1922] Crampton — Relationship of Hemiptera-Honioptera 23 



EVIDENCES OF RELATIONSHIP INDICATED BY THE 

 VENATION OF THE FORE WINGS OF CERTAIN 

 INSECTS, WITH ESPECIAL REFERENCE TO 

 THE HEMIPTERA-HOMOPTERA. 



By G. C. Crampton, Ph. D. 

 Massachusetts Agricultural College, Amherst, Mass. 



In the August issue of Psyche for 1921 (Vol. 28, p.. 116) 

 Mr. F. Muir offers a criticism of certain views proposed by me 

 concerning the origin and relationships of the Hemiptera, and 

 since Mr. Muir's criticism is apparently based upon a complete 

 misunderstanding of my contentions concerning the interrela- 

 tionships of the insectan orders in general, and the Hemiptera 

 and Homoptera in particular, I would take this opportunity of 

 correcting the mistaken impression given by Mr. Muir in his 

 criticism. It is necessary first, however, to clearly understand 

 the interrelationships of the lower forms and allied insects, 

 before taking up the discussion of the phylogenetic development 

 of the Hemiptera and Homoptera, and on this account I would 

 postpone the discussion of Mr. Muir's criticism until the evidence 

 of relationship to be gained from a study of the venation of the 

 fore wings has been presented. 



The discussion of the evidences of relationship in the different 

 oi-ders of insects indicated by a study of the venation of the fore 

 wings has been taken up in the present paper because the wing 

 veins are practically the only structural details preserved in a 

 condition suitable for a comparative study in the fossil pre- 

 cursors of living insects, and because the evidence of the wing 

 venation is apparently the only evidence of relationship which 

 recent students of insect phylogeny deem worthy of their con- 

 sideration! So far as possible, however, I have used the evidence 

 of the wing veins to corroberate the evidences of relationship 

 drawn from the study of numerous other structures of the body 

 as well, thereby obviating the danger of being deceived by con- 

 vergent development — as might be the case if one were to depend 

 upon the evidence of one set of structures, such as the wing 

 veins, alone. 



