the Biologij of some British Neuroptera. 589 



The larva of Aleuropteryx loewi Klap. was described by 

 Low in 1885 (8). This is very nearly allied to the present 

 species, and will no doubt be found similar, if indeed 

 A. loewi does not also occur in Britain. The body is of 

 usual Coniopterygid shape, white, with two dark violet 

 bands running latero-dorsally. The jaws are relatively 

 much longer than those of Coniopteryginae, being needle- 

 shaped and not covered by the upper lip. The terminal 

 joint of the labial palpus is not club-shaped, but longer and 

 cylindrical. Larvae v/ere found on Pimis mughiis in 

 Vienna feeding upon Aspidiotis abietis Schrk. and Leucaspis 

 pini Htg. 



Food of Neuroptera. 



Imagines feed on any sweet matter, honeydew, etc., and 

 also on aphids or similar small insects. Some are suffi- 

 ciently carnivorous to devour one another, when hungry. 



The larvae of terrestrial forms feed upon plant lice, etc., 

 but few small insects come amiss, except in some cases 

 where waxy aphids are not taken, due to the fact that the 

 wax clogs the spiracles of the larva and in other ways 

 inconveniences it. The waxy resin poured out from the 

 cornicles of an aphid when seized does not appear to be of 

 avail against a Chrysopa larva, the head of which is often 

 found to be smothered with this substance. 



The larvae feed continuously during warm weather, the 

 amount of food taken per diem depending on the tempera- 

 ture and the state of the larva. Food is taken increasingly 

 until, a day or so before moulting, the larva rests without 

 feeding. Some hours after the moult, feeding is recom- 

 menced and again reaches a maximum, then dropping just 

 before the next moult or before spinning, as the case may 

 be. Such is the result from the observation of larvae 

 supplied daily with an excess of standard-size aphid. The 

 size chosen was that of a full-grown stem mother of Aphis 

 rumicis L. To demonstrate the results properly would 

 require a graph for each specimen, giving temperature as 

 well as the number of aphids eaten. As this would perhaps 

 be out of place here, it may be best to give only some totals. 

 A larva of H. nitidulvs from hatching until spinning its 

 cocoon 23 days after, in June, consumed 79 aphids. Six 

 larvae of C. vulgaris during active life of 23 to 25 days, in 

 June, consumed from 111 to 142 aphids each. On the 



