Vol. XXviii ] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 405 



of the eyes, antennae, etc., are much the same in all three. 

 (Compare also Fig. 4.) In the neck region of the Forficulid 

 (Fig. 5) there occur two ventral plates Ps represented by two 

 similar plates designated as Ps in Rmbia (Fig. 6; compare 

 also Fig. 7). The lateral neck plates i and o are essentially the 

 same in the Forficulid (Fig. 5) Embiid (Fig. 6) and Grylloblat- 

 tid (Fig. 9), but a rather deep longitudinal fold of the integu- 

 ment in the plate designated as i in the Forficulids, presents a 

 modification not met with in the other insects mentioned. In 

 the prothoracic region, sclerite e of Fig. 5 is quite like its homo- 

 logue designated as e in Figs. 6 and 9, and the components of 

 plate abc are very similar in all three insects, thus indicating 

 a close relationship in the three groups. 



A study of the head, neck and prothoracic regions of the Ter- 

 mites reveals points of resemblance to the Blattids on the one 

 hand, and to the Embiid-Forficulid-Grylloblattid "coterie" on 

 the other. I have no specimens of the more primitive Ter- 

 mites, but an examination of the heads of specimens of Ter- 

 mites taken in the Carolinas, of a Termopsis from Arizona, 

 and of .Termes bellicosus from Africa (Fig. 3) would indi- 

 cate that the prognathous condition is the original one for the 

 group as a whole, although there is a marked tendency for the 

 head to assume a more vertical position a tendency which 

 has been carried much further in the Blattids (Fig. 2), even- 

 tually producing a head of the opisthognathous type in the lat- 

 ter insects. 



The contour of the upper portion of the Termite head sug- 

 gests Blattid affinities, but the location of the eyes, antennae, 

 etc., is more like the condition found in the other insects stud- 

 ied. The neck plates i, i, and o (Fig. 3) are extremely like 

 those of the Blattids (Fig. 2), and the shape of the epimeral 

 region Em is much the same in Figs. 3 and 2. The "eutrochan- 

 tin" abc (Fig. 3), however, is not like the trochantin a of the 

 roach (Fig. 2), since this region in the roach does not com- 

 pletely intervene between the coxa and the pleural region. The 

 lower portion of the region a becomes detached in both insects 

 (Figs. 3 and 2) however, thus indicating a tendency common to 



