140 Bulletin de la Société Royale Entomologique d'Egypte 



On Two New species of Coniopterygidae 

 (Neuroptera) from Egypt 



by C L. WiTHYCOMBE, M.Sc, F.E.S. 



Mr. C B. Williams has reccnlly published 

 (Ministry of Agriculture, Eg>pt; Technical and Scien- 

 tific Service; Bull. N" 28, 1928) an account of a new 

 light trap which he has used in Egypt with con- 

 siderable success. Among other insects taken in the 

 desert country of the Wadi Digla, near Cairo, at the 

 end of March 1928, were fourteen Coniopterygidae, 

 and these specimens Mr. Williams has kindly handed 

 to me for examination and description. 



All the insects are males. This is interesting in 

 confirming a suspicion which I had long had, name- 

 ly that only male Coniopterygidae are attracted to light. 

 Before Mr. Williams capture I had myself known 

 males only of the following British species to come to 

 light : Conwcnlzia psociforinis Curt., Seniidaiis alcii- 

 rodiformis Steph., and Coiiiopteryx tinciformis Curt. 

 { = Maiacümyza loclca Wesm.). This fact has not pre- 

 viously been recorded as it seemed to me that there 

 was insufficient data for a definite assertion that 

 males alone were attracted by light. Now that fourteen 

 specimens, all males, have been taken in Egypt, with 

 no females, it appears highly probable that females are 

 not positively phototactic and that only males arc 

 attracted lo light. 



The specimens taken comprise two new species, 



