190 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



in a single group. Mr. Marlatt asked if the Psyllidae are not 

 more nearly related to the Coccidas than they are to the Cica- 

 didse, adding that the Psyllid larva by its broader form and less 

 distinctly segmented abdomen more nearly resembles that of the 

 Coccida3 than it does the larval Cicadid. Mr. Schwarz did not 

 agree with this view of the case, stating that, with the exception 

 of the fossorial legs, the Cicada larva does not differ in any 

 marked degree from the larva of the PsyllidaB. 



Mr. Ashmead considered that the wingless Parasita, or the Pe- 

 diculidas, are the oldest forms, representing the stem from which 

 sprang the Homoptera in one direction and the Heteroptera in 

 another. In the Homopterous series he would place the Coccida3, 

 which are winged in the male sex only, next to the wingless 

 Parasita, to be followed by the Aleyrodidaa, and these by the 

 Aphididae. He mentioned a dimorphic species of Aphis which 

 in its early stages very closely resembles an Aleyrodid. In the 

 Heteroptera Mr. Ashmead would place the Cimicidas next to the 

 Parasita, following them with the AnthocoridaB, Tingitida?, &c. 

 Omitting some of the families, the two suborders of the Hemip- 

 tera would be arranged in an ascending series as follows : 



fCicadidae, 

 f Coccidae, Aleyrodidae, Aphididae, Psyl-<( Jassidae, Membraci- 



p . j lidae. (_ dse, Fulgoridae. 



farasita, -, p o iy Cten idj Ej Cimicidae, Tingitidse, Reduviidae, Nepidse, Sal- 

 ^ didae, Galgulidae, Neocoridae, Corisidce, Notonectidae. 



Mr. Ashmead also spoke of the impossibility of arranging all 

 of the families of Hemiptera in a linear series, since it not infre 

 quently happened that two of the families were so closely and 

 equally related to a third group as to make it quite evident that 

 both of them sprang directly from the latter. 



Dr. Gill did not think that parasitism of itself indicates rela 

 tionship, but was of the opinion that the wingless parasites had 

 been derived from winged ancestors. He would not locate the 

 Parasita in either the Homoptera or the Heteroptera, but would 

 be inclined to erect a separate suborder for their reception. 



The following paper by Mr. Howard was read by Mr. 

 Benton : 



