Abstract
LONDON
Entomological Society, October 3.—Prof. J. O. Westwood, M.A., F.L.S., president, in the chair.—Mr. W. L. Distant exhibited a specimen of the ravages of Dermestes viilpinus in a cargo of dried hides from China. On the arrival of the cargo in this country it was found to be swarming with the insect in all stages.—Mr. McLachlan also exhibited a piece of wood which had formed part of a case containing hides from Shanghai and which was riddled with borings of the larvae of the same insect. The president remarked that his attention had been directed some years ago to the depredations of this larva in a cargo of coik.—Prof. Westwood exhibited a drawing of the pupa of a species of Anabolia which swam about in water like a Noionecta and was remarkable for using its middle legs as swimming apparatus. Prof. Westwood also made remarks upon the homolopy of the mouth organs in the pupæ of Trichoptera and suggested that the mandibles of the pupae (which are aborted in imago) are for the purpose of eating their way out of the cases in which they undergo their transformation.—The president next exhibited a small lepidopterous insect from Lake Nyassa with a pupa case of a species of Tachina from which it was supposed to have been bred.—Prof. Westwood next called the attention of the Society to the remarkable lepidopterous larva attached to the homopterous larva which had been handed to him by Mr. Wood-Mason at the last meeting and stated his belief that the relation of the Lepidopteron to the Homopteron was probably one of true parasitism, the former (Epipyrops) feeding on the wax secreted b y the latter. Mr. Wood-Mason stated that he was inclined to consider the Epipyrofis larva as a messmate of the Homopteron having attached itself to the latter for the sake of beiii carried about to its food-plant and having covered itself with the waxy secretion for the purpose of rendering itself inconspicuous to its foes.—Prof. Westwood then exhibited a moth from Brazil which had been bred from a caterpillar found among the hairs of some animal.—The president finally read a note from Albert Muller announcing the formation of an entomological station at Basle.—Mr. Meldola announced that the Longicorn beetle received from Birkenhead and exhibited at the last meeting had been identified by Mr. C. O. Waterhouse as Monohammus titil-latus, Fab., a species inhabiting the United States. Mr. Meldola also exhibited a collection of Lepidoptera formed by him in 1875 in Ceylon and the Nicobar Islands.—Mr. H. Goss exhibited a series of Lycccna Arion taken in the Cots wolds which were remarkable on account of the small size of some of the specimens, about one-third being below the average size.—Mr. McLachlan read a paper on Notiothauma Readi, a remarkable new genus and species of Neuroptera from Chili pertaining to the family Panorpidæ.—A paper was communicated by Mr. A. G. Butler on the Lepidoptera of the family Lithosiidæ in the collection of the British Museum.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Societies and Academies . Nature 16, 567–568 (1877). https://doi.org/10.1038/016567a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/016567a0