800 Charles Paul Alexander 



Antocha is a small genus of crane-flies (about seven species) whose 

 specific limits arc still not well ^understood. The species are well dis- 

 tributed thruout the Northern Hemisphere. The adult flies are of prim- 

 itive organization, but the larvae and the pupae are highly specialized 

 in many respects. 



The only previous record of the immature stages of any member of this 

 group is the unknown Limnobiine No. 2 (Malloch, 1915-17 b : 236-237) , which 

 surely refers to an Antocha, possibly A. monticola Alex. The main point 

 of difference between the species described by Malloch and the species 

 described in detail hereinafter is the small spiracles mentioned in the 

 description of the former species. A. saxicola lacks spiracles, since it 

 has no us3 for them, being confined to submerged cases often many feet 

 below tho surfaco of the water. 



Altho nothing is known concerning the immature stages of the genera 

 Orimargula, Orimarga, and Diotrepha, the writer believes that these 

 genera will b3 found to have larvae of this same general type, since from 

 the structure of the adults they are obviously derived from the Antocha 

 stem. The larvae are curiously suggestive of the Pediciini (as compared 

 with Dicranota), but the structure of the mouth parts, the smooth pseudo- 

 pods, and the cauda, are quite different and indicate that the similarities 

 are analogous only. The pupae are unlike those of any crane-fly as yet 

 made known, in the very remarkable breathing horns; but this is possibly 

 a condition brought about by the habitat rather than a fundamental 

 feature. The apparently very different pupae of Elliptera are closely 

 related to Antocha. 



Antocha saxicola 0. S. 



1S50 Antocha saxicola. 0. S. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 219. 



Antocha saxicola has one of the most interesting life histories of any of 

 the crane-flies yet discovered, not only because of the larval and pupal 

 habitat, but also because of the peculiar structures that appear in the 

 larva and in the pupa and have been found nowhere else in the immature 

 stages of the family, sd far as is known. The larvae simulate strikingly 

 the same stage in the Pedicaria, but are apneustic, entirely lacking func- 

 tional spiracles and depending wholly on tracheal gills for their respira- 

 tion. The pupae have the pronotal breathing horns split into eight long 

 filaments, so that they bear a curious superficial reseml lance to the pupae 



