43S 



the caudal valves are always serrate. 



Variations in the ovipositor of the female are seemingly of little 

 importance in classification although there is enough difference in the 

 apical sternites (stig) of the eighth segment alone to facilitate the sep- 

 aration of genera. 



Life History and Habits 



The metamorphosis of all Odonata is incomplete and the life his- 

 tory relates to the egg, nymph, and adult. 



EGG 



The eggs of Zygoptera are elongate and ovoidal, their length being 

 much greater than their transverse diameter. In length they average 

 about one millimeter; in diameter usually about one-fourth of this. 

 They are inserted either above or below the surface of the water in 

 the stems of plants. Lestes and related genera insert the eggs con- 

 siderably above the level of the w^ater, and several instances are re- 

 corded in which the plants sufTer from excessive oviposition. Most 

 oi the Coenagrioninae oviposit beneath the water upon the submerged 

 parts of plants. To accomplish this, the female with the male clinging 

 to her alights on a projecting part of a plant and backs down into the 

 water dragging the male with her. She often goes so far beneath the 

 surface that both are completely submerged. Kellicott ('99:24) 

 observed the females of Argia viocsta piitrida descend into the water 

 in this fashion ; and I have frequently seen BiuiUagrna signatum de- 

 scend into the water to oviposit and, less frequently, Ischnura verticalis 

 and Enallaguia antcnnatutn. It is probable that many more of the 

 subfamily Coenagrioninae enter the water to find a suitable place for 

 oviposition. The egg-laying habits of the Agrionidae have not been 

 extensively studied; but Kennedy ('15:339) reports that Agrion 

 ocqiiabilc variety yakima deposits the eggs beneath the surface of the 

 water upon willow roots, and is unaccompanied by the male. Need- 

 ham also says that Agrion macnlatiim oviposits just beneath the sur- 

 face of the water, but Wesenberg-Lund ('13) observed a European 

 species depositing eggs above the water. In all cases the female was 

 unaccompanied by the male. 



The number of eggs laid by a single female has been but partially 

 investigated, owing to the great difficulty of inducing the female to lay 

 in captivity. A number of adults were dissected with a view to discov- 

 ering the egg-laying capacities of the group. Several reared specimens 

 which had no chance to deposit eggs were found to contain as many 



