4 NEW ZEALAND NEUBOPTEBA. 



occasionally occur in large numbers in the nests within 

 the logs. After a couple of these winged insects have 

 paired, each of them sheds its wings, and the female 

 subsequently becomes very much distended with eggs. 

 At this time she is generally situated near the central 

 portion of the nest, and there are often several soldiers 

 in her immediate vicinity. As a rule, however, there are 

 only a few soldiers in any single nest, these individuals- 

 being sometimes altogether absent. The soldier of S. 

 ruficeps is undoubtedly an adult form ; but the worker 

 seems to be nothing more than a larva, which will subse- 

 quently develop into a winged male or female. The New 

 Zealand termites have not yet been closely studied, and, 

 no doubt, there are many other interesting facts to be 

 ascertained respecting them. 



Family IV.— PSOCID^— BOOK LICE. 



Not dealt with in this volume. 



Family V.—PERLIDiE— STONE-FLIES. 



"Insects of moderate or large size, furnished with four 

 membranous wings; these are usually complexly reticulate ; 

 the hind pair are much the larger, and have a large anal 

 area of more simple venation, which becomes plicate when 

 folded. The coxce are small, the legs widely separated. 

 The larva are aquatic in habits, the metamorphosis is- 

 slight " (Sharp). 



This family is represented in New Zealand by three 

 described species of fairly large size. There are, however, 

 several smaller species, with which I am acquainted, that 

 are at present undescribed ; and it is probable that when 

 our insects are better known a considerable number of. 

 native species will ultimately be found. 



Genus STENOPERLA, McLachlan (1866). 



"The first two joints of the maxillary palpi are short, equal, broad ; the 

 others smooth ; the third and fourth are each twice the length of the second ; 

 the fifth is shorter than the fourth. Antennae short and slender. Wings 

 when at rest surrounding the body ; the anterior much narrower than the 

 posterior, elongated ; the transverse nervines are numerous and evenly dis- 

 tributed ; the posterior wings three times as broad as the anterior, plicated,, 

 the transverse nervules distributed pretty evenly over the whole surface. 



"Distribution. — New Zealand" (Hutton). 



