6o REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



The adults are green in color, the wings very transparent and delicate, 

 justifying the term "lace-wing." The eyes are hemispherical, prominent 

 and gold-bronzed, which gives base to the other of the common names. 

 They have a peculiar sickening ordor when handled, reminding one of 

 an ill-kept urinal. The eggs of this, as well as the preceding family, are 

 laid on long stalks by the adult and the larva spins a spherical silken 

 cocoon. The species are decidedly beneficial and sufficiently numerous to 

 be accounted a notable check to plant-lice increase. 



The Coniopterygidse are scarcely more abundant than the Mantispidae. 

 All those that I have seen are small, covered with a white mealy powder 

 and have the hind wings unusually small. The larvae, so far as their 

 habits are known, feed on scale insects and resemble in form those of 

 the "Chrysopidae." So far as they go, therefore, the insects are bene- 

 ficial. 



The MyrmeleonidEe are "ant-lions" in the larval stage and very much 

 larger as adults than any of the preceding. The larvae are not so different 

 in form and structure from those of the "Chrysopidae," but 

 they differ altogether in habit by living underground or build- 

 ing pits in sand or dry earth to serve as traps for the capture 

 of such unwary insects as may tumble into them. They can 

 scarcely be considered beneficial though, on the other hand 



they are certainly not injurious. The larvae pupate in silken 

 Fig. 14. 

 Ant-lion c coons covered or mixed with sand grains. In the adults the 



antennas are short, terminated by a gradual club at tip. 

 The Ascalaphidae are much larger insects, more hairy, with broad head 

 and very long antennae terminated in an abrupt club. The larvaa are 

 like those of the preceding families, but build no pits and the species are 

 always rare. 



Family MANTISPID/E. 



MANTISPA III. 



M. brunnea Say. Jamesburg VII, 4 (Coll); 

 Lakehurst V-IX (div) ; Da Costa (Dke); 

 probably rare throughout South Jersey. 



M. interrupta Say. Lakehurst VII, 4-30 (div); 

 Lahaway in June (Coll) ; Philadelphia. 



Family HEMEROBIIDvE. 



LOMAMYIA Banks. 



L. flavicornis Wlk. (Berotha) Prospertown 

 IX, 22 (Coll); Lakehurst (Bno). 



Fig. 15. Mantispa species 

 from above and in out- 

 line from side. 



POLYSTCEC NOTES Burm. 



P. punctatus Fabr. Philadelphia: United States generally. 

 P. vittatus Say. Recorded from New Jersey by Hagen. 



