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VII. On the discovery of a species of the Nenro'ptero'ns 

 family Nemoptericlae in South America, u'ith general 

 considerations regarding the Family. By Eobeet 

 M'Lachlan, F.R.S., Pres. Ent. Soc. Loncl. 



[Eead Mai'ch 4th, 1885.] 



The insects forming the family NemoptcridcB (or — as 

 some no doubt prefer to read it — Nemato^^teridw) have 

 remained until now probably the only important group 

 of Neuroptera that was unknown either in North or 

 South America, and, notwithstanding their marvellous 

 form, they appear to have excited so little interest in 

 America that in the last (8th) edition of Dr. Packard's 

 ' Guide ' the family is dismissed with half-a-dozen lines 

 of mention, including the statement that "the species 

 are found in Western Asia and in Northern Africa."* 

 The form of these insects is so essentially peculiar that 

 I had almost despaired of the possibility of the family 

 occurring in America ; still there was always the hope 

 that it might be found in Chih (that land of marvels in 

 insect-productions), and in Chili it has been found. Mr, 

 J. J.Walker, E.N., late of H.M.S. 'Kingfisher,' recently 

 gave me a single example of a species observed by him 

 not uncommonly on a sandy spit at Coquimbo, North 

 Chih, at the end of January and beginning of February. 

 Mr. Walker was (perhaps unfortunately) perfectly famiUar 

 with the striking black and yellow species of the sandy 

 shores of South-eastern Europe : he was not aware that 

 the family had not been noticed from America, and, 

 moreover, he paid but little attention to Neuroptera 

 generally ; therefore he brought home only this single 

 specimen, which was exhibited by me at the meeting of 

 this Society held on October 1st, 1884. 



The family stands much in need of generic subdivision, 

 but unfortunately, with the exception of the European 

 forms, the species are so limited in amount of available 



* Dr. Packard here overlooks the fact that the typical species are 

 essentially ISouth Eiu'opean, and that the family has long been 

 known to extend into India, Australia, and all over Africa. 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1885. PART III. (SEPT.) 



