the Biologi/ of some British Neuroptera. 577 



three- jointed palpi, the terminal joints of which are club- 

 shaped. 



The thorax is large and constitutes about half the body 

 length. The three segments are nearly equal, but the 

 prothorax is always the largest. There are several small 

 sunken sclerites, serving as muscle attachments, in all the 

 segments. Legs are well developed and relatively long. 

 Tibia and tarsus are not very freely articulated. There 

 are two simple tarsal claws and between these is a small, 

 pad-hke empodium. In the first instar the empodium 

 is more pointed. The abdomen is small, but consists 

 of ten segments, although these rapidly taper. The 10th 

 abdominal segment, bearing the anus, is as usual, adhaesive. 

 Larvae run rapidly and continuously, preying upon small 

 forms of life. 



For pupation a flat circular cocoon of white silk is 

 spun, consisting of two envelopes, an outer and an inner, 

 more or less separated from one another. The pupa 

 (Plate XLIII, fig. 12) is short and somev/hat square from 

 thorax to head in profile, otherwise it is of typical Neurop- 

 terous form. Just before emergence it bites a semicircular 

 slit in both envelopes with its pupal mandibles and then 

 discloses the adult. The pupal skin is often shed while 

 still within the cocoon, or when half-way out, or more 

 rarely the pu^ja may first crawl right out of the cocoon. 

 AVhen the wings have been completely expanded, the insect 

 presses them together several times in succession with its 

 hind legs, apparently to rectify any tendency to buckle. 

 The imago is at first pale in colour and without waxy 

 covering, but in half an hour or so the wax glands commence 

 to secrete and continue to do so throughout the greater 

 part of life. The insect scrapes the abdomen with its 

 hind legs to remove some of the v/axy powder, then these 

 are rubbed rapidly over and between the wings. 



Pairing is peculiar in Pamsemidalis. The male passes 

 his head under the wings of the female and seizes her hind 

 coxae with his jaws. Then grasping her hind legs with his 

 fore legs, pairing is effected by bending up the tip of the 

 abdomen. Thus the pair crawl about, separating in from 

 five to ten minutes. I have reason to beheve that there 

 is no spermatophore in the Coniopterygidae. 



The anatomy cannot be adequately dealt with here, 

 as in many respects it diflEers in detail from general Neurop- 

 terous type. 



