562 INSECTA. 



winged insect, which is now in the snbimago stage, undergoes another ecdysis- 

 and becomes an imago. JSpliemrra nil y at a L. (fig. 465). Palingenia IOH;//- 

 cuiidti Oliv. 



Fam. Libellulidae. Dragon flies. Large slenderly-built insects with freely 

 moveable, transversely cylindrical head, short six- to seven-jointed thin and 

 pointed antenna?, and four large net-like latticed wjngs. The mouth parts are 

 powerfully developed, and are covered by the large upper lip. The maxilhi- 

 have fused horny lobe, and single-jointed sickle-shaped palp. The labitvm 

 has a simple or divided internal lobe and separate outer lobes fused with the 

 bi-jointed palp. The abdomen has ten joints, and on the last segment two 

 unjointed anal styles opposed to one another, so as to form a sort of forceps. 

 They live near water, and feed on other insects. The two sexes are usually of 

 different colours, and their. flight is rapid and prolonged. During copulation 

 the male clasps the prothorax of the female with his abdominal forceps, while 

 she bends her abdomen towards the base of his abdomen. Here is placed the 

 copulatory organ, which is remote from the genital opening, and is filled with 

 sperm prior to copulation. The larva? live in water and are predaceous. The 

 lower lip is modified to form a special predatory apparatus (the mask) (fig. 456). 

 Many of them breathe by means of tracheal gills, which are placed at the end 

 of the abdomen or in the rectum. Calopteryx rin/n L.. Affrion j>i/eUn L., 



i/i'tinclis L., Lilx'llnla nilyata.farcola L. 



Order 3. Neuroptera.* 



Insects with biting (sometimes also suctorial} 

 mouth parfs, with free prothorax and mem- 

 branous wings, the nervures of wlticli form 

 a net-work. The metamorphosis is complete. 



Most Neuroptera, have an outward re- 

 m-pancrpa ,,,,> semb i ance to t } ie LiMlulidce and Ephenwridn-, 



(regne animal). 



while others resemble the Lepidoptera in their 



scaly wings. The two pairs of wings are usually similar and mem- 

 branous, and their size is almost equal. They are traversed by a 

 close network of nervures which, however, differs essentially from the 

 nervation of the Neuroptera-M^e Orthoptera. The front wings never 

 have the form of wing-covers, but the hind-wings can sometimes be 

 folded together and sometimes not. They may be covered with 

 scales and hairs (Phryganidce). The mouth parts present a greater 

 approximation to the Beetles, in that the labium only rarely shows 

 any trace of a median slit, the two pairs of lobes being fused to a 

 single plate. In one group (Phrygcmidce) we find suctorial mouth 

 parts. The mandibles in this case are aborted, and the labium and 

 maxilla? fuse to form a tube. As a rule the antenna? are many- 



* E. Pictet, " Histoire naturelle des Neuropteres.'' Genf 1834. 

 t E. Brauer und Fr. Low, " Neuroptera Austriaca." AVien, IK.". 

 Brauer. " Beitrage zur Kenntniss der Verwandlung der Nenropteren. Yerliaixl. 

 der zovl.-lmt. fft.ti'1/xi-f/rtff :>/ \\~irn. Tom IV. und A". 



