i86 Records of the Indian Museum. | Voi^. Ill, 



delays of sickness and change of location for the return of the 

 specimens, and for this report upon them. 



PERLID/E. 



This is the most neglected of all the neuropteroid groups of 

 the Indian fauna. Hitherto, apparently, there has been but one 

 species of stone-fly described from the whole of India, and that 

 one very imperfectly. It is the Perla duvaucelii of Pictet, known 

 hitherto from a single specimen in the Museum of Paris. It is 

 represented in the present collection by two male specimens, and 

 with it are six other undescribed species. One of these is 

 represented by a mere fragment ; the other five are described 

 herewith. Three are referred to Perla (s. lat.), one each to Neoperla 

 and Leuctra, and one represents a new and very interesting genus 

 with hairy eyes and greatly reduced labial palpi. 



Perla benigna, sp. no v. 



One male. Sikhim, E. Himalayas (Reg. No. —y~). 



Length 12 mm., with setse 5 mm. or more additional, the tips 

 perhaps broken. Expanse of wings 30 mm. 



A brownish species with conspicuous yellow costal border to 

 the fore wings. Head wider than the prothorax, and closely 

 inserted into its flaring front end. Prothorax wider anteriorly, 

 with rather straight fore border and sharp angles: hind angles 

 more or less obtuse. Head blackish above, with an open W-mark 

 directed backwards between the antennse, the middle point of the 

 W resting on the middle ocellus. Tubercles of the vertex yellow. 

 Antennse brown, the sides of the basal segment darker. 



Prothoracic disc minutely pubescent, scarcely rugulose, fuscous 

 in colour with a yellowish median line that is dilated anteriorly 

 and runs out narrowly along the front border. Meso- and meta- 

 thorax brown above and below and paler across the ends and along 

 the sides. Abdomen yellowish, the three apical segments slightly 

 darker. Legs yellow at the base, including two-thirds of the 

 femora; beyond this brown. Setae fuscous, concolourous, with 

 dense pubescence and numerous stouter hairs ; 15 segments present, 

 measuring 5 mm,, wings (pi. xix, fig. i) brown, with a yellow costal 

 band that is delimited behind by the main stem of the radial vein, 

 except towards the base where it is a little wider ; the veins in the 

 yellow band are very indistinct. The venation is shown in plate 

 xix, fig. I. 



The ninth segment of the abdomen (pi. xix, fig. 3) of the male 

 is narrow upon the dorsal side and ver}' wide below. On the mid- 

 dorsal line (pi. xix, fig. 2) it is produced backward in a thin, flat, 

 bifid triangular process. On the ventral side it is prolonged 

 greatly, and upturned to enclose the tip of the abdomen. The 

 upturned end is squarely truncated and margined with a rim-like 



