19° The Ohio Naturalist. [Vol. II, No. 3, 



NOTES ON NEUROPTOID INSECTS. 



James S. Hine. 



Mantispa interrupta Say. This species was described by 

 Thomas Say from a single specimen which was taken near Phila- 

 delphia. Only a few specimens have been mentioned in litera- 

 ture since. Hagen and Uhler have mentioned variations in the 

 wing markings of different specimens, and both have stated that 

 the specimens that they have studied lack the "quadrate, dark 

 fuscous spot ' ' which Say observed on the ' ' submargin ' ' of the 

 wing, and Uhler says : "I have seen a specimen in which the 

 apical spot of the wing is absent." 



In Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. , 24: 23, Banks tabulated our North 

 American species and separated sayi, which he described as new, 

 from interrupta by the absence of markings on the wings of the 

 former. 



In the collection before me are two males and a female which 

 I identify as interrupta, and on which this note is based. 



One male was taken at Saudusk}', Ohio, by Prof. Osborn, the 

 other male at \'inton, Ohio, by myself, June 10, 1900, from the 

 trunk of a small tree, while Mr. Morse took the female at Vinton, 

 June 20, 1 90 1, by beating oak foliage. Thus one male and the 

 female were taken at the same place, though in different years, 

 while the other male exactly agrees with the \"inton male in size, 

 coloration and all other characters that I have observed. 



In comparison the general coloration of the body of the female 

 is lighter than in the male ; the dark costal margin is present in 

 both sexes alike, and extends to where the costa begins to bend 

 toward the apex of the wing. Otherwise the male wing is 

 entirely transparent, but the female wing has a reddish patch at 

 the apex, and two darker markings outside of the costal border. 

 These latter markings include the cross veins that meet the 

 radius from behind at nearly a right angle. The venation in the 

 male is noticeably darker tlian in the female ; the former meas- 

 ures 19 nun., and the latter 27 mm. to the apex of the wing. 



S1A1.IS inkumata Newm. and americana Ramb. Since vS. ameri- 

 <:ana appears to be rare generally, I give a short comparison of 

 its characters and habits with those of S. infumata, which is an 

 alnuidant and widely distributed species. The latter is connnon 

 a))out the middle of May at Columbus, and during the day is to 

 be found in numbers clinging to the small branches of shrubs and 

 trees in the vicinity of streams, with its wings placed roof-like 

 over its back. The only time I have ever taken americana it was 

 found resting on the trunk of a large oak tree that stood near the 

 water of Stewart's Lake, in Portage County, Ohio, June 20, 1900. 

 Nearly a dozen specimens in all were taken. 



