DRAGON-FLIES. 15 



The perfect insect appears in December and January. 

 It flies with great rapidity, and is often observed far 

 away from any water. It also frequents very elevated 

 situations, and I have seen it in the Nelson province on 

 the Tableland of Mount Arthur, no less than 3,600 feet 

 above the level of the sea. This is an extremely bold 

 insect, and, although powerful on the wing, is very 

 easily caught. In fact, it is so fearless that I have some- 

 times captured a specimen, when perched, by means of the 

 thumb and forefinger only. According to my observa- 

 tions, male specimens of this species are commoner than 

 the females, in the proportion of about three to one. 



Tribe CORDULIINA. 



" Resembles Libellulina, but the eyes have a slight homy tubercle behind, 

 the triangles of the wings are generally wider, the sectors of the arculus are 

 often completely separated, the last ante-nodal nervule is always continuous, 

 there is only a small number of post-nodal nervules, the nodal sector is never 

 undulated beyond the middle, and the males usually have the anal angle of 

 the wings angulated. 



Genus SOMATOCHLORA, Selys (1878). 



" Tubercles behind the eyes slight. Pterostigma rather short. Fore-wings 

 with 7 or 8 ante-nodal and 6 to 8 post-nodal nervules ; hind-wings with 5 (or 

 rarely 6) ante-nodals and 8 to. 10 post-nodals. Sectors of the arculus united 

 at their bases, but not petiolate. Basal and hypotrigonal areas undivided ; 

 lower basal (or median) area with one cross-nervule in both wings. Internal 

 triangle of the fore-wings with three cells ; triangle of the hind-wings followed 

 by two cells. Superior anal appendages of the male long, sub-cylindrical, 

 rather thicker in the middle ; the inferior pair short, sub-triangular. Those 

 of the female long, sub-cylindrical, slightly curved upwards, and pointed 

 at the apex. 



" Distribution. — North America and other places " (Hutton). 



SOMATOCHLOKA SMITHII. 



Conhrfia smithii, White, Zool. " Erebus " and 

 " Terror," Insects, pi. vi., fig. 2 (no description) ; C. novce- 

 zealandice, Brauer, Reise der " Novara," Neuroptera, 

 p. 78, tab. ii., fig. 3-36 (1868). 



(Plate III., fig. 1 S , 2 nymph, 6 head of ditto magnified, 

 showing mask extended). 



This dragon-fly is common and generally distributed 

 throughout New Zealand, and has also occurred at the 

 Chatham Islands. It appears, however, to be decreasing 

 in numbers in those localities, which are in the vicinity of 

 settlement. 



