Essays on the Microscope: Containing a Practical Description of the Most Improved Microscopes, a General History of Insects, etc., etc.Adams, George
Science
Essays on the Microscope: Containing a Practical Description of the Most Improved Microscopes, a General History of Insects, etc., etc.
Adams, George
Insects -- Early works to 1800; Microscopy -- Early works to 1800
This is a beautiful insect of the hemiptera class, or that kind where
the elytra are only in part crustaceous, and which do not form a
longitudinal suture down the back, but fold over about one-third of
their length toward the bottom, where it is also partly transparent. It
is of the genus cimex, and called striatus by Linnæus. Its colours are
bright and elegantly disposed: the head, proboscis, and thorax are
black. The thorax is ornamented with yellow spots, the middle one
large, and occupying almost one-third of the posterior part; the other
two are on each side, and triangular. The scutellum has two yellow
oblong spots, pointed at each end; the ground of the elytra is a bright
yellow, spotted and striped with black. The nerves are yellow, and there
is a brilliant triangular spot of orange, which unites the crustaceous
and membranaceous parts; the latter is brown and clouded. The feet are
of a fine red, and the rings of the abdomen are black, edged with white.
This pretty insect is to be found in June, upon the elm-tree. It is
represented at A of the natural size.
OF THE CHRYSOMELA ASPARAGI.
Plate XX. Fig. 2 and B.
A very common, though elegant insect of the coleoptera class, is
represented at Fig. 2, as seen in the lucernal microscope, and of its
natural size at B; it is called by Linnæus chrysomela asparagi, from the
larva feeding on the leaves of that plant. Its shape is oblong, the
antennæ black, composed of many joints nearly oval. The head is of a
bright, but deep blue; the thorax red and cylindrical; the elytra blue,
with a yellow margin, and three spots of the same colour on each, one at
the base of an oblong form, and two united with the margin; the legs are
black, but the under side of the belly is of the same blue colour with
the elytra and head. This little animal, when viewed by the naked eye,
scarcely appears to deserve any notice; but when examined by the
microscope, is one of the most pleasing opake objects we have. It is
found in June, on the asparagus after it has run to seed. De Geer says,
that it is very scarce in Sweden.
OF THE MELOE MONOCEROS.
Plate XX. Fig. 3 and C.
The insect which comes at present under our inspection is particularly
adapted to shew the advantages of the microscope, which alone will
discover the peculiarities of its figure; this is so remarkable, that
entomologists appear undetermined as to its genus. Geoffroy formed a new
one for it, under the title of notoxus, in which he has been followed by
Fabricius; even Linnæus himself could not determine at first where to
place it, for in the Fauna Suecica he makes it an attelabus, but in the
last edition of the Systema Naturæ he has fixed it as a meloe, calling
it the meloe monoceros; but still he adds, “genus difficile terminatur
forte huic proximum.” Both Geoffroy and Schæffer have given figures of
it, but as they had not that kind of microscope which would assist them,
their figures are imperfect.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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