RY R. J. TILLYARD. 



185 



or two, however, have a closed discoidal cell, and one of the 

 largest forms, Necrotaulius major Handlirsch, probably possessed 

 a median cell as well. This latter form would come nearest to 

 our Ipswich fossils, since it agrees with them in having both 

 Af.l and Af.'2 sessile upon dc, and Af.4 sessile upon mc, while 

 Af.3 appears to be just sessile upon the upper distal end of the 

 same cell. In all other respects, the NecrotauHidce must be con 

 sidered as considerably specialised by reduction, and loss of the 

 archaic cross-venation inherited from Panorpoid ancestors. 



^1--BLA R, Af, 



Text-fig. 4. 



Forewing of Hydrop.'njche sp., for comparison with Text-figs. 2 and 3. 



(After Ulnier). 



Thus our new fossils are seen to stand in a much closer 

 ancestral relationship with some of the more archaic present-day 

 families than they do with the Liassic NecrotauHidce; and it 

 seems exceedingly probable that we have in Australia, alive 

 to-day, genera directly descended from them. Unfortunately, 

 the Australian Trichopterous fauna, though both abundant and 

 remarkable, has so far been hardly touched,* so that we are 

 compelled to make a more general comparison with known forms 

 from other parts of the world. On these lines, I must indicate 



* Onlj' thirteen species have, so far, been described from Australia and 

 Tasmania; but I have, in my own collection alone, nearly a hundred 

 species, man}' being closely related to New Zealand forms, 

 14 



