No. III. ARTICULATA. Catalogue of Arachnida and Insects, collected by Mr. King, Surgeon and Naturalist to the Expedition. By J. G. CHILDREN, F.R.SS. London and Edinburgh. F.L.S. &c. From THE climate and the peculiar circumstances of the expedition necessarily limit the insects collected during Captain Back's journey, to a very small number. The most abundant belong to Latreille's third Order of the class, PARASITA (ANOPLURA, Leach), many of the individuals of which, being the companions and consequence of poverty and filth, are regarded in general rather as objects of disgust than of attraction. this cause, and perhaps, too, from their minuteness, these insects have hitherto excited less attention amongst naturalists than their singular, and I may say beautiful, forms and structure deserve; although Redi, so long ago as 1688, wrote on the subject, and published no less than forty figures, such as they are, (including five Acari,) of Pediculi and Pulices, infesting mammalia and birds. Since his time, they have been more or less observed by Linnæus, Geoffroy, Degeer, Scopoli, Schranke, Latreille, and others, and more especially by Leach and Nitzsch; to the last of whom we are chiefly indebted for a general and pretty complete systematic * Esperienze intorno alla Generazione degl' Insetti. arrangement of these tiny creatures*; but it is to be regretted that, with respect to species, he has merely given a list of names, and most frequently even without reference to any description or figure of any other author. The posthumous work of Lyonet, published by De Haan †, contains descriptions, accompanied by pretty good, uncoloured figures of a few of these parasites; and Panzer + has given some tolerable coloured ones of some others; but these collectively amount to a very small proportion of the existing species; and, as to the figures to be found in the works of the older authors, they are in general almost useless. Very lately a valuable paper on three species of Philopteri, found on the albatross (Diomedea exulans, Linn.), has been published by M. Leon Dufour, in the Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. § In the other Orders, the catalogue of arctic Insects, collected in the late expedition, is very small, containing, of perfect insects, only one species respectively of the Coleopterous, Orthopterous, and Hymenopterous Orders; together with one larva of some individual belonging to the Coleoptera: to these are to be added five species of the Class Arachnida, and one Intestinal Worm. But, if the present contribution to this branch of natural history be inconsiderable, we must remember under what circumstances it was formed; and that it is not the extent of the gift, but * Die Familien und Gattungen der Thierinsekten: - Magazin der Entomologie (von Germar und Zincken), vol. iii. p. 261. Recherches sur l'Anatomie, et les Metamorphoses de différentes Espèces d'Insectes. Paris, 1832. the liberal spirit of the giver, that deserves our gratitude; the widow's mite was pronounced to be more than all the rest. Obs. CLASS ARACHNIDA. The spiders were examined immediately after they had been removed from the spirit in which they were preserved. 1. DYSDERA erethryna? Walck. Hahn, Arachniden, vol. i. p. 7. pl. 1. f. 3. The characters of this spider so nearly agree with Hahn's figure and description of D. erethryna, that I have little hesitation in referring it to that species, notwithstanding the great distance, in point of locality, between the two individuals. Hahn's spider is found in Spain, France, and Germany. 2. THERIDION Backii (n. s.), Nob. Villosum; thorace subcirculari, rufo: pedibus rufis, fusco annulatis, setisque undique obsitis; pari primo, secundo, et quarto longioribus, subæqualibus; tertio cæteris breviori: abdomine globoso, saturatè fusco. This species has considerable resemblance to the female of Hahn's T. quadri-guttatum (pl. 21. f. 64.), but is larger, and in other respects decidedly distinct. I have named it in honour of Captain Back. 2. TETRAGNATHA extensa (var.), Walck. Schoff. Icon. Insect. pl. 113. f. 9. |