MAY-FLIES 



443 



Palaeozoic period, remains are found that appear to be akin to 

 our existing Ephemeridae. Palingenia feistmantelii from the 

 Carboniferous of Bohemia is actually referred to a still existing 

 genus ; it is said to have been of gigantic size for a may-fly. 



The families Megasecopterides, Platypterides, and Stenodicty- 

 opterides of the Carboniferous epoch (see p. 343) are all more or 

 less closely allied to the Ephemeridae, and in addition to these 

 Brongniart has established the family Protephemerides for some 

 Insects that he considers to have been the precursors in the 

 Carboniferous epoch of our existing 

 may-flies. These ancient Insects 

 differed in having the wings of 

 another form from those of exist- 

 ing Ephemeridae, and in having Tjj^ 

 the hind wings equal in size to 

 the front pair. Besides this, these 

 Insects had, as shown in Fig. 285, 

 prothoracic dorsal appendages ; 

 some had also projections from the 

 abdominal segments, considered by 

 Brongniart to be of the nature of 

 gills. Some doubt must exist as to 

 this point, for we find in the imago 

 of one of our existing Ephemeridae, 

 Oniscigaster ivakefieldi, Fig. 284, 

 abdominal processes that are not 

 gills. 



It is remarkable that may- 

 flies, which now form a com- 

 paratively unimportant part of 

 the Insect tribe, should in far 



distant times have been represented Fla 285,-Homalonenrabonnieri; Car- 

 by so great a variety of allied forms. boniferous of Commentry. (After 

 Our fragile, short-lived may-flies 



appear to be, as Scudder says, the lingering fragments of an 

 expiring group. 



