1915} Distribution of Neuropteroid Insects 131 
to each other. Sharp says ‘“‘The Coleopterous fauna of New 
Zealand seems to have most affinity with that of Chili and 
Patagonia, and but little with that of the Australian fauna.”’ 
Meyrick holds that for the Lepidoptera ‘“‘ New Zealand is utterly 
different from Australia.” The Neuroptera show the same 
differences. 
New Zealand lacks all the peculiar, primitive or synthetic 
Neuroptera such as Ithone, Eusthenia, Nymphes, Stilbopteryx, 
Mastotermes, Plectrotarsus, etc., that occur in Australia. There 
are no Ascalaphide in New Zealand, many in Australia, no 
Mantispide in New Zealand, many in Australia, only one (an 
separate genus) of Myrmeleons in New Zealand, many in 
Australia. Among the true Neuroptera Stenosmylus occurs in 
Australia and New Zealand, but also in Chili. New Zealand is 
remarkable for its Trichopterous fauna. At least 15 genera are 
now known from there, some so peculiar they have not been 
placed in the known subfamilies. Six are not known elsewhere 
in the world. One (the famous marine caddice fly) occurs else- 
where only in Australia. Three others occur also in Australia, 
but also in other parts of the world, two of them in South 
America. Five occur in various parts of the world, not in 
Australia, all in South America. 
In the Mayflies New Zealand has at least 6 genera, three 
peculiar to the islands, two in Australia, one of which is also 
elsewhere, and one also in North America. In fact, there are 
no two regions of the world that are geographically so close and 
entomologically so remote as Australia and New Zealand. 
From the above considerations I consider it certain that 
since the origin of the various orders of insects the continental 
land-masses have changed entirely. That for a very long period 
there were two principal continents of very different shape from 
any that we have at present, and that on one was developed the 
microtypal fauna, and on the other the Gonwandan; the Bra- 
zilian fauna being a more recent development. That the con- 
tinental changes have favored or prevented dispersal, and these 
continental changes are the real causes of the peculiarities of 
faunas, and that proximity has little to do with distribution. 
These series of cases of discontinuous distribution are pos- 
itive evidence of land connections, now broken, of avenues of 
dispersal, now closed. The surprises of distribution are due not 
