ANT-LIONS, LACEWING-FLIES, dc. 53 



fringing three of the eastern tributaries of the main 

 river above the Wellington Eeservoir; subsequent ex- 

 perience has proved these streams to be unfailing 

 localities for this insect. Although I have not heard 

 of its occurrence elsewhere, I think there is little doubt 

 that this species will be found in other places when the 

 country has been more thoroughly explored by entomolo- 

 gists. It is evidently a very local insect, and one that 

 should be specially looked for by collectors, when working 

 in little-known districts. 



The expansion of the wings ranges from 1£ to 1J inches ; the length 

 of the body is about g inch. The insect is thus described by Mr. 

 McLachlan : — * 



" Of the form and structure of S. incisus, McL., and S. citnnus, McL. r 

 but nearly one-half smaller. 



"Head and thorax (including antennae and palpi) dull reddish-brown 

 varying to fuscescent, the face and basal portion of the antennae often paler. 

 Pronotum usually darker on the sides, about one-half longer than broad, 

 narrower than the head, the lateral margins nearly parallel, a deep trans- 

 verse sulcus shortly before the posterior end ; it is rather sparingly clothed 

 with somewhat bristly yellowish hairs. Legs yellowish, somewhat dingy, 

 with pale hairs ; occasionally (especially in the ? ?) the base and apex of 

 the femora and of the tibiae, and the tips of the tarsal joints, are brownish 

 or fuscescent. Abdomen blackish in the dry insect : in one sex (probably 

 the ? ) at the ventral apex there is a pair of closely applied geniculated and 

 articulated valves clothed with pale hairs ; the rest of the abdomen with 

 only a few scattered hairs on the sutures. 



" Wings — in the anterior the ground colour may be termed pale brownish- 

 yellow (varying much in intensity), in which are large whitish spaces, viz., 

 three large subquadrate spots on the inner margin ; a large, badly limited, 

 and very irregular discal space beyond the middle of the wing, usually con- 

 nected with the third spot on the inner margin ; and a nearly circular spot 

 below, and slightly beyond, the pterostigma ; the spots on the inner margin 

 are separated by dark smoky-brown spaces, and the other pale markings are 

 margined with dark smoky-brown ; the inner margin narrowly dark smoky- 

 brown, with whitish interruptions in the excised apical portion ; the costal 

 edge is also alternately whitish and dark brown ; the pterostigma very dark 

 brown, with a paler spot near its inner end (these markings give the wings 

 a prettily variegated appearance) : neuration mostly pale, but whitish in 

 the pale spaces, and with the gradate nervules, and some other portions, 

 blackish ; costal nervules mostly simple ; sector with about nine branches. 

 Posterior wings pale brownish-yellow, without darker markings (except the 

 pterostigma), but with three large whitish spaces, one at the anal angle, one 

 discal beyond the middle, and one below the pterostigma. 



" I have examined four examples. Named (by request) 

 after Mr. Hudson's little daughter Stella. 



" Var. coxnexus var. nor. 



" Differs from the type form in the whitish markings of the anterior 

 wings being absent, but their position is indicated by the dark markings 

 which remain. The posterior wings are wholly pale brownish-yellow, 

 excepting the dark-brown pterostigma. 



* Ent. Mon. Mag. Sec. Series, vol. x. 251). 



