528 



resembling' this, and almost certainly belonging to this genus, 

 have been found in the Upper Trias of Ipswich, Queensland, 

 where there exists a very rich Coleopterous fauna, which is 

 the oldest so far discovered. 



Order Neuroptera Planipennia. 



A series of tubes containing specimens to illustrate the com- 

 plete life history of the remarkable Australian Moth-Lacewing, 

 Ithone fusca Newman. The female of this insect possesses a 

 peculiar sandplough or psammarotron, with which it ploughs 

 up the soil when laying its eggs. Each egg, when laid, is sticW, 

 and is rolled in the sand so as to become enclosed in a small 

 sand-cocoon. The larva hatches in about three weeks, at the 

 beginning of December, and at once burrows into the soil. It 

 is a white grub, of melolonthoid form, with strong burrowing 

 legs, a curved body, small head, no eyes, and short, strong 

 sucking mouth parts of the true Planipennian type. It is very 

 active, and feeds voraciously on the larvae of Scarahaeidac, 

 which it so much resembles. When digging for these larvae, 

 their presence is at once made known by the delicious odor of 

 citronella which they give out. 



There are only three instars, the larva growing very rapidly., 

 It then spins a cocoon in the form of a cylinder with hemi- 

 spherical ends, and of a whitish, papery consistency, not 

 unlike that of some of the Hymenoptera. In this the larva 

 remains for a long time, finally pupating as a pupa libera in 

 which, unlike those of the other Planipennia, the abdomen is 

 not curved round. The pupal stage lasts only three weeks or 

 less. The pupa cuts its way out of the cocoon by means of 

 its powerful mandibles, and the imago crawls up out of the 

 sandy soil and climbs the nearest tree trunk, where it rapidly 

 expands its wings. The imagos fly only at dusk during the 

 first week or so in November, the males assembling around the 

 females on the tree trunks. Their rapid, dashing flight resem- 

 bles that of Hepialidac : and, indeed, they bear a strong super- 

 ficial resemblance to these moths, for which they are often 

 mistaken by collectors. 



In view of the depredations caused by the Green Japanese 



