142 



THE WINGS OF THE ISOPTERA 



Fig. 135. — The tracheation of a wing of 

 Leucotermes flavipes. 



The costal margin of the wing is greatly thickened. It probabl}^ is 

 formed by the coalesced costa and subcosta and may also include vein 



R2+3; as there is avalable no 

 means of determining its con- 

 stitution, it seems better to refer 

 to it as the costal margin of the 

 wing than to attempt to indi- 

 cate the veins of which it is com- 

 posed. 



The strong vein parallel 

 with the costal margin is prob- 

 ably vein R4+5, as it appears to 

 correspond with this vein in Mastotermes and in Termopsis. 



The media is unbranched. The cubitus bears several branches of 

 which those near the base of the wing are quite prominent. The cubital 

 area occupies about one-half of the area of the wing. There are no anal 

 veins in the detached portion of the wing ; the anal area being restricted to 

 the scapular shield in the hind wing as well as in the fore wing. 



The wrinkling of the wing characteristic of termites, is here carried to 

 an extreme extent. Back of vein R4+5, which is very strongly chitinized, 

 the veins are little more than wrinkles; and between the veins there are 

 very many smaller wrinkles. 



Figure 135 represents the tracheation of a wing of a nymph of Leuco- 

 termes flavipes. Only three tracheae are preserved in this wing; these are 

 those that precede veins R4+6, 

 M, and Cu. 



The tracheation of the 

 wings of a nymph of an 

 unknown species of Leuco- 

 termes. — Among the photo- 

 graphs taken by Dr. Needham 

 and myself are two, represent- 

 ing the tracheation of a fore 

 wing and of a hind wingrespec- 

 tively of the same individual. 

 These wings differ from those 

 of Leucotermes flavipes in that 

 the medial tracheae is four- 

 branched in the fore wing 

 and three-branched in the 



hind wing, while the cubital trachea gives off only some small tracheal 

 twigs (Fig. 136). This termite was collected at Ithaca, and as Leucotermes 

 flavipes is supposed to be the only termite^ found in the Northeastern 



Pig. 136. — The tracheation of the wings of a 

 nymph of Leucotermes. 



