io6 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol. VI, 



nearly 15 mm. in diameter. Composed of white silk; smooth and 

 glistening inside, coated with attached pieces of soil on the outside. 

 Pupa not examined before hatching for fear of interfering with 

 the completion of its development The empty skin shows the 

 mandibles to have been stout and strongh^ toothed on the biting 

 margin. 



Undetermined A scalaphid. 



Larva (pi. v, fig. 4, and text-fig. B). — Total length (including 

 mandibles) about 12 mm. Mandibles straight for a greater part of 

 their length than in the Pseudoptynx larva ; general dorsal colora- 

 tion somewhat paler than in that larva; and anterior lateral pro- 

 cesses markedly different from posterior instead of all being setose 

 alike. As, however, the larva was lost before any complete descrip- 

 tion of it was drawn up, the figures alone will have to serve for 

 further comparison with other larvae. 



Myrmeleon contractus, Wlk. 



Larva (pi. v, figs. 5 — 7 and 13, and text-fig. C). — Length 

 (excluding mandibles i"5 mm.) about 7 mm. Head approximately 



Pig. C. — Ocular tubercle of larva of Myrmeleon contractus, Wlk., x 90. 



rectangular with the anterior angles sharply re-entrant and the pos- 

 terior ones rounded ; broader than long. Ocular tubercles (text-fig. 

 C) not prominent, bearing six black eyes all in a circular patch on 

 the dorsal surface. Mandibles (fig. 7) long, straight as far as the 

 third tooth {i.e., for about two-thirds of their length), then curved 

 rather sharply inwards ; the second tooth the longest, the first 

 the shortest. Thorax flat; prothorax semi-lunar above with the 

 anterior margin faintly convex, much narrower than the head, 

 freely articulated with head and mesothorax. Mesothorax much 

 broader than head, metathorax broader than mesothorax, each 

 with two pairs of minute lateral processes arising just above their 

 margin and not projecting beyond them (fig. 5) ; these processes 

 are however usually obscured by a coating of mud which gives 

 them the appearance of broad flat discs which do project beyond 

 the margin of the body (fig. 6) ; mesothorax and metathorax fused 

 together and to the abdomen. Abdomen short and broad, with- 

 out lateral processes. Eighth segment with a pair of minute coni- 

 cal yellowish horns on the posterior margin below ; ninth segment 

 with a pair of losely opposed and very faintly developed lobes 



