Ho2bliadownloads.hindawi.com/journals/psyche/1883/012547.pdf · 24 IST’CtIE [March--April 1883....

THE SCALES OF COLEOPTERA.

BY GEORGE DIMMOCK, CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

(Conlitued from page zz.)

SCALES OF HOPLIA.

A few only of the scales from theupper side of this insect are colorless,and, as these seem to be undevelopedor immature, I tried no experimentsupon them.The scales of the under side of

coerulca are purple, purplish red, red,bluish and colorless by transmitted light,and by reflected light they are silverywhite with a tendency to netallic greenin places. The scales of the tip of theabdomen, altho really dorsal in position,are covered with spines, are mostlyreddish or purple by transmitted light,and are metallic green by reflected

light. Some of the scales of the legsare like those from the rest of the undersurface of the insect;others of them

are lanceolate (fig. 3, c), and colorlessor milk-white, but covered with longerspines or hairs than the more circular

forms of scales. The hairs of this in-

sect have fine branches, as do the hairsof all scara/aeidae, according to Fischerad according to my own observations.

Water, alcohol, chloroform and simi-

lar reagents render the scales of theunder side colorless and transparent,the colors returning as soon as thescales are dried.

In finer structure the scales of theunder side are different from those ofthe upper side in being clothed with thebefore-mentioned spines or fine hairs,and in the absence of the fine internalnetwork, which is here replaced in somescales by a more irregular internal

marking of like nature.The scales of Ho2blia modesla, froln

this country, are confined to the tip ofthe abdomen and to the under sideof the insect. They are all gray or

milk-white by transmitted light, and

silvery by reflected light. They are

narrower than those from correspondingparts of H. coerulea, but are otherwisealike in structure and need no furthermention here.

SCALES OF POLYPHYLLA.

The whitish spots upon the elytra ofPolyjbhylZa varioosa are produced bylanceolate scales, the opake whitenessof which is caused by the large amountof air contained in them. As they pre-sent no characters of special interest notto be found in scales of other coleopteradescribed in this paper I have not drawnthem or further studied them.

24 IS T’CtIE [March--April 1883.

SCALES OF VALGUS SQ.UAMIGER.

Nearly every part of g. squam@er iscovered with scales which are of twocolors, an opake dark brown and a semi-opake white. The scales are somewhatrolled and are very brittle, so that whenthey are pressed beneath a cover-glassupon the microscope slide they usuallysplit at the edges. The unbroken scalesare nearly round, about o.I4 rain. longby o.08 to o. 12 mm. wide, and until theyare deprived of air but little structure isvisible. When they are deprived of airthey are seen to be covered with dense,rather long hairs,- to be in fact ahnost

Fig. 4. Scale of Valgus squam@er. Enlargeddiam.

shaggy. Fig. 4 represents an unbrokenscale that has been treated with alcoholto remove the air. The hairs, as willbe seen by the figure, are arranged,somewhat roughly, in transverse or ob-lique lines; but what is more curious,the basal ends of these hairs seem to beconnected, in each line, with one anoth-er, and finally each of these bands ofhairs, which may contain from two totwenty hairs, seems to connect by itsbasal line with a branch going to thebasal end, or stem, of the scale. Thesebranches unite as they approach thebasal end of the scale until they formone trunk. These ramifications are del-icate brown and are beautiful on a prep-

aration of the scales in Canada balsam.In fig. 4, which was made too small toshow thmn correctly, they are propor-tionally far too coarse, and are not tap-ered as regularly as they should be frombase to tip.

I have not found this ramified structurein any scales except those of Va@us,and in them I have not studied it to anyextent. It appears as if the cavity ofthe scale, once open and probably open-ing into the large hairs, had closed grad-ually, leaving channel-like folds betweenthe hairs and from them to the stem ofthe scale. These channels are appar-ently entirely closed now, altho I madeno sections of these scales to absolutelyprove this point.

HAIRS OF PS1LOPTEI1A.

The under side of the abdomen andother parts of ts. clrnmmoncli are clothedwith brownish-yellow hairs, which areset upon a smooth, nearly black surface,and consequently the hairs appear of a

light bronze color.

Fig. 5. Hair of 29siloptera drummondi. EnlargedIoo diam.

Seen under the microscope these hairsor scalesfor they seem to be as much

March--April 883.] 25

scales as they are hairs--are sword-shaped (see fig. 5), and of a yellowishcolor. Their length is from o.25 ram.

to o.3o ram., their width about o.oi

ram., and they are covered with longi-tudinal striae, which are usually abouto.ooi mm. apart. These hairs or scalesare easily seen to contain air by usingwater or alcohol to drive it out. I in-troduce them here only to illustrate thissomewhat common form of appendageintermediate between scales and hairs.I have found no other squamiform ap-pendages on the limited number ofa,restidae which I have examined.

No description has been given, as faras I can discover, of scales in e[ater-

idae, altho the generic names Chalco-lepis and Chalcoleiidis, and the spe-cific names of Adelocera [edbidopteraLaco lejrosus 34reristhus leidolus,Monocrepidius lepidus, Cryptohypnussquamifer, and others, would imply thatthe presence of scales had been eithersuspected or verified. That the scalesof elateridae are interesting in formand structure can be seen by the follow-ing descriptions of scales of Chalco[ep-idius, of Alaus and of an undeterminedspecies of European elateridae.

SCALES OF CHALCOLEPIDIUS.

Nearly the whole surface of C. rubri-pennis, except its elytra, is thickly cov-ered with scales, which give to the partsthus covered a peculiar metallic orbronzed aspect, with colors changingfi’om blue to greenish or reddish.

The scales from all parts of this insectare very much alike, varying little inform (see fig. 6, a, t, and c). Theyare all of ovate form, more or less elon-gate, with the larger end toward theirshank or stem, which is nearly alwaysbroken off in removing them from theinsect;they are very flat, scarcely con.

vex above, but do not rest very tightlypressed upon the surface of the insect.Their length is from 0.09 to O,I 5 ram.,their width from o.oz to o.o4 mm., andtheir thickness is about o.ooz5 ram.

These scales when removed and ex-

amined under the microscope are uni-formly brown, except with very oblique-ly transmitted light, when they are

sometimes purplish. If, however, theyare put upon a black surface and illumi-

Fig. 6. Different forms of scales from Chalcoletidiusrubr@ennis. Enlarged IOO diameters.

nated from above they are brilliant withblue, red and green, the color dependingupon the position of the surface of thescale with reference to the light. Put indirect sunlight, on a black surface, andthe microscope focussed somewhat abovethem, the light is decomposed in fine linesof brilliant blue, green and red, as ifseries of solar spectra were drawn upnear each other, thus indicating striationof the scale-surl’ace. The scales have a

very slight tendency to longitudinal fold-ing, but no striae, or really distinct

26 /’STCfLE. March--April 883.

folds, are visible upon them. Theshank and a little of the basal portion ofthe scales are hollow whether the wholescale is hollow I have not determined.Treatment with water, alcohol, glyc-

erin or turpentin does not seem to aiTectthe scales of Chalcoleidius, which ap-pear to contain no air. They are notbleached by chlorin bleaching reagents.

SCALES OF ALAUS.

The two velvety black spots upon thedorsal surface of the thorax of A. ocula-tus, to which this insect owes its specificname, are formed of scales, as are alsoall the white portions of the beetle, theground color of the whole insect beinga slightly shining black. The same re-marks apply to A. my@s, the scales ofwhich are like those of-A. oculatus in

every respect.

Fig. 7. Scales of Alaus oculalus: a, brown scale;and c, portions of white scales to show cross-bands; d,transverse section of brown scale. Enlargement: a,

diam. and c, 30o diam. d, oo diana.

The form of all the scales of A. ocu-

lalus is scaphoid, with the concave sidetoward the insect. The scales are stri-ate on the convex side, but smooth on

the concave side, Fig. 7, a, illustratestheir form, the lower end being the one

attached to the insect. In some cases

the shank by which the scale is attachedis proportionally longer than is shownin the figure. These scales are insertedby their shanks in holes irregularly dis-tributed in the chitinous covering of theinsect. The irregular arrangement, pe-culiar form and striation, and mode ofinsertion of the scales of" A. oculatusforcibly remind one of the leaves in a

bed of lily-of-the-valley (ConvaNaria)when these leaves are blown toward one

direction by a gentle breeze.The scales of A. ocu[a[us are all of

about the same sizeabout o.o to o.z3mm. long by o.o4 to o.o5 ram. wide, ando.oo5 mm. in greatest thickness fromwhatever part of the insect they are

taken. Those which form the twoblack thoracic spots are deep brownwhen seen under the microscope, andthe others are opake white when dry.The striae of these scales are about

0.0025 mm. apart, and converge some-

what toward each end of the scales.The striae of the white scales are a lit-

tle less distinct than are those of thedark scales, the whole white scale, to

appearance, when viewed with a low-

power microscope, being covered with

minute cross-lines, so numerous as to

give the scale an opake white color.Under higher magnifying power thesetransverse lines present an appearanceas in fig. 7, b and c. The longitudinalstriae are above the transverse lines, i.e.,on the convex side of the scales, while

the cross-lines extend as interrupted,transverse bands across the lower or

concave part of the scales. No trans-

verse bands are visible, even after: re-

March--April I883.J 9SI’C[tE. 27

moving the air, in the brown scales. In gitudinal striae toward the middle of thethe white scales the bands usually start scale (see fig. 7, b and c) exception-out from. or beneath the marginal longi- ally, however, they begin beneath one

tudinal stria of the upper side of the of the other longitudinal striae.

scale and extend beneath the other ion- (To be continued.)

HOMINIVOROUS HABITS OF L UCILIA zWA CELLARIA,THE SCREW-WORM."

BY FRANCIS HUNTINGTON SNOW, L&WRINCE KANSAS.

I have from time to time had occa- Several other instances of the attackssion to note the depredations of the of Lucilia upon man soon came toscrew-worm upon horses and cattle in my knowledge, most of which ledthis state, but until recently have not to fatal results. Among these I willreceived positive evidence of its attacks select the case attended by Dr. j. B.upon human subjects in any locality so Britton, of Mapleton, in southeasternfar north as Kansas. But early in Sep- Kansas, who reported it in full at the

tember, 1882, I received from Mr. S. session of the Southeast Kansas DistrictD. Osborn, the postmaster at Varck, Medical Society, in January, 1883.in Southeastern Kansas, specimens of From this report I condense the follow-the worms which came from the nos- ing account: On the evening of Au-trils of Milton Carter." These proved gust 22d, I882, Mr. M. E. Hudsonto be the larvae of Lucilia macellaria complained of a peculiar sensation at

Fab., the so-called ’screw-worm." the base of the nose and along theUpon further inquiry I learned that orbital processes, which was first fol-

upwards of one hundred full-grown lowed by inordinate sneezing, and latermaggots escaped from the nose of this by a most excruciating pain over thepatient, who finally recovered from the os frontis, also involving the left supe-serious illness consequent upon their rior maxillary. This patient also hadravages. I also ascertained that Mr. suffered, and was still suffering, fromCarter had long been afflicted with an an aggravated form of nasal catarrh.offensive nasal catarrh, which made The discharge was quite purulent, ofhis nostrils an attractive place for the a yellowish color frequently tinged withoviposition of the fly, and that he had blood, with a disagreeable odor andfallen asleep in the woods in the day- at times intolerably offensive. On thetime only a few days before the first 24th there was a profuse discharge ofappearance of the symptoms produced much purulent matter from the nostril

by the presence of the larvae, and mouth, when all pain instantly

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