102 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol. VI, 



Habits and Development in Captivity. 



Larvae. 



The larvae were brought to Calcutta and kept in glass jars 

 in one of the work-rooms of the Indian Museum. A thin layer 

 of dry soil was placed at the bottom of the jar, a piece of rough 

 bark was supported against the side in an upright position, and 

 the top was covered with muslin. The food supplied consisted 

 of flies, mostly '' blue-bottles " (probably Pycnosoyna fiaviceps), but 

 the larvae showed no special preference for au}^ particular kind. 



All the larvae hibernated during the winter, neither taking 

 food nor caring to move about ; but it was noticed in the case of 

 a Pseudoptynx larva which happened to be moved from its chosen 

 position on the bark, that it returned there during the following 

 night. Most of the larvae hibernated im nediately on b?iiig left 

 to themselves in their cages, but the smaller of the two Pseudop- 

 tynx larvae kept alive took one or two flies on alternate days with 

 considerable regularity till December 17. It remained inactive 

 till February 21, 1910, and when flies were then again introduced 

 into its cage it started feed'ng at once and continued to do so 

 till March 23 when it died, still somewhat smaller in size than its 

 companion. 



Its companion commenced to feed again on February 24, 

 but was not observed to eat anything more between this date 

 and March 19 when it began to prepare for pupation — at most 

 it cannot have eaten more than two or three flies during this time. 

 The imago (which was deformed) emerged on April 4, 1910. 



The other Ascalaphid larva commenced to feed again on Febru- 

 ary 28, and eat another fly on March 15, very shortly after which 

 it was unfortunately lost. The Myrmeleon larvae eat nothing at all 

 during the time of their captivity ; one prepared to pupate on Feb- 

 ruary 22 and emerged on March 21. Another prepared to pupate 

 on February 26, but the pupa was not allowed to develop further. 



The unidentified Ascalaphid larva not only resembled the 

 Pseudoptynx larva in general form (conpare figs, i and 4) but 

 also in habits; and, except that in the former the mandibles 

 always remained exposed in repose, the following account of the 

 habits of the latter, which were more fully observed, is probably 

 equally applicable to it and in large measure even to the Myr- 

 meleon larvae also. It may be observed here that these last 

 resemble the free-living larvae of other genera of Myrmeleonidae 

 in not having the habit of walking backwards that is so well- 

 known a characteristic of the pit-forming larvae of other species of 

 the genus Myrmeleon. Their mandibles were kept continuously 

 closed during their Ufe in captivity and extended forwards in 

 front of the head with their tips crossed. 



The larva of the species of Pseudoptynx here described usually 

 lies motionless in a depression of the bark on which it lives, and 

 by flattening itself down as close as possible upon the bark the 

 larva makes itself almost indistinguishable (see figs. 2 and 3). If 



