576 Mr. C. L. Withycombe's Notes on 



biological interest in this genus will be the manner of pairing, 

 which I have not yet seen. After pairing the female carries 

 permanently a large, white body on abdominal tergites 

 6 and 7. These tergites are thin and not so strongly 

 chitinised as the rest of the abdominal plates. The white 

 mass is often distinctly divided longitudinally into two 

 halves, and is decidedly hard as a rule. Its internal 

 structure suggests a disorganised' spermatophore, but I 

 have reason to doubt this. After pairing, the spermatheca 

 of the female is found to contain spermatozoa as usual. 

 How the w^hite mass is placed in this curious position and 

 what is its function, are questions which future work 

 must answer. 



Family V. CONIOPTERYGIDAE. 



This family comprises seven British species. 



Comventzia, two species. 

 Coniopteryx, two species. 

 SeinidaUs, one species. 

 Parasemidalis, one species. 

 Helicoconis, one species. 



Minute insects, with reduced wijig venation and covered 

 with a white waxy powder. 



Eggs (Plate XLIIL figs. 9, 10, and- 13) are laid singly on 

 the edges of leaves, etc. These are oval, flattened dorso- 

 ventrally and pointed at the micropylar pole. The chorion 

 is beautifully honeycombed, reticulate. Colour white, 

 yellow or orange. 



The larva (Plate XLIII, figs. 1-4) is shortly spindle- 

 shaped, slightly flattened dorso-ventrally, smooth but for 

 two or three transverse rows of fine hairs per segment. The 

 head is small and rounded, partly retracted into prothorax 

 in life. Eyes each of five ocelli. Antennae two-jointed, with 

 a short basal joint and a long distal portion plumose with 

 fine hairs. The labrum covers the conical mouth-parts 

 above. Sucking spears are short and of simple form. 

 The mandible is sharply pointed and slightly grooved 

 ventrally. The maxilla is also pointed and with three 

 barbs externally. It is not provided with sense organs as 

 in other Neuroptera, but such sense hairs probably occur 

 on the labrum. The labium is reduced, with a pair of 



