A BRIEF KEVIEW OK THE UIUTISII CONIOlMKRYGIDiT:. 241 



A brief review of tlie Britisli Conioptcrygidae (Neiiroptera), with 

 tables of the European Genera and Species. (/ V/.s. 1-12.) 



By RICHARD S. BAGXALL, F.L.S., F.E.S. 

 When the late Mr. Lachlan puhlished his Mdvoi/raji/i of tlie lUitiah 

 }srHrnpte)a-l'lani}ien)i'ut (Trans. Ent. Soc, lH()S,pp. 145-224, pi. viii.-xi.) 

 he remarked, "These insects are as yet ill-utKlerstood, and I regret 

 that the subject can receive no elucidation from nie." 

 He diagno.sed the thi'ee species, as follows : — 



Cnnidi'tcri/.i- psncifojiiiis, Curtis. " Antennfc with about forty 



joints, much longer than the body. Wings very unequal, 



the posterior pair being very small. Expanse of wings 



8|-4i lines." 



(.'onioiitenjx tiiieifonnis, Curtis. " Antennte about the length of 



the body, with about twenty-five joints. Wings sub-equal, 



slightly smoky-gray. Abdomen rather short, ochreous. 



Expanse of wings, 2^-2^ lines." 



Coniopterij.r aleiivdiUforiiiix, Stephens. " Antennte with more than 



thirty joints, longer than the l)ody. Wings sub-equal, broad, 



the neuration tolerably distinct. Abdomen thin. Expanse 



of wings, 3^-3f lines. 



These descriptions — brief as they are — admirably fit the three 



species we have known as British for so long, and, until this year, no 



addition has been made to the list. Abroad, however, 0. M. Renter, 



Loew, Klapalek, W^allengren and Enderlein, had made new discoveries, 



and in 190(3 the last-named author. Dr. Giinther Enderlein, published 



a monograph of the world's species, with tables and figures [Mono- 



(jrapliie der Coniopteri/f/iden in " Zool. Jahrb.," xxiii., Abt. f. Syst., pp» 



173-242, pits. 4-9). Herein he describes ten European species, any one 



of which might possibly occur in the British Isles. A few of these are 



separated on what some ujight regard as slight characteristics so far 



as neuration is concerned — vide Ciniinptrrt/.r tineifnruiis and (!. pi/<iiiuiei(s 



— but an examination of the S genitalia more than strongly confirms 



specific rank. 



In June of this year I described Cunicentzia cryptoufiois, found on 

 sallow in the North of England [Ent. Mo. Marf. and The ]'asculin)i)^ 

 and two months later Mr. J. W'. H. Harrison brought forward the 

 larch species, C. pineticola, Enderlein, from North Yorkshire and South 

 Durham as British {The Vaacitliiw). The former may prove to be a 

 form of pineticula, and it is desirable that the genitalia of both ( '. 

 crt/ptoneiiria and also C. pineticola var. tetensi be exaann'ed before 

 finally settling their respective status. 



The interest that these discoveries aroused caused me to suggest to 

 Professor Poulton that the species in the Daleian collection should be 

 examined, and thanks to his kindness I have had the opportunity of 

 doing this so far as their dried condition would permit. 



Of the bulk of the material in this collection falling into the genus 

 Ciiuiopteru.r, s.s., and standing under the names ( '. alenroiiiformis^ 

 Steph. (error in identification), ( '. hi/aliniift, C parndns, Vill. (= ('. 

 tiueiforniix), and C. obsciinm, I have been unable to uiake any satis- 

 factory report — though the study of an abundance of fresh material 

 might lead to interesting results. 



Conioptf.n/.v tineifonnis, ('. pippnaenn, SepUdnii^ alenVfrei-i^yniis, S, 



NOVEMLEU' luTH, 19J5. " V ' ' '* ^^'V^ 



roEcuwi J 



