300 STUDIES IN AUSTRALIAN MECOPTERA, i., 



with brown cat the points of union of the veins with the apical 

 and posterior margins, and upon the cross-v<-in.s. Frenulum 

 well-developed, with two strong bristles in the male, and a third 

 somewhat shorter bristle also present in the female 



Abdomen cylindrical, shiny black with pale pubescence. 

 Segment 9 and anal appettdages brown, the latter shaped very 

 much as in jS^ annochorista maculipennis. 



Type s, in Coll. Tillyard. A male and a female, collected by 

 Mr. A. Philpott. 



Loc. — The male from Queenstown, N.Z., taken on December 

 20th, 1913; the female from Long woods, N.Z., on December 5th 

 of same year. 



//a6. — South Island of N.Z. I have little doubt that this 

 insect would be found in any of the mountainous regions of the 

 South Island, especially along the borders of lakes and small 

 mountain-streams. 



The insect is dedicated to M r. A. Philpott, who is to be con- 

 gratulated upon this fine discovery. No doubt other species 

 will be found in New Zealand, as soon as collectors get to know 

 the appearance of the insect, and its most likely haunts. 



The bearing of this discovery upon the Antarctic Theory as 

 advocated by Mr. Hedley, is obvious. A highly specialised 

 derivative from a very ancient stock, and quite unlike anything 

 else known to exist in any other part of the world, the Nattno- 

 choristido'- form one of those test-groups upon which the Theory 

 may be found either to stand or fall. The distribution of this 

 family, so far as at present known, in Tasmania, the Eastern 

 Highlands of Australia, and in New Zealand, can only be ex- 

 plained by dispersal from an original common Antarctic ancestor. 

 If another form belonging to this family were to be found in 

 South Chili or Patagonia, the evidence would be complete: but 

 it seems almost hopeless to expect this region to be well searched 

 for such out-of-the-way insects, for a very long time to come. 



In the loss of the cross-vein dividing the second apical fork, 

 Choristelhi is the most highly specialised of all Mecoptera, and 

 approaches very closely to the venational type of the Diptera 

 Brachvcera. 



