary, includes only three or four South American
species: they have no resemblance at all to other Pentatomidae ;
they are flat, about an inch long, and look like scales of bark,
in this respect agreeing with Ledra and some other Homoptera.
The South American sub-family Cyrtocorides (Fig. 260) is of
VOL. VI 2N
546 HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA CHAP.
equally small extent ; the species are of strange irregular shapes,
for which we can find no reason. The Tessaratomides includes
many of the largest Hemiptera-Hetero-
ptera, some of its members attaining
two inches in length.
The great family Pentatomidae, con-
taining about 400 species, is represented
in Britain by about 36 native species,
the most interesting of which are perhaps
those of the genus Acanthosoma. De
Geer noticed long ago that the female of
A, grisewm exhibits great solicitude for
its young, and his statement has since
Fie. 260. Meprssomia ne been confirmed by Mr. Parfitt and the
strosus. South America. Rey. J. Hellins, who found that the
ares mother not only protects the eggs but
also the young, and that for a considerable time after hatching.’
Very little is known as to the life-histories of Pentatomidae.
In some cases the young are very different in appearance
from the adults. The peculiar great scutellum is not developed
till the mature condition is reached. But httle attention has
been given to the habits of Pentatomidae; it is generally con-
sidered that they draw their nutriment from plants; the
American Huthyrhynchus floridanus has, however, been noticed
to suck the honey-bee, and we think it probable that a good
many Pentatomids will be found to attack Insects.
The term Pentatomidae as applied to this family is of modern
origin: in most books the equivalent group is called Scutata, or
Seutati,and the term Pentatomidae is restricted in these works
to the sub-family called Pentatomides in the system we adopt.
Fam. 2. Coreidae.—Scutellum not reaching to the middle of
the body ; proboscis-sheath four-jointed ; ocelli present ; antennae
yenerally elongate and four-jointed, inserted on the upper parts
of the sides of the head; femora not knobbed at the tip.—The
members of this great family are easily recognised by the above
characters ; formerly it was called Supericornia in connection with
the characteristic position of the antennae. About 1500 species
are known, and they are arranged in no less than twenty-nine
sub-families. Many of them are Insects of large size, and they
1 Ent. Mag. vii. 1870, p. 53.
i a, a ma
eee or)
VIII HETEROPTERA—COREIDAE 547
frequently have a conspicuous disc, or dilatation, on one of the
joints of the antennae. Another very curious and, as yet, inex-
plicable peculiarity very commonly met with among them, is
that the hind legs may be of great size and deformed ; either the
femora or the tibiae, or both, being very much distorted or
armed with projections. Brilliant colour is here comparatively
rare, the general tone being indefinite tints of browns, greys, or
smoky colours. The South American genus Holymenia (Copius
Fic. 261.—Diactor bilineatus. Fra. 262.—Phyllomorpha laciniata, carry-
South America. x 4. ing some of its eggs. Spain.
of older authors) consists of slender forms, having the elytra
transparent even on the basal part like Homoptera; this and
some other peculiarities give the species of this genus a certain
resemblance to Insects of other Orders; Westwood says that
Diateina holymenoides (Diptera) greatly resembles a bug of the
genus Holymenia. The tropical American genus Diactor consists
of a few species of elegant colour having the hind legs very
peculiarly shaped, the tibiae being flattened and expanded in a
sail-like manner, and ornamented with agreeable colours different
548 HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA CHAP.
from those on the rest of the body; they are made more con-
spicuous by the femora being remarkably long and thin; it is
probable that they are used as ornaments. The sub-family
PhyHNomorphides consists of about a dozen species, and is found
in several of the western parts of the Eastern hemisphere, one
species, P. laciniata, occurring in Southern Europe. This Insect is
of very delicate texture, and the sides of the body are directed
upwards and deeply divided so that a sort of basin is formed, of
which the dorsum of the body is the floor; the Insect is very
spinose, and is thus enabled to carry its eggs, the spines helping
to retain them in position on the back. It is said to be the male
that thus carries the eggs. This species is able to stridulate,
and when doing so vibrates its antennae with excessive rapidity.
We have only about a score of species of Coreidae in Britain,
and none of the remarkable forms of the family are among them.
Fam. 3. Berytidae.—Very slender Insects with the first
joint of the antennae and the femora thickened at the tips.—
This small family was not distinguished from Coreidae by the
older authors. It consists of about fifty species, eight of which
are found in Britain.
Fam. 4. Lygaeidae.— Zhe characters are the same as those
mentioned for Coreidae, except as regards the insertion of the
antennae ; the upper surface or face of the head is not so flat, but
is transversely convex, so that seen in profile the antennae appear
to be inserted well down on the sides of the head—The name
Infericornia was formerly apphed to these Insects. They
are on the average of smaller size than the members of the
Coreidae or Pentatomidae, and are much less conspicuous in colour
and form; a good many of the larger Lygaeids are, however,
variegate with black, yellow, and red. The family is very numerous
in species, about 1400 being known; they are arranged in
thirteen sub-families; we have about sixty species in Britain,
nearly all small. Hvemocoris lives, when immature, in the nests
of the wood-ant, according to Wasmann. The family includes
some notorious Insect-pests. The Chinch-bug, blissus leuco-
pterus, commits very serious ravages on corn and grasses in North
America. The Cotton-stainer, Dysdercus suturellus is also very
injurious to cotton in certain parts of the New World: its growth
has been described by Riley,’ who thinks a dye valuable for
1 Insect Life, i. 1889, p. 234.
VIII LYGAEIDAE—PYRRHOCORIDAE—TINGIDAE 549
commercial purposes might be procured from the Insect. This
bug has recently developed the habit of sucking oranges, and has
thus become injurious in Florida, as the fruit readily decays
after it has been punctured by these Insects. The phenomenon
of “micropterism ” is exhibited by numerous Lygaeids, as well as
by Pyrrhocoridae.
Fam. 5. Pyrrhocoridae.—Distinguished from Lygaeidae only
by the absence of ocelli, and not recognised as a distinct family
by all Hemipterists. About 300 species are included. Our
only British member is the notorious Pyrrhocoris apterus ; it 1s,
however, very rare in this country, though it abounds on the
Continent, and has been the object of investigation by embryo-
logists and others. It displays in a most marked manner the
curious dimorphism as to the alar organs that is so common in
certain divisions of Hemiptera; the elytra and wings being some-
timés normally developed, while in other cases the wings are
entirely absent, and the horny, basal part of the elytra only is
present. In some localities, and in some years, only the micro-
pterous form is found, while on other occasions there may be a
large percentage of the macropterous form. The abundance of
this Insect has enabled the French chemist Physahx to obtain
an amount of its colouring matter sufficient for analysis; as
the result he procured a substance, insoluble in water, very
closely allied to carotine.’ The Oriental Insect Lohita grandis is
one of the most remarkable of Bugs, the male of the Sumatran
variety being over two inches in length, having enormously long
antennae, and the abdomen extended to about twice the normal
length, while the other sex is in the usual condition in these
respects. The species is said to be injurious to the cotton-plant
in India.
Fam. 6. Tingidae.—7arsi two-jointed. Elytra more or less
reticulate, consisting of strong, irregular, thick lines forming a frame-
work of cells, the enclosed part of the cell being of different texture
and frequently transparent ; antennae with terminal joint more or
less knob-like, the preceding joint very long ; ocelli wanting ; pro-
notum prolonged behind, covering the scutellum ; front coxae placed at
the back of the thorax.—This 1s the first of a series of families
with only two joints to the feet. These little bugs are very
remarkable objects, and exhibit much variety in their peculiar
1 C.R. Ac. Sct. Paris, exviil. 1894, p. 1282.
550 HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA CHAP.
sculpture, which in numerous forms attains a condition of
elegance well worthy of attention. There are nearly 300 species
known, and in Britain we have about a score. The characters
we have given above do not apply to the genus Piesma, though
it is usually placed in
this family; its scutel-
lum is not covered, and
ocelli are present. Al-
though but little is
known as to the nature
of the lives of Tingidae,
yet it was pointed out
long ago by Reéaumur
that a species of the
family (probably C. elavi-
corne, Fig. 263), lives in
Fie. 263. —Copium clavicorne. Europe. deformations of the
(After Riibsaamen.)
flowers of the Labiate
plant now called Teueriwm chamaedrys ; Frauenfeld has more
recently confirmed this observation, and shown that the closely allied
C. teucrii affects the flowers of 7. montanwm in a similar manner.'
Fam. 7. Aradidae.—Very jlat, broad; scutellum exposed,
large or moderate ; abdomen broader than the alar organs, which it
Frequently encases like a broad frame. Front coxae placed in the
middle of the prosternum.—These very flat Insects, of obscure colour,
have frequently very peculiar sculpture. They live under bark, or
on fungi growing from bark,and
are supposed to draw their nut-
riment from the fungi, though
but little is actually known as
to their natural history. The
family is almost cosmopolitan,
and includes about 500 species,
of which five occur in Eng-
land. The small sub-family
Isoderminae consists of a few
species that are placed only
provisionally in Aradidae; they
differ from the normal members by there being no groove on the
Fic. 264.—Aradus orientalis. Siam.
1 Verh. Ges. Wien. iii. 1858, p. 157.
hal Ae $i
EE EEEEeEeaEaeE
VIII ARADIDAE—HEBRIDAE—HYDROMETRIDAE iS Syl
breast, so that the rostrum is free. Of the five species, three
oceur in Chili and Patagonia, two in Tasmania, and one in
Australia.
Fam. 8. Hebridae.—JJinute bugs, of semiaquatic habits,
clothed beneath with a dense, minute, silvery pubescence ; antennae
five-jointed ; legs of not more than average length ; elytra in larger
part membranous.—This small family consists altogether of only
about a dozen species; we have two species of the genus /ebrus
in Britain; they are usually found in very wet moss.
Fam. 9. Hydrometridae.—Morm very diverse; antennae
four-jointed, tarsi two-jointed. Coxae usually widely separated.
Either wingless or with elytra of one texture throughout, having
no membranous part. Under surface with a minute velvet-like
pubescence. In many forms the legs are of great length—Although
of comparatively small extent—scarcely 200 species being at
present known—this family is of great
interest from the habit possessed by its
members of living on the surface of
water. In the case of the notorious
genus Halobates (Fig. 265) the Insects
can even successfully defy the terrors
of Neptune and live on the ocean
many hundreds of miles from land.
There is great variety of form among
Hydrometridae. The European and
British genus JMesovelia is of short
form, and but little dissimilar from
ordinary land-bugs, with which, indeed,
it is connected by means of the genus
Hebrus, already noticed. Aesovelia
represents the sub-family Mesoveliides,
which, though consisting of only four
species, occurs in both hemispheres, and
in the su giaics as well ap in the tem- Fic. 265.— Halobates sobrinus.
perate regions. Our species, M. furcata, Under surface of a female
walks on the surface of the water, the Ta dee D228
movements of its legs and the posi- ;
tion of its coxae being those of land-bugs. Another British
Insect—the highly remarkable Hydrometra stagnorum—is ot
excessively slender form, with long thin legs, by aid of which it
SZ HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA CHAP.
walks on the surface-film of water, above which its body is held
well separated. It is easily drowned, and if submerged it has
great difficulty in escaping from the water. This genus repre-
sents the sub-family Hydrometrides, and is apparently almost
cosmopolitan. Velia currens is another common British Insect ;
it loves the eddies and currents of backwaters on burns and
streams, and is very abundant in Scotland. An American ally,
Rhagovelia plumbea, appears to be not uncommon on the surface
of the ocean in the Gulf of Mexico, near the shores. The great
majority of the family belong to the division Gerrides, of which
the curious, long Insects that float so lazily and skim so easily
on the surface of quiet streams are typical. The species of the
genus now called Gerris, but formerly known as Hydrometra are
apparently distributed all over the world; we have ten in
Britain. They have very long legs, and on being alarmed move
away with the greatest ease.
The genus Ha/obates includes at present fifteen species. They
are found on the ocean, where the surface-water is warm, in
various parts of the world. They are destitute of any trace of
alar organs, the meso- and meta-thorax are closely united and
large, while the abdomen is very small, so that the body is of
oval form; the middle legs are thrown so far back that they are
placed immediately over the posterior pair. When the sea is
calm these Insects skim over the surface with rapidity, but
disappear as soon as it becomes agitated. They are believed to
feed on small animals recently deceased; Witlaczil says on
the juices of jelly-fish, The young are frequently met with,
and there can be no doubt that the whole life-cycle may be
passed through by the Insect far away from land. The Italian
ship Vettor Pisani met with a bird’s feather floating on the
ocean off the Galapagos Islands, covered with eggs which proved
to be those of Halobates in an advanced stage of development.
It was formerly believed that the female carries the eggs for
some time after their exclusion, and although this has since
been denied, it is nevertheless an undoubted fact, for it was
observed by Mr. J. J. Walker,’ to whom we are indebted for
a specimen having the eggs still attached to the body, as shown
in Fig 265. Mr. Walker believes the bugs shelter themselves
when the sea is at all rough by keeping at a sufficient distance
1 Ent. Mag. xxix. 1898, p. 227.
ar
y
vu HYDROMETRIDAE 553
below the surface; they can dive with facility, and are gregarious.
They are frequently found close to the shore, and Mr. Walker
has even met with them on land. The stink-glands of other
Hemiptera are said
by Nassonoff to be
replaced in Halobates
by peculiar ventral
glands. An allied
genus, Halobatodes,
was supposed to be
oceanic, but this 1s
not the case, some of
the species having
been found recently in
fresh water in India,
and others in estu-
aries at Port Darwin.
A remarkable allied
form, Hermatobates
haddoni, was recently
discovered by Pro-
fessor Haddon in
Torres Straits. Apart
from the oceanic life, | ]
Halobates is by no \
means the most ex-
traordinary of the
Hydrometridae. The
Javanese Ptilomera
laticaudata repeats Fic, 266.—Rheumatobates bergrothi. x 10.
West Indies. (After Meinert.)
some of its peculi-
arities, and is of larger size, with the sexes very different. The
most remarkable of the family is perhaps the fresh-water genus
Rheumatobates (Fig. 266), in which the males have peculiar
prehensile antennae that look like legs. These curious Insects
inhabit North America and the West Indies.
We may here notice an enigmatic Insect called Hemidiptera
haeckeli by Léon. From the single specimen known it is con-
cluded that the Insect has only one pair of wings, and that they
are attached to the metathorax. It is, however, possible, as
554 HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA CHAP.
suggested by Bergroth,’ that the anterior pair have been
detached by some accident.
Fam. 10. Henicocephalidae.—Head swollen behind the
eyes so as to form a sort of globe, on the anterior part of
which the ocelli are placed. Rostrum extremely short. Elytra
rather large, of one consistence throughout ; conspicuously veined.—
There is only one genus; it is very widely distributed, about a
dozen species being known; one of these occurs in the south of
Europe. These curious little bugs appear to. be most nearly
allied to the Reduviidae. According to Westwood and others
they are somewhat gregarious; a Tasmanian species dances in
the air after the fashion of midges or May-flies, and dispenses an
agreeable, musk-like odour.
Fam. 11. Phymatidae.—Front legs of peculiar structure, short
and stout, with long coxae, short thick femora, and tibiae curvate,
povnted ; frequently without tarsii—The Insects of this family are
Fig. 267.—Carcinocoris binghami (Phymatidae). Burma.
J
believed to be predaceous, the structure of the legs being such as
is called raptorial, and one species, Phymata erosa, being known
to capture and suck honey-bees in North America. There are
only about seventy species of Phymatidae known. We have
1 Wien. ent. Zeit. xi. 1892, p. 169.
eer egg
VIII
PHYMATIDAE—REDUVIIDAE 55
Ut
none mm Britain, though there are a few in Southern Europe;
one of these, P. crassipes, extends as far north as Paris. The
distinction of the family from Reduviidae is doubtful There
are a few very rare forms (Fig. 267) in which the front tibia is
articulated to the femur in
such a way that a pair of
pincers is formed : the tarsus
is in this form, as well as
in some other Phymatidae,
absent.
Fam. 12. Reduviidae.
—Head more or less elon-
gate, very movable, eyes placed
much in front of the thorax,
ocelli, when present, behind
the eyes. Proboscis short, or
moderately short, not ex-
tending on to the breast, in
repose curved under the head
so as to form a loop there-
with.
Elytra, when present,
consisting of three divisions.
Tarsi three-jointed—This is
one of
the largest and most
important families of Hemi-
ptera.
species
Upwards of 2000
are already known ;
the habits seem to be chiefly
of a predaceous nature, the
creatures drawing their
nutriment from the animal
rather
than from the vege-
table kingdom, and their
chief: prey being in all
probability other kinds of
Insects.
There is, perhaps,
no family of Insects exhibit-
ing a greater variety of form and colour.
X
SS
=e
Fic. 268.—Ghilianella filiventris. Brazil. A,
the female Insect. B, extremity of the body
The Emesids are amongst
the most delicate of Insects, equalling in this respect the daddy-
1 Monograph of Phymatidae: Handlirsch, Ann. Hofmus. Wien, xii. 1897, p. 127.
556 HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA CHAP.
long-leg flies; they are, however, highly predaceous; their front
legs are peculiarly formed for capturing and holding their prey, and
have long coxae, like Mantis, so that these Insects are commonly
mistaken for small or young Mantises, from which their sucking
proboscis at once distinguishes them. This curious starved-look-
ing form of bug reaches its maximum of peculiarity in the South
American genus (hili-
anella (Fig. 268). Ac-
cording to Pascoe the
linear form enables the
young larva to becarried
about by the mother,
the long slender abdo-
men of the larva being
eurled around the
thorax of the parent.
Ploiaria pallida, from
Woodlark Island, is
an Insect of excessive
fragility and elegance,
with the long thin legs
coloured with alternate
patches of black on a
white ground, giving
rise to a very curious
appearance remarkably
analogous to what we
Fic. 269.—Nabis lativentris, young. Cambridge. anes te cea Ore ee
A, Insect seen from above; B, profile. equally delicate daddy-
long-leg flies.
We have three species of Emesides in Britain, but most of our
Reduviidae belong to the sub-family Nabides. These approxi-
mate to ordinary bugs in appearance and characters more than
do-any other of the Reduviidae. One of cur indigenous Nabides
is of great interest from the curious resemblance it has to an ant
(Fig. 269). The likeness is brought about by the sides of the
base of the abdomen being very pallid in colour, except a dark
mark in the middle; this mark is in shape like the pedicel of an
ant. Viewed in profile it is found that on the base of the abdo-
men. there is an elevation like the “scale” in this position in
VIII REDUVIIDAE
ul
ut
N
ants, and that the abdomen is extremely ant-like in form. This
resemblance is quite parallel with that of an Orthopteron to an
ant (see Vol. V. p. 323); the Insect is by no means uncommon,
and it is strange that this curious case
of resemblance should hitherto have
escaped notice. The bug runs about on
plants and flowers, and is frequently in
company with ants, but we do not know
whether it preys on them. Not the
Fic. 270.—Ptilocnemus sidnicus.
Australia. (After Mayr.)
least remarkable of the
facts connected with
this Insect is that the
resemblance is confined
to the earlier instars ;
the adult bug not being
like an ant. We may
here mention that there
: are numerous bugs that
S =a “ik closely resemble ants,
~ and that on the whole
there is reason to be-
lieve that the resem-
bling forms are actually
associated during life,
though we really know
very little as to this last
point.
The little sub-family
Holoptilides, with
twenty-five species, but
Fic. 271.—Myiodocha tipulina. China. widely distributed in
the Eastern hemisphere, is remarkable on account of the feathered
558 HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA CHAP.
antennae and legs of its members (Fig. 270). Altogether four-
teen sub-families are recognised, the most extensive one being
Harpactorides, including a great variety of remarkable forms; in
the South American genus Notocyrtus (better known as Saccoderes,
Fig. 257), the prothorax is swollen and covers the body to a
greater or less extent in the fashion of a hood. In Yolinus
and Hulyes the coloration is the most conspicuous system that
could be devised, the sides of the abdomen (connexivum) being
expanded into bright-red lobes on which are placed patches
of polished-black. The most remarkable form of Reduviid
is, perhaps, one from China (Fig. 271) of considerable size,
of great fragility, and greatly resembling, like some Emesides,
a daddy-long-legs fly, though it does not belong to the Emes-
ides. It is an altogether anomalous form. According to
Seitz there is found on the Corcovado in Brazil a Reduviid
that exactly resembles one of the
dark stinging-wasps of the genus
Pepsis, and the bug makes the same
sort of movements as the wasp does,
though these are of a kind quite
different from those of ordinary bugs.”
Although the attacks of Redu-
viidae on animals are usually con-
Fic. 272.—Eggs of Endochus cinga- are a pallor gad ee
lensis. “The eggs are attachea Gefenceless kinds, yet this is by no
to a leaf and to each other bya means invariably the case; there
viscid substance; eggs red, the : 5
cover pale yellow, with the club are in fact numerous species that do
a een tip." —MS. note of not hesitate to attack man himself.
Several species of Reduvius do this
in Southern Europe, and are frequently met with in houses. 2.
personatus is the only species of the genus in England; though
far from common anywhere, it is sometimes found in houses, and
is said to destroy the common bed-bug’; it is able to pass its
whole existence in our habitations, for the young are found as
frequently as the adult, and are usually concealed by a quantity
of dusty matter, or refuse, adhering to the body. This habit of
covering the body with some foreign substance is natural to the
Insect, the young that are found on trees being covered with
matter derived therefrom. Darwin has given us an account of
4
1 Ent. Zeit, Stettin, li. 1890, p. 281.
vill AEPOPHILIDAE—CERATOCOMBIDAE—CIMICIDAE 559
the Benchucha,’ a bug an inch long, which in South America
attacks human beings after the fashion of the common bed-bug.
In this case no ill-effects follow the attack, but in the case of
Conorhinus sanguisuga in Arizona, great pain and inflammation
ensue and may end in the gathering and discharge of pus.
Not the least remarkable of characters of Reduviidae is the
form’ of the eggs of some of the species (Fig. 272, and Vol. V.
Fig. 78, C); the egg bearing a peculiar operculum, the purpose of
which is at present quite mysterious.
Fam. 13. Aépophilidae.—A single species forms this family.
It is of considerable interest, as it is incapable of flight, passing a
large part of its life covered by the sea. Aépophilus bonnairer
is a small Insect with quite short head, without ocelli, and with
the organs of flight represented by a pair of very short elytra,
with rounded hind-margins. It is found on the shores of
Western France, and, as a great rarity, on our own south coast.
It no doubt sucks small soft animals. In the Channel Islands
it occurs in spots where it is nearly always covered by a con-
siderable depth of water.
Fam. 14. Ceratocombidae.—Jinute bugs with ocelli and
elytra. Rostrum free. Head not broad, somewhat prolonged in
front; eyes close to the thorax. Hlytra usually without a dis-
tinetly separated membrane. Tarsi three-jointed—This family
includes at present only a few, minute, fragile bugs, that have
often been classified with Cimicidae or Anthocoridae. We have
only two British species, one of which, Dipsocoris alienus, is
common amongst the damp shingle at the margins of the burns
and waters of Scotland.
Fam. 15. Cimicidae—Ocelli absent; elytra very short and
broad, so that the broad abdomen is left uncovered. Head short
and broad. Rostrum received in a groove beneath the head. Tarsi
ithree-jointed—Although this family .consists of only a dozen
species, it is the most notorious of all the Order, as it includes
the detestable Cimez lectularius or common Bed-bug. This Insect
is now peculiar to the habitations of man, and is said not to
trouble savage races; or rather it is supposed to be present only
when the habitations have a certain degree of comfort and per-
manence. It has no fixed period of the year for its development,
but the generations succeed one another so long as the temperature
1 Naturalist’s Voyage, ed. 1884, p. 330 ; chap. xv.
560 HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA CHAP.
is sufficiently elevated; during too cold weather the Insects
merely become stupefied, their hves being as it were interrupted
till warmth returns. It is a favourite food with other Insects,
and is destroyed by cockroaches and ants as well as by Reduvius ;
the small black ant Monomoriwm will, it 1s said, clear a house of the
bed-bug in a few days. Nothing is really known as to the origin
of this Insect; it is now very widely distributed. The other
species of the family frequent birds and bats, and are very
similar to the common bug. The genus to which the bed-bug
belongs is in many works called Acanthia instead of Cimex.
Other authors apply the term Acanthia to Salda, but it is better
to allow the name Acanthia to fall into disuse.
Fam. 16. Anthocoridae.—JJinute bugs, usually with ocelli
and with elytra; the latter occasionally abbreviated, but usually
fully developed, with membranous tip. Head prolonged in the
middle in front much beyond the insertion of the antennae; eyes
not far from the thorax. Rostrum free—These small and obscure
Insects appear to be rather numerous in species, and to be chiefly
connected with woods and forests. Some of the species live
in ants’ nests. We have 27
British species belonging
to 11 genera. About 200
species of the family are
known. The members of
the sub-family Microphy-
sides are remarkable from
the great dissimilarity of
the sexes, for which it is
not possible to assign any
reason.
Fam. 17. Polyctenidae.
—Proboscis - sheath three -
jointed, tarsi four -jointed,
antennae four-jointed. Teq-
f _ mina quite short, of one con-
Fic. 273.—Polyctenes fumarius. Sees ie on ae
(After Westwood.) anomalous species forming
this family are parasites on
bats of the genus J/olossus, and have been found in both the
Eastern and Western hemispheres. Westwood, who first described
VIII POLYCTENIDAE—CAPSIDAE 561
them,' treated them as aberrant Anoplura or Lice, but there do
not appear to be any sufficient grounds for removing these para-
sites from Hemiptera-Heteroptera. The condition of their alar
organs reminds one of what exists in Cimex and Aépophilus, and
the mouth is not known to possess any very peculiar structure.
We have had no opportunity of making a thorough examination
of Polyctenes, and therefore speak with some diftidence.
Fam. 18. Capsidae.— Moderate-sized or small bugs, of delicate
consistence, without ocelli ; the elytra and wings usually large in
proportion to the body, the former with two cells (occasionally
Fic. 274.—Helopeltis sp. East India.
only one) in the membrane. Antennae four-jointed, the second joint
usually very long, the terminal two more slender than the others.
The proboscis not received in a groove. Scutellum exposed, mode-
rately large. Tarsi three-jointed. Female with an ovipositor
capable of exsertion—This family is one of the most extensive of
the Hemiptera; we have about 170 species in Britain, where
they are most abundant in the south. The exotic species have
‘been but little collected. Their colours
are usually delicate rather than vivid,
and are never metallic. They frequent
plants of all kinds, and many of them
skip by the aid of their wings with great
agility in the sunshine. The majority
probably suck the juices of the plants, but
some are known to prey on other Insects.
The species of the Indian genus Helo- ao 46: Ue
peltis (Fig. 274) are remarkable by — egg of a Capsid bug allied
possessing a knobbed spine projecting eS ene,
straight up from the scutellum, making
the individual look as if it were a specimen with a pin through
1 Thesaurus ent. Oxoniensis, 1874, p. 197.
VOL. VI 20
562 HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA CHAP.
it: they attack the tea-plant and do considerable damage. They
are known as Mosquito-blight. The egg is of comparatively large
size, and is placed by the bug in the stems of the tea-plant,
but attached to one end of the egg are two long slender threads
that project externally. A similar egg (Fig. 275) and method
of oviposition have been described by Mr. Dudgeon as occurring
in another species of Capsidae, called Moesa-blight, in India.'
Fam. 19. Saldidae.—Head short and broad, with large, pro-
minent eyes. Ocelli present. Proboscis not applied to under surface
of head or breast in repose. Scutellum large, not covered. Elytra
covering the upper surface of the abdomen, formed of three distinct
parts. Tarsi three-jointed—These little bugs run with velocity
over mud in damp places, or live in wet moss; some of them can
jump; they are all of dark or obscure colour. There,are only
three genera: Salda, of which we have numerous British species,
being the principal one.
Series 2. Cryptocerata.
The remaining families of Heteroptera are of aquatic habits,
and form in nearly all works a separate division called Hemiptera
Cryptocerata (or Hydrocorisae, or Hydrocores), distinguished by
the antennae being apparently absent; they are, however, really
present, being situate on the under side of the head, to which
they are closely pressed, or in some cases placed in a pocket in
front of each eye. There are six of these families. Schiddte
is doubtless correct in treating this division as an unnatural one ;
it 1s, however, generally adopted, and is convenient for the pur-
poses of nomenclature and arrangement. :
Fam. 20. Galgulidae or Pelogonidae—/orm short and
broad ; head very broad, with prominent eyes, ocelli present. Hind
legs thin, formed for running—The Insects of this family are
but little known; they are only sub-aquatic in habits, frequent-
ing damp places at the margins of streams and waters. The
presence of ocelli distinguishes them from other water-bugs, with
which indeed the Galguldae appear to be but little related.
There are only about twenty species of the family known. We
possess none in Britain; but one, Pelogonus marginatus, occurs
1 Ind. Mus. Notes, iii. No. 5, 1894, p. 53.
VIII CRYPTOCERATA—NEPIDAE 563
in South Europe. The other members of the family are very
widely scattered over the surface of the earth.
Fam, 21. Nepidae.— Abdomen furnished behind with a long
slender siphon; front legs more or less elongate for capturing
prey, placed quite at the front
edge of the prothorax.—This
family consists of two interest-
ing but very dissimilar genera,
Nepa and Ranatra. Both are
widely distributed over the
earth, and are rather numerous
in species’ We have one
species of each genus in Britain.
Nepa cinerea, the common
“water-scorpion,” 1s one of
the commonest of Insects in
Southern Britain, living con-
cealed in shallow waters when
nearly or quite stagnant.
Ranatra linearis (Fig. 276) is
much less common, and appears
to be getting rarer ; it is not re-
corded from farther north than
Cambridge.
The nature of the respir-
atory arrangements in these
Insects is of considerable in-
terest; the long tube at the
extremity of the body consists
of two parts (as shown in Fig.
276) brought together in the
middle, one from each side.
Lacaze-Duthiers states that the Fie. 276—Ranatra linearis, with the two
processes are elongated pleurae, See ie AU ae see
ge.
but in the young it is tar
from clear that this is the case. However that may be, they
seem to convey air to the true breathing organs, situate inside
the cleft on the apical part of the abdomen itself; but details
as to the way in which transfer of air is effected along this
1 Ferrari, Monograph of Nepa, Ann. Hofmus. Wien, iii. 1888, p. 171.
564 HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA CHAP.
very protracted passage are not forthcoming. The develop-
ment in Nepa has been studied to a certain extent. The
apical stigmata are the only pair of the abdominal stigmata
that exist in the imago of Nepa, the other six pairs being
obliterated ; the third, fourth, and fifth, according to Schicdte, in
a very peculiar manner: hence, as Martin says,’ the respiratory
system is metapneustic. In an earlier stage of the life, however,
these six pairs of stigmata exist in functional activity placed in
a groove on the under surface of the body; so that the condition
is that termed peripneustic, and remains so till the final moult,
when the long siphon appears. In the early life there is a
short prolongation from the end of the body in connection with
the pair of grooves alluded to, but it is a single unpaired organ,
and does little therefore to explain the appear-
ance of the siphon, which must, at present, be
considered as being suddenly developed at the
last moult.
The eggs of Nepidae are remarkable objects ;
that of the common water-scorpion bears seven
filaments at one end (Fig. 277); while thet of
Ranatra is more elongate, and bears only two,
very elongate, threads. These eggs are deposited
in the stems of water-plants, being introduced
therein, so that the body of the egg is concealed
while the threads project: those of Ranatra are
placed in stems floating on the water, and in
consequence of the threads the stems look as if
they were infested by some fungus. The struc-
Fig. 277.—Egg of ture and formation of the eggs have been
te Korschelt,) WvVestigated with considerable detail by Kor-
schelt.". He looks on the filaments as pneu-
matic, and considers that they supply a coating of air to the
body of the egg; they consist of a spongy mass encircled by two
layers of egg-shell, both of these latter being peculiar in struc-
ture ; the spongy mass is continuous with a layer of the same
kind of substance placed on the interior of the shell of the body
' Bull. Soc. Philomat, (8) vy. 1893, p. 57. There is some diversity of opinion
as to the respiratory orifices, and some authorities say that thoracic stigmata exist
even in the imago.
* Acta Ac. German. li. 1887, p. 224, and Zeitschr. wiss. Zool. xliii. 1886, p. 537.
Vill NEPIDAE—N AUCORIDAE—BELOSTOMIDAE 565
of the egg. It will be recollected that we have described (p.
562) an egg, apparently of the same nature, deposited by Capsids
in the stems of land plants, so that it is very doubtful whether
the threads are really connected with the aquatic development
of the embryo in Nepidae. But the most interesting feature
connected with these eggs is, according to Korschelt, the mode of
development of the filaments, which is sui generis; the shell of
the egg is developed in the ordinary manner as an exudation or
excretion from epithelial cells; but the shell of the filament is
formed as an intracellular product; a mode of chitin-formation
that appears to be peculiar to this structure. Korschelt remarks
that “it is in the highest degree worthy of attention how by
any process of development through a large number of successive
generations so complex a condition could be established as the
result of adaptation to external conditions; and this becomes
even more interesting when we remember that highly peculiar
special processes and departures from the usual modes of tissue-
formation are necessary to permit the development of this
apparatus.” |
Fam. 22. Naucoridae.—No ocelli, and no terminal process
to the body; front legs inserted on or near the front of the
prosternum. Anterior femora usually broad and flat——The
members of this family are truly aquatic, and swim readily in
the water. The family is small, including about nine genera
and thirty species, but, like many water-Insects, the genera are
widely distributed. We have two in Britain—one of them,
Naucoris, common; the other, Aphelocheirus, rare.
Fam. 23. Belostomidae.—No ocelli, and no long terminal
tube to the body; front legs inserted near the front of the pro-
sternum. Posterior tibiae not spiny ; flattened and provided with
swimming hairs.—Although these Insects have been classified
with Nepidae they have but little relation therewith; on the
other hand, the distinctions from Naucoridae are far less im-
portant. The family includes some of the largest Insects. The
South American Lelostoma grande attains a length of four or four
and a half inches. Notwithstanding their considerable size
Belostomidae exist in very large numbers in some localities, and
frequently destroy young fish by aid of the powerful though
! Korschelt, Acta. t.c. p. 245. Compare the remarks we have made on p. 559 as .
to the peculiarities of eggs of many other Hemiptera.
566 HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA CHAP.
short rostrum. They appear to be unable to resist the attrac-
tion of artificial light, and are consequently sometimes destroyed
in large numbers. It has long been known that species of the
genera Diplonychus and Zaitha carry
| their eggs on their backs. There is no
special receptacle for the purpose, but the
eges are kept in their pecuhar position
by means of a cement insoluble in water.
It has been stated by Dimmock that
they are placed in position by means of
a long, flexible ovipositor. Schmidt, how-
ever, found that a specimen of Dzplo-
nychus, bearing eggs and examined by
him, was a male, and he subsequently
found that this was the case with other
Fie. 278.—Zaitha anura, egg-bearing individuals of other species,
carrying eggs on its back. go that the mode in which the eggs are
West Indies. 22)
placed in this position and the object of
so curious a habit, remain uncertain. The species of Belostoma
are highly remarkable on account of the curious and complex
structure of their antennae, in respect of which the nearest
analogy is to be found in the large Coleoptera of the genus
Hydrophilus, A very deep, ear-like pocket, exactly suited
to the form of the antennae,
exists on the under side of the
head; hence in repose no sign
of the pecuhar shape of the
antennae exists. When the
antennae are placed in this ear-
like pocket only the one side
of the basal joints is exposed,
the long processes being re- ;
ceived into the deep pocket. !,272z-Aniama of Eeociona, sp, A
In Hydrophilus the antenna is with antenna, 6, extended ; B, with the
antenna retracted. «a, Side of head ; ¢,
used as an accessory organ of pocket for antenna ; @, position of the eyes.
respiration, and it will be in- The corresponding joints of the antenna
: : are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 in each figure.
teresting to learn whether this
is also the case in Belostoma. Belostomidae have patches of air-
carrying pubescence, analogous with those of Hydrophilus, on
the under sides of the body, elytra and wings, but we do not
VII BELOSTOMIDAE—NOTONECTIDAE—CORIXIDAE 567
know how they are charged. Another extremely interesting
analogy is found in the manner in which the elytra are locked
to the body; a projection from the thoracic side-pieces, forming
a long pouch, into which a fold on the inner side of the elytra
fits, the two being subsequently locked by the action of some
special projections. This arrangement is similar to that which
exists in the anomalous family of water-beetles “Pelobiidae. In
order to make this mechanism more perfect the side-pieces in
Belostoma form free processes. Martin has informed us that the
young have the metasternal episternum prolonged to form a
lamella that he thinks*may be for respiratory purposes.’ About
twelve genera and upwards of fifty species of Belostomidae are
known. None exist in our isles, but several species extend their
range to Southern Europe. In the waters of the warm regions of
the continents of both the Old and New Worlds they are common
Insects, but as yet they have not been found in Australia.
Fam. 24. Notonectidae.—Prosternum short, so that the legs
are placed near the back part of it as well as near the front ; back
of the head overlapped by the front of the pronotum.—The water-
boatmen are extremely common in our ponds, where they may
be seen rising to the surface and raising the posterior extremity
of the body for breathing. They swim on their backs instead of
in the usual position, and have an elaborate arrangement of long
hairs on the body to assist them to carry about an air-supply.
They are said to be lighter than the water, and to have some
difficulty in keeping away from the surface. Notonecta glauca
is the only British species, but we have a second minute Insect,
Plea minutissima, belonging to the family. It les in the mud at
the bottom of shallow waters, and may sometimes be fished up in
great numbers. It is considered by some authors to form a
distinct family. The oviposition of Motonecta has been observed
by Regimbart ; the eggs are inserted into the stems of aquatic
plants.
Fam. 25. Corixidae—Prosternum short, as in Notonectidae ;
summit of the head free from the thorav—We have numerous
species of the genus Coriza in Britain; and others extremely
similar in appearance occur in various parts of the world. The
head is remarkably free, and capable of great rotation. On
dissection it is found to be attached to the thorax only by a
1 Bull. Mus. Paris, 1896, p. 238.
568 HEMIPTERA CHAP.
narrow area; in this respect it differs widely from NVotonecta,
which possesses an extremely large occipital foramen, and the
head of which possesses but little freedom of movement. The
extremely short proboscis is more or less retractile, and therefore
frequently appears absent. A second British genus consists of a
single species, Sigara minutissima. These Insects, unlike oto-
necta, are quite at home beneath the water, where they scurry
about with extreme rapidity, and occur sometimes in enormous
numbers. In Mexico the eggs of Coriaa americana and of C.
Jemorata are used as food, and are said to be very nice. The
Insects themselves are used as food in both Mexico and Egypt.
The species of this family can make a noise beneath the water by
rubbing the front feet against the proboscis." The males have a
very complex asymmetry of the terminal segments, and in some
Species possess on one side of the dorsal surface a curious asym-
metrical organ consisting of rows of very closely-packed, in-
tensely black, comb-like plates, called by Buchanan White a
strigil. This organ seems to be similar to the peculiar structures
found on the terminal segments of certain species of Scutellerides.
Sub-Order II. Homoptera.”
Fam. 1. Cicadidae.— Head with three ocelli, placed triangularly
on the summit between the compound eyes; antennae consisting
of a short basal joint, surmounted by a hair-like process divided into
about five segments. Front femora more or less thick, armed with
teeth. Peduncle (or basal joints) of antennae without sensitive
organs.—This important family consists chiefly of large Insects,
few being as small as one inch across the expanded wings, while
in some the expanse is as much as seven inches. As a rule
the four wings are transparent and shining, with the nervures
remarkably distinct and dark coloured; but there are numerous
forms where the whole creature, including the wings, is highly
pigmented in a showy manner; frequently in black and yellow.
Cicadas are said to be without any special protection, and to be
destroyed in considerable numbers by birds and other animals.
The body is broad and robust, and is never shaped into the
extravagant forms we meet with in some of the other families of
Homoptera. Cicadidae are almost confined to the warmer regions
1 See Carpenter, Trish Naturalist, iv. 1895, p. 59.
* See remarks on pp. 543, 544.
a
Vul HOMOPTERA—CICADIDAE 569
of the earth, but we have one species, a great rarity, in the ex-
treme south of England; altogether there are about 800 species
known. These Insects are seen above ground—so far as the
life-histories are at present known—only in the perfect condi-
tion, the creatures in their earlier stages being subterranean and
living on roots. As soon as the individual comes out of the
ground it splits open the nymph-skin, and the perfect Cicada
emerges. One species—the North American Cicada septendecim
—is a most notorious Insect owing to its life-cycle of seventeen
Fic. 280.—Cicada septendecim. North America. (After Riley.) A, Larva; B,
nymph ; C, nymph skin after emergence of the imago, D; E, section of twig with
series of eggs ; F, two eggs magnified.
years. It is considered that the individual, after nearly seven-
teen years of underground existence, comes to the surface and
lives for a brief period the life of a noisy Insect. This is the
only Insect at present known having so considerable a longevity.
This fact, and several other peculiarities, have attracted much
attention, so that there is an extensive literature connected with
the seventeen-year Cicada. It has a wide distribution over the
United States, but does not confine its appearance to every
seventeenth year, being found somewhere or other—frequently
in numerous localities—almost every year. The evidence as to
its periodicity has been obtained by taking the locality and other
points into consideration as well as the year of appearance.
570 HEMIPTERA-HOMOPTERA CHAP.
By so doing it has been found possible to establish the existence
of twenty-two broods which are distinguished by consecutive
numeration. This being done, the evidence as to the years
during which Cicadas have appeared in any given locality is
examined, and the result is believed to bear out the view that the
life-cycle of the individual Insect is really one of seventeen years.
According to this view there are, underground, in certain localities
individuals of different ages that will appear on the surface as
mature individuals in different years. Thus in 1885 it was
understood that there were underground in Alabama two broods,
viz. brood xvii. that would appear on the surface in 1894, and
brood iv. that would appear on the surface in 1896. The pre-
dictions made as to the years in which Cicadas would appear in
some given locality are considered to have proved correct. More-
ever, particular entomologists have in certain localities verified
by personal examination the appearance of the Insects for several
consecutive periods of seventeen years. These facts appear fairly
conclusive, but they are much complicated by another point, viz.
that in certain localities the period is one of thirteen, not of
seventeen, years. This is to some extent a question of climate,
the thirteen-year interval being chiefly characteristic of the
Southern States. It is not, however, entirely so, for there
are localities in which the broods have an interval of either
thirteen years or seventeen years. Another fact should be
remembered, viz. that it is admitted that not quite all the
individuals of a particular brood are true to their proper time of
appearance ; In other words, a few specimens may appear pre-
cociously a year or two before their comrades, while some may
lag behind to a considerable extent. It is therefore a matter
for great surprise that, under these circumstances, the broods
should keep distinct at all, for one would suppose that time-
variation of this kind would lead to completely obscuring the
distinctness of the broods. We must also call attention to the
fact that both the seventeen-year and the thirteen-year broods
have a dimorphic form, or sub-species, called C. cassinit which
accompanies the ordinary form, with which it is apparently as a
rule not connected by intermediates.'
1 We must refer those who may wish for further information as to this complex
and difficult question to the writings of the late Professor Riley, especially to
Bulletin No. 8, 1885, U.S. Department of Agriculture, division of entomology ;
and to the more recent report by Marlatt, Bull. Dep. Agric. Ent., N.S. No. 14, 1898.
VIII CICADIDAE WA
Cicadidae are provided with powerful ovipositors. The eggs
of CO. septendecim are deposited in the woody stems of bushes ;
after remaining there a few weeks the young hatch out, drop
to the ground, and, as previously stated, disappear for nearly
seventeen years, nearly the whole of which time is passed
in the larval state, the nymph-condition existing for only
a few days. They feed on the roots of various trees; it has
been said that they are injurious in this way, but other
authorities maintain that they suck only a moist exudation
from the roots. It is very difficult to obtain information as to
their strange, prolonged, subterranean life ; it said that the Insects
sometimes penetrate to a great depth—ten feet, even twenty feet
are mentioned ;—and as great changes may take place on the surface
during their long lives, these Insect Rip Van Winkles some-
times emerge in very strange conditions, and may appear even in
deep cellars. When the pupa comes to the surface it hooks
itself on to the stem of some plant or other object, the skin of
the back splits, and the Cicada emerges. Among the inexplicable
peculiarities of this Insect must be mentioned the fact that when
emerging it sometimes constructs chimneys, or flues, extending
several inches above the surface of the ground. The reason for
this is much disputed; it was said that they are for refuge
against inundations, but this appears to be very doubtful. — Certain
of the broods consist of an almost incalculable number of indi-
viduals, and it is very strange to hear woods, or other localities,
that have been for many years free from these Insects, all at
once resounding with their noisy song. The seventeen-year
Cicada is considered to be doomed to a speedy extinction; the
extension of cultivation and building, and the introduction to
America of the English sparrow, are likely to prove too much
for the Insect.
Although Hemiptera are classified by many among the
Ametabola or Insects without metamorphosis, it is impossible
to deny that the Cicadidae exhibit a considerable amount of
metamorphosis, and they are usually mentioned as exceptional.
The young (Fig. 280, A) is totally unlike the adult in form
and colour, and maintains, to a certain extent, its existence
by the aid of a different set of implements. The larva of the
Cicada is colourless, with an integument of very feeble consistence,
rather large antennae, and a remarkable pair of fossorial legs;
572 HEMIPTERA-HOMOPTERA CHAP.
the wings are totally wanting. The mode of passage from the
larval to the pupal state has not been recorded. The pupa, or nymph,
differs from the larva by its much shorter, compressed form; by
being encased in a remarkably hard shell; and by the antennae
approximating in form to those of the adult. It has short wing-
pads at the sides of the body; the front legs are remarkably
powerful, and the creature is capable of moving about; the imago
escapes from the pupa by the splitting dorsally of the middle of
the thoracic segments. The empty pupa-skin does not shrivel,
but retains its form, and in countries where Cicadas occur, fre-
quently attracts attention by the strange form it presents, being
often placed in a conspicuous position.
Song.—Cicadas are the most noisy of the Insect world; the
shrilling of grasshoppers and even of crickets being insignificant
in comparison with the voice of Cicada. Darwin heard them
in South America when the Beagle was anchored a quarter
of a mile from the shore; and Z'ympanoterpes gigas, from the
same region, 1s said to make a noise equal to the whistle of a
locomotive A curious difference of opinion prevails as to
whether their song is agreeable or not; in some countries they
are kept in cages, while in others they are considered a nuisance.
The Greeks are said to have decided in favour of their per-
formances, the Latins against them. Only the males sing, the
females being completely dumb; this has given rise to a saying
by a Greek poet (so often repeated that it bids fair to become
immortal) “Happy the Cicadas’ lives, for they all have voice-
less wives.” * The writer considers the songs of the European
species he has heard far from unpleasant, but he is an entomologist,
and therefore favourably prepossessed; and he admits that
Riley’s description of the performances of the seventeen-year
Cicada is far from a satisfactory testimonial to the good taste of
that Insect; Riley says, “The general noise, on approaching the
infested woods, is a combination of that of a distant threshing-
machine and a distant frog-pond. That which they make when
disturbed, mimics a nest of young snakes or young birds under
similar circumstances—a sort of scream. They can also produce
' Some entomologists consider that this ‘‘railway-whistle” note is the result
of the combined efforts of several individuals. Cf. Mathew, Ent. Mag. xi. 1875,
joy AB
? It is unnecessary to say that the poet was not Sappho, but one of the baser sex,
named Xenarchus.
‘+ ae etl eo
VIII CICADIDAE 575
a chirp somewhat like that of a cricket and a very loud, shrill
screech prolonged for fifteen or twenty seconds, and gradually
increasing in force and then decreasing.” The object, or use of
the noise is very doubtful; it is said that it attracts the
females to the males. “De gustibus non est disputandum !” per-
haps, however, there may be some tender notes that we fail to
perceive; and it may be that the absence of any definite organs
of hearing reduces the result of a steam-engine whistle to the
equivalent of an agreeable whisper. No special auditory organs
have been detected! as we have already intimated; and certain
naturalists, amongst whom we may mention Giard, think that
the Insects do not hear in our sense of the word, but feel
rhythmical vibrations ; it is also recorded that though very shy
the Insects may be induced to approach any one who will stand
still and clap his hands—in good measure—within the range of
their sensibilities. There is a good deal of support to the idea
that the males sing in rivalry.
Vocal structures.—Although we may not be able to pro-
nounce a final opinion as to the value to the Insect of the sounds,
yet we cannot withhold our admiration from the structures from
which they proceed. These are indeed so complex that they
must be ranked as amongst the most remarkable voice-organs in
the animal kingdom. They are totally different from the
stridulating organs that are found in many other Insects, and are
indeed quite peculiar to the Cicadidae. Some difference of
opinion has existed as to the manner in which the structures
act, but the account given by Carlet, some of whose figures we
reproduce, will, we believe, be found to be essentially correct. The
structures are partly thoracic and partly abdominal. On ex-
amining a male Cicada there will be seen on the under surface
two plates—the opercula—usually meeting in the middle line of
the body and overlapping the base of the abdomen to a greater
or less extent according to the species, sometimes nearly covering
this part of the body ; these are enlargements of the metathoracic
epimera; they can be slightly moved away from the abdomen,
and, as the latter part is capable of a still greater extent of
movement, a wide fissure may be produced, displaying the complex
1 Swinton claims that one of the membranes in the vocal apparatus is an auditory
organ ; if so, the male would be deafened by his own noise, while the females, not
possessing the organ, should not hear the song.
574 HEMIPTERA-HOMOPTERA CHAP.
structures. In order to see the parts it is better to cut away
an operculum ; underneath it three membranes can be seen, an
external, the timbal; an anterior, the folded or soft membrane ;
and a posterior, the mirror. This last is a most beautiful object,
tensely stretched and pellucid, yet reflecting light so as to be
of varied colours; there are also three stigmata, and some
chambers connected with the apparatus. The sound is primarily
produced by the vibrations of the timbal, to which a muscle is
attached ; the other membranes are probably also thrown into a
condition of vibration, and the whole skeleton of the Insect helps
to increase or modify the sound, which is probably also influenced
A
Fic. 281.—Musical apparatus of Cicada plebeia. (After Carlet.) A, Ventral view (Oper-
culum on right side is removed) ; ap, apophysis ; c, cavern ; ¢, trochantin (cheville
of Réaumur) ; exf, part of internal skeleton of abdomen ; mi, specular membrane ;
m.pl, soft or folded membrane; P, base of leg; st, st’, st’, stigmata; ¢, drum
“timbale” ; v, operculum ; 1a, first, 2a, second abdominal segment: B, same seen
laterally, portion of abdominal wall as well as operculum removed ; A, point of
insertion of hind wing; Jes, mesothorax ; sc, scutum of metathorax ; 3a, third
g
abdominal segment ; rest as in A.
by the position of the opercula. The stigmata probably play an
important part by regulating the tension of the air in the
chambers. In the female some of the structures are present in
a rudimentary form, but there are no muscles, and this sex
appears to be really quite voiceless.
Fam. 2. Fulgoridae.—Ocelli two (rarely three, or entirely
obsolete), placed beneath the eyes or near the eyes, usually in
cavities of the cheeks, antennae placed beneath the eyes, very variable
in form; usually of two joints terminated by a very fine hair,
the second joint with a peculiar texture of the surface, owing to the
existence of sensitive structures (Hansen). Form of head very
diverse ; vertex and face forming either a continuous curve, or the
planes of the vertex and face forming an acute angle, or both pro-
ee ee ee
Se “2 el tn mt
= FULGORIDAE ey
longed so as to form a projection or growth that may be monstrous.
Frothorax neither armed nor unusually developed.
This family is of large extent, and includes at present so great
a variety of forms that it is really almost impossible to frame a
definition that will apply to all. The unusual situation of the
ocelli and the peculiar second joint of the antennae must at
present be taken as the best diagnostic characters: occasionally a
third ocellus is present. Some of the Fulgoridae are amongst the
largest Insects, others are quite small, The family includes the
so-called Lantern-flies, in which the front of the head forms a huge
misshapen proboscis that was formerly believed to be luminous.
Fie. 282.—Fulgora candelaria. x1. China.
Many of the species are of brilliant or beautiful coloration. A
great many—and of very different kinds—have the curious power
of excreting large quantities of a white, flocculent wax. This is
exhibited by our little British Insects of the genus Cizius,and in
some of the exotic forms is carried to an extent that becomes a
biological puzzle. The Tropical American genus Phenaz may be
cited as an example; being about an inch long it flies about with
a large mass of this waxy substance twice as long as itself;
indeed, in the Mexican P. auricoma, the waxy processes are four
or five inches long. This wax forms a favourite food of certain
kinds of Lepidoptera, and two or three larvae of a maggot-like
nature may frequently be found concealed in the wax of the live
Fulgorids ; this has been recorded by Westwood as occurring
in India; and Champion has observed it in the New World.
1 P. ent. Soc. London, 1883, p. 20.
576 HEMIPTERA-HOMOPTERA CHAP.
The wax of Fulgorids is used by the Chinese for candles and
other purposes; and this white Insect-wax is said to be much
esteemed in India. Very curious chemical substances have been
obtained from it, but its importance in the economy of the
Insects that produce it is quite obscure. We have about seventy
species of Fulgoridae in Britain. . They belong to the sub-families
Tettigometrides, Issides, Cixiides, and Delphacides, which by
many authors are treated as separate families. The exotic sub-
family Flatides is highly peculiar. In some of its members the
head is very different from that of the ordinary forms, being
narrow, and the vertex and front forming a continuous curve.
Some of these Insects are remarkably like butterflies or moths
(e.g. the African Ityraea nigrocincta and the species of the genus
Pochazia), but the young are totally unlike the old, the posterior
part of the body bearing a large bush of curled, waxy projections,
several times the size of the rest of the body.
Fam. 3. Membracidae.—Prothorax prolonged backwards into
a hood or processes of diverse forms ; antennae inserted in front of
ihe eyes ; ocelli two, placed between the two eyes.—This family 1s of
Fie. 283.—A, B, Heteronotus trinodosus. A, Male seen from above; B, profile of
female ; a, terminal part of pronotum ; 4, terminal part of abdomen: C, front
view of head and pronotum of Cyphonia clavata. Both species from Central
America, (From Biol. Centr. Amer. Rhynch. Homopt. 11.)
large extent but its members are chiefly tropical, and are specially
abundant in America. Although not of large size the Membracidae
are unsurpassed for the variety and grotesqueness of their shapes,
due to the unusual development of the pronotum. We figure two
ot these forms (Fig. 283).' Very little is known about their
1 A considerable variety of these extraordinary creatures are figured in Biol.
Centr. Amer. Rhynch. Homopt. ii.
Vill MEMBRACIDAE——CERCOPIDAE 577
habits and life-histories. We have only two species of the family
in Britain, and these do not afford any ground for supposing that
there are any peculiarities in their lives at all commensurate
with the oddness of the Insect’s structures. Belt has recorded
the fact that in Nicaragua the larvae of certain Homoptera were
assiduously attended by ants for the sake of a sweet juice
excreted by the bugs, but it is by no means clear that these larvae
were really those of Membracidae. In North America Ceresa
bubalus and C. taurina place their eggs in an extremely neat’
manner in the woody twigs of trees. The young have but little
resemblance to the adults, the great thoracic hood being absent,
while on the back there is on each segment a pair of long, sub-
erect processes having fringed, or minutely spiny, margins.’
Fam. 4. Cercopidae.—(celli two (occasionally absent) placed
on the vertex; antennae placed between the eyes. Thorax not
peculiarly formed.—In the characteristic forms of this family
the front of the vertex bears a suture, touched on each side
by one at right angles to it, or converging to it so as to form a
triangle or a sort of embrasure ; the hind tibiae have only one to
three strong spines. The Cercopidae are much less extraordinary
than many of the previously considered families. But some of
them have the habit cf secreting a large quantity of fluid; and
when in the immature stages, certain of them have the art of
emitting the liquid in the form of bubbles which accumulate
round the Insect and conceal it. These accumulations of fluid
are called cuckoo-spits or frog-spits; and the perfect Insects are
known as frog-hoppers, their power of leaping being very great.
The most abundant of the frog-hoppers in our gardens is
Philaenus spumarius, a little Insect of about a quarter of an inch
long, obscurely coloured, with more or less definite pale spots;
it is so variable in colour that it has received scores of names.
Some of the Insects do not use their fluid in this manner, but
eject it in the form of drops, and sometimes cast them to a con-
siderable distance. The phenomena known as weeping-trees are
due to Cercopidae; some of the species make such copious exuda-
tions of this kind that the drops have been compared to a shower
of rain. In Madagascar it is said that Ptyelus goudoti exudes
so much fluid that five or six dozen larvae would about fill a
1 Riley, P. ent. Soc. Washington, iii. 1895, p. 88. For the younger stages of
Membracis foliata, see Tijdschr. Ent. (2) iv. 1869, pl. viii.
VOL. VI 2P
|
578 HEMIPTERA-HOMOPTERA CHAP.
quart vessel in an hour anda half. The frog-spit is considered
by some naturalists to be a protective device; the larvae are,
however, a favourite food with certain. Hymenoptera, which pick
out the larvae from the spits and carry them off to be used as
stores of provision for their larvae. In Ceylon the larva of
Machaerota guttigera constructs tubes fixed to the twigs of the
tulip-tree, and from the tube water is exuded drop by drop.
According to Westwood, this Insect is intermediate between
‘Cercopidae and Membracidae.'
Fam. 5. Jassidae.—Ocelli two, placed just on the front
margin of the head (almost in a line with the front of the eyes
or more to the front) or on the deflexed frons. Hind tibiae
usually with many spines. This vaguely limited family includes
a very large number of small or minute Insects, usually of narrow,
parallel form, and frequently excessively delicate and fragile.
They are often mentioned under- the name of Cicadellinae.
Ashmead distinguishes two families, Bythoscopidae, in which the
ocelli are clearly on the frons or front, and Jassidae, in which
they are on the upper edge thereof. Ulopa, Ledra, and a few
other exceptional forms, are also by many distinguished as
representatives of distinct families. Very little is actually known
as to the life-histories of these small and fragile Insects, but it is
believed that the eggs are usually deposited in the leaves or
stems of plants, and more particularly of grasses. In North
America the development of Deltocephalus inimicus, from hatching
to assumption of the adult form, has been observed by Webster
to occupy about six weeks. As Jassidae are numerous both in
species and individuals it is believed that they consume a con-
siderable part of the vegetation , of pastures. Osborn has
valculated that on an acre of pasture there exist, as a rule, about
one million of these hoppers, and he considers they obtain quite
as large a share of the food as the Vertebrates feeding with
them.
Fam. 6. Psyllidae. — Minute Insects with wings usually
transparent, placed in a roof-like manner over the body ; with three
ocelli, and rather long, thin antennae of eight to ten joints. Tarsi
two-jointed—These small Insects have been studied chiefly in
Europe and North America, very little information having yet
been obtained as to the exotic forms. They are about the
1 Tr, ent. Soc. London, 1886, p. 329.
VIII PSYLLIDAE 579
size of Aphidae, but in form and general appearance remind
ene rather of Cica- |
didae. The wings
are in many cases
even more perfectly
transparent than
they are in many
Cicadidae. They are
sometimes called
springing plant-lice,
as their habit of
jumping distin-
gushes them from
the Aphidae. Low
has called attention
to the remarkable
variation in colour
they present in con-
formity with either
the age of the indi-
vidual, the food-
plant, the climate, Fic. 284.—Psylla succincta. x 15. Europe. (After
and, more particu- Peroea Dart Cte first moult. B, larva after
larly, the season of
the year." Réaumur long since pointed out that at their ecdyses
these Insects go through a remarkable series of changes of colour,
and Low found that this did not take place in the normal
manner in the winter generation that hibernates. This has
been confirmed by Slingerland in North America in the case
of Psylla pyricola, which has been introduced there. He finds
that there are several generations in the year, and that the
hibernating adults differ from the summer adults in size, being
nearly one-third larger; in their much darker colouring; and
especially in the coloration of the front wings.
In the earlier stages, Psyllidae differ greatly in appearance from
the adult forms; the legs and antennae in the newly hatched larvae
are short, and have a less number of joints. In the nymph the
shape is very peculiar,the large wing-pads standing out horizontally
1 Verh. z.-b. Ges. Wien, xxvi. 1876, p. 167.
2 Cornell Univ. Agric. exp. station Bulletin, 44, 1892, and Bull. 108, 1896.
580 HEMIPTERA-HOMOPTERA CHAP.
from the sides of the body, so that the width of the creature is about
as great as the length. The period occupied by the development
apparently varies according to season. Witlaczil, who has given an
account of many details of the anatomy and histology of various
Psyllidae,’ considers that there are four larval stages; Heeger’s
account of Psylla succincta is not quite clear on this point, and
Slingerland indicates a stage more than this, the perfect Insect
being disclosed as the result of a fifth moult ; it is probable that he is
correct. In these earlier stages the body bears long hairs called
wax-hairs; according to Witlaczil in the young larvae of certain
species—T7rioza rhamni, e.g.—these are broad and flat, so as to
make the body appear studded with oval processes; he states
that these hairs change their form during the growth of the
individual. Nothing is more remarkable in Psyllidae than the
amount of matter they secrete or exude from their bodies; in
some species the substance is a “ honey-dew,’ and the nymph
may keep itself covered with a drop of it: in other cases it is
solid, as shown in Réaumuv’s figures of P. bua, where this exuda-
tion forms a string several times longer than the body, and attached
to it. Another form of exudation is a light downy or waxy
matter. Slingerland says that honey-dew was exuded by LP.
pyricola in such quantities that it “literally rained from the trees
upon the vegetation beneath ; in cultivating the orchard the back
of the horse and the harness often became covered with the
sticky substance dropping from the trees. It attracts thousands
of ants, bees, and wasps, which feed upon it.” The writer last
year observed in the New Forest a stunted sloe-bush, about which
a large number of Bombi were busily occupied ; and examination
showed that they were thrusting their proboscides into the curled
and deformed leaves, in which were secreted nymphs of a Psy//la
exuding honey-dew. It must not be assumed that this honey-
dew is the excrement of the Insect; this also is known, and is a
different substance. Those who have tasted it say that the
honey-dew has a clean, good flavour. The source of the honey-
dew is not quite certain, but it seems probable that it comes, like
the solid matter figured by Réaumur, directly from the alimentary
canal, and not from hairs or pores on the body. Psyllidae give
rise to definite formations or galls on certain plants; sometimes
these Psyllid galls are mere changes in form of a limited part, or
1 Zeitschr. wiss. Zool. xlii. 1885, pp. 569-638.
VII PSYLLIDAE—APHIDAE 581
parts, of a leaf, giving rise either to crumpling or to growth of a
porticn in one direction only, so that on one surface of the leaf
a swelling is formed,and on the opposite side a more or less deep
cavity in which the Insect dwells. A formation of this kind on
the leaves of Aegopodium podagraria is described by Thomas ' who
states that the growth is due to the deposition of an egg of the
Psylla, and is independent of the after life of the Insect ; a fungus
—Puecinia aegopodii—torms similar structures on the leaves.
Structures much more definite than this may be the result of the
attacks of Psyllidae; for an example the reader may refer to
Réaumur’s account of Psylla buxi2 In Australia and Tasmania
there are Psyllidae known as Laap or Lerp Insects, the products
of which are called leaf-manna or Lerp, and are used as food.
This manna is a scale produced by the young Insect on the leaves
of Eucalyptus as a covering or protection. The scale is
fastened to the leaf by a hinge, and is somewhat lke the shell
of a cockle. Although the scales are said to be in some cases
objects of great beauty, very little is known about these Australian
Psyllidae, one of which has, however, been referred by Schwarz
to the genus Spondyliaspis, Signoret.? About 160 species of
Psyllidae are known to occur in the Palaearctic region, and about
fifty of them have been found in Britain.*
Fam. 7. Aphidae (Pant-lice or Green-fly.)— Minute Insects ;
as usually met with destitute of wings, though many individuals
have two pairs of transparent wings. Antennae long, or moder-
ately long, three= to seven-jointed ; abdomen frequently with a parr
of tubes (siphons), or short processes on the upper side of the fifth
abdominal segment. Tarsi two-jointed, first joint sometimes
excessively short.—These soft-skinned Insects are frequently called
blight, and are so abundant in temperate climates that a garden,
however small, is sure to afford abundance of specimens during
the warm months of the year. This great abundance is due to
peculiarities in the physiological processes that render these
obscure little animals highly important creatures; the individual
life for several generations is restricted to constant, or at any rate
copious, imbibition of food,accompanied by an almost uninterrupted
1 Zeitschr. Naturw. (2) xii. 1875, p. 438.
* Réeaumur, Mém. ili. 1737, Diviéme Mémoire.
2 P. ent. soc. Washington, iv. 1897, p. 66.
4 For list see Scott, Hnt. Mag. xviii. 1882, p. 253.
582 HEMIPTERA-HOMOPTERA CHAP.
production of young by parthenogenetic females, the young so
produced becoming rapidly (sometimes in the course of eight or
ten days, but more usually in about twenty days) themselves
devoted to a similar process; so that in the comparatively short
period of a few months the progeny resulting from a single
individual is almost innumerable. This remarkable state of
affairs is accompanied by other peculiarities of physiology, with
the result that the life-histories of successive generations become
very diverse, and complex cycles of series of generations differing
more or less from one another are passed through, the species
finally returning to bi-sexual reproduction, and thus inaugurat-
ing another cycle of generations. The surprising nature of
these facts has in the last 150 years caused an immense
amount of discussion, but no satisfactory hght has yet been
thrown on the conditions that really give rise to the exceptional
phenomena. These phenomena are (1) parthenogenesis; (2)
oviparous and viviparous reproduction; (3) the production of
generations of individuals in which the sexes are very unequally
represented, males being frequently entirely absent ; (4) the pro-
duction of individuals differing as to the acquirement of wings,
some remaining entirely apterous, while others go on to the
winged form; (5) the production of individuals of the same sex
with different sexual organs, and distinctions in the very early
(but not the earliest) stages of the formation of the individual ;
(6) differences in the life-habits of successive generations; (7)
differences in the habits of individuals of one generation, giving
rise to the phenomenon of parallel series. All these phenomena
may occur in the case of a single species, though in a very
variable extent.
The simple form of Aphid life may be described as follows :—
egos are laid in the autumn, and hatch in the spring, giving
rise to females of an imperfect character having no wings; these
produce living young parthenogenetically, and this process may be
repeated for a few or for many generations, and there may be in
these generations a greater or less number of winged individuals,
and perhaps a few males.’ After a time when temperature falls,
1 There is some doubt on this point, as the earlier observers seem to have supposed
that a winged individual appearing in a generation chiefly apterous was ipso facto,
a male ; it seems, however, to be certain that perfect winged males appear in some
species in generations producing no perfect sexual females. Speaking generally,
VUl APHIDAE 583
or when the supply of food is less in quantity, or after a period
of deliberate abstention from food, sexual individuals are pro-
duced and fertilised eggs are laid which hatch in the spring, and
the phenomena are repeated. In other cases these phenomena
are added to or rendered more complicated by the intercalated
parthenogenetic generations exhibiting well-marked metamorphosis,
of kinds such as occur in apterous or in winged Insects; while
again the habits of successive generations may differ greatly, the
individuals of some generations dwelling in galls, while those of
other generations live underground on roots.
Parthenogenesis. — Returning to the various kinds of
peculiarities we have enumerated on the preceding page, we may
remark that the phenomena of parthenogenesis have been
thoroughly established as occurring in Aphidae since Bonnet dis-
covered the fact 150 years ago; and though they have not been
investigated in much detail it is known that the parthenogenesis
is usually accompanied by the production of young all of the
female sex. In other cases males are parthenogenetically produced ;
but whether these males come from a female that produces only
that sex is not yet, so far as the writer knows, established. A
note by Lichtenstein’ suggests that usually only one sex is pro-
duced by a parthenogenetic female, but that both sexes are some-
times so produced. There is not at present any species of Aphid
known to be perpetuated by an uninterrupted series of partheno-
genetic generations. It was formerly supposed that there are no
males at all in Chermes, but, as we shall subsequently show, this
was erroneous. It has, however, been observed that a series of
such generations may be continued without interruption for a
period of four years, and we have no reason to suppose that even
this could not be much exceeded under favourable conditions.
The parthenogenetic young may be produced either viviparously
or oviparously, according to species.
Oviparous and viviparous reproduction —The distinction
between these two processes has been extensively discussed, some
naturalists maintaining that they are thoroughly distinct ab
initio. This view, however, cannot be sustained. The best
the course of events seems to be that in summer there exist only wingless and
winged parthenogenetic females, and that the sexually perfect forms appear for the
first time in autumn.
1 Mitt. Schweiz. ent. Ges. iv. 1876, p. 529.
584 HEMIPTERA-HOMOPTERA CHAP,
authorities are agreed that in the earliest processes of individual-
isation the ovum, and the pseudovum' giving rise to a viviparous
individual, are indistinguishable. Leydig, Huxley, Balbiani, and
Lemoine are agreed as to this. Nevertheless, differences in the
development occur extremely early. The nature of these differ-
ences may be briefly described by saying that in the viviparous
forms the embryonic development sets in before the formation of
the ege is properly completed. Balbiani says, “In fact at this
moment [when the viviparous development is cammencing] the
germ [pseudovuim] is far from having obtained the development
it is capable of, and from having accumulated all the matter
necessary for the increase of the embryo, so that the evolution
of the former coincides, so to speak, with that of the latter. On
the other hand, in the true ovum the two processes are chrono-
logically separate, for the rudiment of the new individual never
appears before the egg has completed the growth of its constituent
parts.”* As regards the difference in structure of the organs of
viviparously and oviparously producing individuals, it is sufficient
to remark that they are not of great importance, being apparently
confined to certain parts remaining rudimentary in the former.
Leydig, indeed, found an Aphis in which certain of the egg-tubes
contained eggs in various stages of development, and others
embryos in all stages.’
As regards the physiology of production of winged and wing-
less individuals there has been but little exact inquiry. Vast
numbers of individuals may be produced without any winged
forms occurring, while on the other hand these latter are occa-
sionally so abundant as to float about in swarms that darken
the air; the two forms are probably, however, determined by the
supply of food. The winged forms are less prolific than the
apterous forms; and Forbes has noticed in Aphis maidi-radicis,
where the generations consist partly of apterous and partly of
winged individuals, that when the corn begins to flag in conse-
quence of the attacks of the Aphis, then the proportion of
1 The term pseudovum is applied, as a matter of convenience, to the earlier condi-
tion of the viviparously-produced form, and the term pseudovarium to the ovary
producing it.
? Balbiani, Ann. Sei. Nat. Zool. (5) xi. 1869, p- 29. For concise recent re-
marks on the early embryonic states, see Lemoine, Lull. Soc. ent. France, 1893,
1h Ibex.
3 Acta Ac. German. xxxiii. 1869, No. 2, p. 81.
VII APHIDAE 585
winged individuals becomes large.’ The appearance of winged
individuals is frequently accompanied by a peculiar change of
habit ; the winged individuals migrating to another plant, which
in many cases is of a totally different botanical nature from that
on which the apterous broods were reared: for instance Aphis
mali, atter producing several apterous generations on apple, gives
rise to winged individuals that migrate to the stems of corn or
grass, and feeding thereon commence another cycle of generations.
The study of this sort of Aphis-migration is chiefly modern, but
many very curious facts have already been brought to light ;
thus Drepanosiphum platanoides, after producing a certain number
of viviparous generations on maple (dee), quits this food-plant for
another, but after two or three months returns again to the
maple, and produces sexual young that lay eggs.” Histories such
as this are rather common. Even more interesting are the cases
of those species that, after some weeks of physiological activity
ona plant, pass into a state of repose on the same plant, and
then after some weeks produce sexual young. On the whole, it
would appear that the appearance of winged forms is a con-
comitant of decreasing nutrition. It is a very remarkable fact
that the sexually perfect females are invariably apterous, and this
is frequently also the case with the males. It is also highly
remarkable that the sexually perfect individuals are of com-
paratively small size. There are at least three kinds of males
in Aphidae—1, winged males; 2, wingless males with mouth
well developed; 3, wingless small males with mouth absent.
As regards some of these points the conditions usual in Insect
life are reversed? Huxley inclined to treat all these products of
a fertilised ege, that are antecedent to another process of gamo-
genesis (7.e. production with fertilisation), as one zoological indi-
vidual: in that case the Aphis zoological individual is winged
before attaining the mature state, and is wingless and smaller
when mature. Some species may have as a rule two, others
three, winged generations in a year.
Parallel series.—In certain cases individuals of one genera-
tion assume different habits, and so set up the phenomenon
1 Seventeenth Rep. Insects Illinois, 1891, p. 66.
2 Kessler, Acta Ac. German. li. 1887, pp. 152, 153.
% Tn connection with this the absence of a functional mouth in the imago state
of numerous Lepidoptera, and of Oestrid Diptera, should not be forgotten.
586 HEMIPTERA-HOMOPTERA CHAP.
known as parallel series. This has been recently investigated in
the genus Chermes by Blochmann, Dreyfus, and Cholodkovsky.
This latter savant informs us! that a wingless parthenogenetic
female of Chermes hibernates on a fir-tree—Picea excelsa—and
in the spring lays numerous eggs; these hatch, and by the effects
of suction of the Chermes on the young shoots, galls are formed
(Fig. 286), in which the Insects are
found in large numbers; when they
have grown the galls open, and allow-
ing the Insects to escape these moult
and become winged females. They
now take on different habits; some of
them remain on the Picea, lay their
egos thereon, and out of these there
are produced young that grow into
hibernating females, which next spring
produce galls as their grandmothers
did; but another portion migrates to
the Larch (Larix); here eges are laid,
from which proceed wingless partheno-
genetic females, that hibernate on their
new or secondary plant, and in the
following spring lay their eggs and
©
Fic. 285.—Chermes abietis; hiber- — , ‘ ‘ } ;
nating female or ‘‘winter- give rise to a dimorphic generation,
ae ( Ree fenaeee part of them becoming nymphs and
going on to the winged condition,
while the other part remain wingless and lay eggs, that give rise
to yet another wingless generation ; in fact, a second pair of parallel
series is formed on the new plant, of which one is wingless, and
exclusively parthenogenetic, and contimues to live in this fashion
for an indefinite period on the secondary plant, while the other
part becomes winged; these latter are called sexuparous, and go
back to the Picea, and there lay eggs, that give rise to the
sexual forms. If we would summarise these facts with a view
to remembering them, we may say that a migration of a part of
a generation from the Picea was made with a view of producing
a sexual generation, but that only a portion of the migrants suc-
ceeded in effecting the object of the migration, and this only in
their third generation. Thus portions remained on the Picea,
1 Tiorae Soc. ent. Ross. xxiv. 1890. p. 386.
,
he
QC
VIII APHIDAE 587
producing unisexual (female) individuals, and a portion of those
that emigrated to the Larix remained thereon, producing also uni-
sexual (female) individuals, while the others returned to the Picea
and produced a sexual generation. How long the production of
the unisexual generations may continue has not been determined.
Phylloxera—The Phyllowera, that has caused such an enor-
mous amount of damage in the Old World during the last thirty
years, is a smal] Aphid that was introduced from North America
into Europe. In North America it is not so injurious as it 1s
in Europe, owing, no doubt, to shght distinctions in the condi-
tions of life in the two hemispheres, as one of which may be
mentioned that in Europe a larger proportion of the imdividuals
produced appear to confine themselves to feeding on the roots, P.
vastatriz being one of the species that lives both in galls on
leaves, and underground on the roots. The species is one that
exhibits in their most complex form the peculiar phenomena of
Aphid life we have already mentioned. It has probably only
one congener, Phylloxera quercus, and of this Lichtenstein says
that in its cycle, from the starting-point of the winter-egg to
the assumption of the sexual condition,
it exhibits a series of no less than
twenty-one forms.’ The life of Phyl-
loxera vastatriz apparently differs essen-
tially from what we have described in
Chermes, masmuch as the migrations are
only between leaf and root of the same
plant—the vine—and not from one
species of plant to another. Some autho-
rities treat Phylloxera and Chermes as a
separate family under the name of Phyl-
loxeridae.
Galls— Like Phylloxera, many species
of Aphidae live partially, others wholly, Fis. 286.—Gall, or false cone
in galls that are produced by plants as hee eis acl ae
the result of one or more Aphids inter- ie Jet, is 8 pec
fering with a delicate part of the plant the pom line a, and
when it is in a young and growing Se eee conta
state. The usual position of Aphid galls eee OF
is on a leaf or leaf-stalk. But in the case of the genus Chermes,
1 Ent. Zeit. Stettin, xxxvi. 1875, p. 368.
5388 HEMIPTERA-HOMOPTERA CHAP.
a bud or some growing part of the spruce-fir is affected in such a
way that it gives rise to an object having externally the appear-
ance of a little fir-cone, while inside it consists of chambers in which
the Aphids reside. The forms of Aphid-galls are very diverse, but
this is probably due to the plant rather than to the Insect, for the
same species of Aphis may give rise to different forms of galls.
Réaumur thought that each Aphid-gall was due to a single indi-
vidual that irritated the tissue of the plant, so that-the latter
grew up at the point of irritation and enclosed the Insect.
A few points as to the anatomy of Aphids should be
noticed. It is doubtful whether the antennae have ever really
inore than six joints, the apparent seventh joint being actually a sort
of appendage of the sixth. The rostrum is externally three-jointed,
and is remarkable for the great diversity in its length, sometimes
it 1s quite short, at others several times longer than the body
(Fig. 285); the setae are often very much longer than the
sheath ; in cases where this great length of rostrum exists, the
individual may often be found with the tip firmly fixed in the
bark, and, as it were, tethered by means of the rostrum, the
length of which allows, nevertheless, considerable locomotion.
Suction is performed by contractions of the pharynx. There
has been much difference of opinion as to whether there is a
salivary syringe, and Witlaczil failed to find it. Kyrassilstschik is,
however, positive that it exists,’ and that it is analogous to that
described by Mayer in Pyrrhocoris, but there are great differences
of structure between the two. It is very difficult to determine
the number of segments at the extremity of the body; this is
terminated dorsally by a median organ placed above the anus,
and known as the cauda. Balbiani apparently considers that
there are ten abdominal segments and the cauda. The alimentary
canal has a small stomach, and an elongate intestine, the
terminal division of which is capacious and remarkably long.
There are no Malpighian tubes; according to Kowalevsky, their
function is discharged by the posterior part of the alimentary
canal. There exists, however, a peculiar structure, the pseudo-
vitellus, a sort of cellular, double string; and Witlaczil, in his
valuable paper” on the anatomy of Aphidae, suggests that this
1 Zool. Anz. xv. 1892, p. 220.
2 Arb. Inst. Wien, iv. 1882, Heft iii. p- 397 ; see on this organ also Mordwiiko,
7
VIII APHIDAE 5389
organ may in some way replace the missing Malpighian tubes.
Another highly pecular structure is the siphons, frequently
ealled nectaries, honey-tubes, or siphuncles. They are situated
on the dorsal aspect of the fifth abdominal segment, but exist
only in certain of the sub-families; they are of very different
lengths according to the species, and are capable of movement ;
they open directly into the body cavity, though exceptional
openings into the body cavity are extremely rare in Insects.
They excrete a waxy matter, which first appears as oil-like
globules. It was formerly supposed that they were the means
of secreting the sugary matter, called honey-dew, so much prized
by ants and some other Insects; but this is now ascertained
to be erroneous. This matter comes from the alimentary canal,
and is secreted in large quantities by some species, Biisgen having
observed that forty-eight drops, each about 1 mm. in diameter,
were emitted by a single individual in twenty-four hours.’ Certain
gall-dwelling Aphidae—Pemphigus, Chermes (Fig. 285), Schizo-
neura—possess numerous wax glands; these seem to replace the
siphons, and excrete the peculiar, whitish flocculent matter that
is so conspicuous in some of these Aphids.
Earlier anatomists failed to find any dorsal vessel, and it is
consequently reported in books to be absent. It has been, how-
ever, recently detected by Witlaczil, and Mordwilko states that
it does not differ from that of other Insects.
We have already alluded to the fact that the mode of repro-
duction of Aphids leads to an unrivalled increase. This, however,
is not due to the prolificness of the individual, which, in point of
fact, appears to be considerably below the average in Insects, but
rather to the rapidity with which the young begin to reproduce.
This has been discussed by Huxley, Buckton, and others. The
first-named naturalist calculated that the produce of a single
Aphis would, in the course of ten generations, supposing all the
individuals to survive, “contain more ponderable substance than
five hundred millions of stout men; that is, more than the whole
population of China.”* It has since been contended that
Professor Huxley’s calculation was much below the mark.
Although it is somewhat difficult to make a calculation dealing
adequately with the actual facts, yet it is clear that the increase
1 Biol. Centralbl. xi. 1891, p. 193.
2 See, inter alia, Webster, J New York ent. Soc. i. 1893, p. 119.
590 ITEMIPTERA-HOMOPTERA CHAP.
of Aphids is such that, drawing as they do their nutriment
directly from the plant in its growing state, in the course of
two or three years there would be no nutriment available for
other animals, except such as might be derived from plants not
attacked by Aphids. The numbers of Aphidae would be so great
that they could not be expressed by ordinary numerical methods,
and their increase would be actually limited only by the relations
existing between different kinds of plants, and between plants
and Aphids. This result is avoided by the fact that Aphids are
themselves the victims of a whole army of Insect enemies. They
have the numerous members of a special group (Braconidae,
Aphidudes) of minute Hymenoptera to live inside their bodies, and
many Aculeate Hymenoptera depend entirely on the Aphidae as
the source of food for their own progeny. The Lady-birds-——
Coccinelidae—live on Aphids and Coccids, and themselves in-
crease to such an extent as to be in many years a conspicuous
part of the Insect world. Crowds of the larvae of Hemerobiids
and Syrphids are constantly engaged in spearimg and sucking
the Aphides. Hence the old naturalist Bonnet said that, just
as we sow grain for our benefit, Nature has sown Aphids for the
benefit of multitudes of different Insects. He might have added
that these different Insects are for the benefit of man, it being
clear that without them the population of the world must
rapidly decrease.
Ants treat Aphidae more intelligently than most other Insects
do, for they do not destroy the helpless creatures, but utilise
their products in the way man does those of the cows he keeps.
The relations between ants and Aphids is itself an extensive
chapter in Natural History; many facts have been brought to
light showing that the ants manage the Aphids in a prudent or
intelligent manner, distributing them when too numerous in one
place, keeping guard over them, even building shelters for them,
and in some cases keeping them in direct association, by retaining
the Aphids in their own dwellings. The further investigation of
these points goes, the more it tends to raise the actions of the
ants to the level we call in ourselves intelligent. It would even
appear that the ants are acquainted with the migrations of the
Aphids from one species of plant to another, Webster informing
us that as the Aphis-population on an apple tree multiplied the
ants in attendance anticipated their migration to wheat and grass
VIII ALEURODIDAE 59I
by carrying them to those plants.’ We have nearly 200 species
of Aphidae in Britain,” and there may perhaps be 800 known
altogether. To what extent they may occur in the tropics is
undetermined. There are said to be no native species in New
Zealand. ;
Fam. 8. Aleurodidae.—J/inute Insects, with four mealy wings,
seven-jointed antennae, two-jointed feet, terminated by two claws
and a third process. These minute Insects are at present a source
of considerable perplexity, owing to the curious nature of their
metamorphosis, and
the — contradictory
accounts given of
them. In the earlier
stages they are
scale-like and qui-
escent, being fixed
to the under side of
a leaf. The French
authors Signoret and
Girard state that the
young are hatched
having visible ap-
pendages and seg-
mentation, but that
amveG st (bhey axe
attached to the leaf
the organs gradu-
ally suffer atrophy.
Maskell states the Fic. 287.—Instars of