Vol. XXvii] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 253 



are the Embiids (and Forficulids) but the Phasmid, Grylloblat- 

 tid and Termitid lines all appear to converge toward the line 

 of descent of the Perlid group, such forms as Time ma, Gryllo- 

 blatta, etc., being very similar in many respects to the more 

 primitive members of the Perlid group. Such Orthoptera- 

 like Perlids as Eusthe,iia would doubtless be of great interest 

 from the point of view of the study of the rather close rela- 

 tionship of the Perlids to the Orthopteroid forms ; but, unfor- 

 tunately, I have been unable to procure specimens of this in- 

 teresting genus for study. The Perlid group constitutes the 

 order Plecoptera, and, as will be discussed further on, the Per- 

 lid and Blattid lines of descent converge as we follow them 

 further back, and ultimately approach the line of descent of 

 the Lepismids. Indeed, such immature Plecoptera as nymphs 

 of Peltoperla are surprisingly Lepisma-\ike, indicating a rather 

 close relationship between the two groups, although we are de- 

 pendent upon immature forms to furnish the "connecting links" 

 between the ancestors of the Perlids and the ancestors of the 

 Lepismids, while in the Blattid group, even the adult forms 

 have departed but little from the condition characteristic of 

 the ancestral Lepismids ; so that the Blattids are probably 

 somewhat closer to the Lepismids than the Perlids are. 



The Mantoid line of descent parallels that of the Blattoid 

 group quite closely, and also approaches the Perloid line near 

 the point at which the Blattoid line draws near to that of the 

 Perlids, as is shown in the diagram. Certain Mantoid forms, 

 such as Mantoida littcola exhibit affinities with the Neuropter- 

 oid forms; but this is to be expected, since the Mantids and 

 Neuroptera both approach the Perlid line of descent, and 

 would therefore have many characters in common. On the 

 whole, however, I would place the Mantoid line somewhat 

 closer to the Blattoid line, than to the Perloid line of descent, 

 as is indicated in the diagram. The Mantoid forms constitute 

 a distinct order, which may be termed the Eiidictyoptcra, 

 since both Mantids and Blattids were formerly grouped 

 together in the order Dictyoptera. The reasons for regard- 

 ing the Mantids as a distinct order will be given elsewhere. 



As may be seen from the diagram, the Blattoid line of de- 



