| OCR Text |
Show 566 MESSRS. C. WARBURTON AND N. D. F. PEARCE ON [Dec. 12, Subfam. S e r r a r i in ^e . Gen. S e r r a r iu s Michael. S er r ar iu s m icr o ce ph alu s Nicolet. This interesting species, which Mr. Michael in his ‘ British Oribatidse' describes as occurring rarely at Epping Forest, the Land's End, and Swanage, was found in abundance in the autumn of 1904 in the moss of an osier-bed at Grantchester, Cambridge, and several specimens of the nymph, hitherto unknown, were discovered. This is a remarkable creature, entirely unlike the imago, and has the habit of carrying on its back the cast larval and nymphal notogastral skins (Plate XIX. fig. 3). As each of these skins bears round its edge eighteen conspicuous spines, proceeding from short apophyses, the fully-grown nymph lias a remarkably spiny appearance. The colour is pale yellow and the surface finely punctate. In 1879 Kramer (in the Archiv f. Nat., Jahrg. 45, Bd. i. p.. 16) described a new species of mite which he named Gustavia sol, which, so far as we have been able to ascertain, only Oudemans has suspected of belonging to the Oribatidse. He states that it is probably the nymph of a Serrarius. A glance at Kramer's figure at once makes it perfectly clear that he was dealing with a Serrarius nymph, and he even gives a drawing of the mandible, perfectly characteristic in shape, but lacking the serration, which is always difficult to see. He mentions no locality, and attributes to the animal a size much too large (T2 mm.) for either of the known European species of Serrarius. Possibly the length given is intended to include the legs. In any case, Gustavia sol Kramer can now be stated to be a nymph of Serrarius, as Oudemans suspected. Subfam. N o ta sp id in .e . Gen. L iac a r u s Michael. L iac aru s b ic o rn is , sp. nov. (Plate XIX. fig. 4.) Adult. Length 600 /a. Colour red-brown. Surface highly polished. Lamellae, large blades on edge, near together and sub-parallel, but slightly converging anteriorly. Very long free-projecting cusps, from the extremities of which proceed the long lamellar hairs. Translamella and interlamellar hairs wanting. Pseudostigmatic organs long, filiform, curved upwards and slightly outwards. Abdomen very globular, with rather prominent shoulders, and with a few longish hairs. The coxa of the 4th leg is almost as long as the femur, and is produced anteriorly in a pointed blade. Three specimens were found in moss from Austwick in May 1904, and one from moss from the river-bank near Elv. in Julv 1905. Nymph and larva unknown. |
