From Robert McLachlan 13 March 1879
39, Limes Grove, | Lewisham, S.E.
13 March 1879
My dear Sir
I return the proof: it required only the slightest correction in the points you specially allude to.1
The occurrence of caddis-worms between the leaves of Bromeliāē is of great interest: the subject was brought before a recent meeting of the Entomol. Soc., & is mentioned (with some details) in the Proceedings, which you no doubt have.2
I have a lot of interesting facts & specimens from Fritz Müller in Trichoptera. They only arrived a week or two ago, & I have not yet completed my observations on the materials.3
With regard to the fringed legs of the pupaē. The fringes exist chiefly in those families & genera that inhabit still or slowly-moving water. I have just been writing on the subject for Pt. viii of my work on European Trichoptera, which treats on the genus Rhyacophila & others— Ryacophila frequents the most rapid torrents & waterfalls.4 The legs of the pupa-e are not fringed— fringes would be useless. The pupa must reach the surface by some method other than by swimming, for if it attempted the latter, it would be swept down by the torrent. I imagine that it contrives to crawl along the rocks &c, until it reaches the surface, in which it is aided by very strong tarsal claws. In all Families of Trichoptera I should say the pupaē with unfringed legs are the most numerous.
Dr. Müller is doing good work on the habits of Brazilian Trichoptera; he naturally suffers from incomplete works of reference.5 He appears to fall in with my views as to the near relationship of Trichoptera & Lepidoptera, as opposed to the American school which disposes of all difficulties in the Linnean Order Neuroptera by calling it a collection of “synthetic types”, whatever that may mean!6
Yours very faithfully | R. McLachlan
C. Darwin Esq. FRS. &c &c
Footnotes
Bibliography
McLachlan, Robert. 1870. On new forms, &c., of extra-European trichopterous insects. [Read 2 June 1870.] Journal of the Linnean Society of London (Zoology) 11 (1870–3): 98–141.
McLachlan, Robert. 1874–80. A monographic revision & synopsis of the Trichoptera of the European fauna. London: John van Voorst.
Müller, Fritz. 1878b. Sobre as casas construidas pelas larvas de insectos Trichopteros da provincia de Santa Catharina. Archivos do Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro 3: 99–124.
Müller, Fritz. 1879b. Notes on the cases of some south Brazilian Trichoptera. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London (1879): 131–44.
Müller, Fritz and Müller, Hermann. 1879. Phryganiden-Studien (mit einer Einleitung von Herm. Müller). Kosmos 4 (1878–9): 386–96.
Summary
Returns to CD a corrected proof [of "Fritz Müller on a frog having eggs on its back", Nature 19 (1878–9): 462–4].
Discusses adaptations of the pupae of, and Fritz Müller’s work on, Trichoptera.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11930
- From
- Robert McLachlan
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Lewisham
- Source of text
- DAR 171: 2
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11930,” accessed on 25 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11930.xml