734 



8TUDIE8 IN AUSTRALIAN NEUROPTERA. 



No. i. The Wixg-Venatiox of the Myrmeleonid^. 



By R. J. TiLLYARD, M.A., B.Sc, F.E.8., Linnean Macleay 

 Fellow of the Society in Zoology. 



(Plate Iviii., and ten Text-figs.) 



Introduction. 



In entering upon the study of Australian Neuroptera, my in- 

 tention is eventually to attempt to work out the little-known 

 life-histories of these insects, and to contribute something towards 

 the study of the morphology of their larva? and pupa?. However, 

 we know as yet so little about the Australian forms, that it is 

 clearly of the first importance that their systematic classification 

 should be placed upon a secure foundation, before any other work 

 can be satisfactorily proceeded with. With the aid of collections 

 sent by Mr. W. W. Froggatt, F.L.S., Government Entomologist 

 of New South Wales, and by myself, Mr. Esben Petersen, of Silke- 

 borg, Denmark, has lately been enabled to uni'avel a great deal 

 of the taugle surrounding the isolated and often incomplete de- 

 scriptions of Australian forms published during the past hundred 

 years or more. Two of his papers"^ have been published quite 

 recently in these Proceedings. Mr. Petersen had previously 

 undertaken a tour of the princijial Museums of Europe, and had 

 carried with him a number of specimens from Austraha, for com- 

 parison with the old types. He also secured photographs of 

 nearly all of these latter. Thus he has been able to give us, not 

 only a number of excellent descriptions of new species, but also 

 some valuable observations on the synonymy of many of the 

 better known forms. It may be truthfully said, that Mr. 



* Esben Petersen, Australian Neuroptera, Fart i., These Proceedings, 

 1914, xxxix., pp. 635-645, Plates Ixxii.-lxxv.; Partii., I.e., 1915, xl., pp. 

 56-74, Plates vi.-xiii. 



