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Asiracidae. 



The most obvious character of this family is the mobile spur 

 at the base of the hind tibiae. Its most primitive form is prob- 

 ably seen in Ugyops, Asiraca, &c., in which it is awlshaped, the 

 margins not serrate or dentate. There are two further types, 

 as mentioned further on. 



The Asiracidae probably — almost certainly — are derived from 

 Cixiinae, but the mobile spur and the nature of the antennal 

 sensory organs necessitate the maintenance of a special family 

 for them. 



Head. 



In all known Asiracid nymphs, the frons has two keels 

 down the middle^ and the entire head is studded with sensory 

 pustules. In the adult Achorotile, both these characters obtain, 

 and this genus is therefore reasonably considered to be the most 

 primitive known Asiracid. The first step of importance in the 

 development of the family is in the fusion, almost wholly or m 

 part, of the median keels of the frons ; in some forms, they are 

 completely fused almost to the connecting keels, in others, only 

 as far back as the apical margin of the eyes. Laccocara has the 

 nymphal pustules, but has partially fused frontal keels. These 

 are the only two Asiracid genera known to me which have punc- 

 tured pustules in the adults. Of other head characters, the 

 most obvious is the form of the antennae ; in the majority of 

 forms, the first segment is short and cylindrical or annuliform. 

 the segment being subcylindrical and not, or not noticeably, fur- 

 ished with sensory organs ; in others they are varyingly flatten- 

 ed and dilated, elongate, and so forth. 



The clypeus is sometimes carinate, sometimes not. The 

 genal keel sometimes meets the frontal keel acutely at the apical 

 margin, sometimes does not meet it. In one form, Paraiida, the 

 vertex is smoothly rounded in front, not (or feebly) carinate, 

 and this must perhaps be regarded as a more or less degraded 

 form. 



Thorax. 



Great stress has been placed on the lateral keels of the prono- 

 tum, two categories being supposed, viz. : 



