305 



(^4j We now have a heterogeneous mass, which i lenipor- 

 anly rank into famihes, viz., Acinhdae, iiutropistidae, Derbidae 

 and Lophopidae. iiiese are almost certainl}- artihcial. Tlie 

 character tnat separates them t'roni the Fulgoridae is that the 

 anal vein of the ciavus runs into the commissure in the latter, 

 while it runs into the apex of the c'.avus in the four families 

 mentioned just before, i his may seem a trivial character, but 

 it was insisted upon by Stal, and is certainly correlated with 

 other good characters; unfortunately in Achilidae and Eutro- 

 pistidae, it is difficult to determine the character of the antennal 

 sensory organs, though in some of the latter, they seem Ful- 

 gorid. Although laid down by Stal, he himself has erred in 

 assigning certain genera correctly, as have Melichar and other 

 authors, for instance Laiucnia is certainly not a Derbid, though 

 it might be an Achilid were it not for the claval venation. 1 

 have placed it temporarily in the Cixiinae, where it perhaps 

 looks uncomfortable. Ashmead and Swezey locate it in the 

 Poekillopterinae, but the ciavus shows no trace of granulation 

 and the venation is of a different type. 



Many of the Eutropistidae have a close resemblance to Dic- 

 tyophorinae but, as I believe, this is false. In the former, the 

 costal vein is present in its entirety, and the costal cell is mul- 

 tivenose. transversely; in the latter, the costal vein is short, 

 merging in the subcostal, and the subcostal cell (which is the 

 marginal) is plain. "^ 



The Derbidae are most probably a mixture; the typical forms 

 have a plain ciavus, but the majority have the anal vein very 

 strongly sensorized; here too are some of the most extraordin- 

 ary antennae in the Homoptera. 



The only conclusion to be gained from a consideration of the 

 Australian Fulgoroidea is that they need a great deal more 

 study, especially on the venation and antennae, and more espe- 

 cially on the earlier stages. 



(2) ('(HI Dii:::cc's classlficafion of Tcfii^oniidac (his Jassoldca). 



d ) I do not think, after studying Tarfcssiis and allied genera, 

 that the "Bythoscopidae" really form even a subfamily; indeed 

 it is very difficult to draw sharp lines of distinction all through 



* My recentlv jmblished Peg-eiora formosa (the manuscript, however, tiiiished in 

 IflnR) from Lefu, is stated to be allied to Dicivofikora ; it is, however, probably an Eutro- 

 pistid. I have no specimens here for re-examination. /Isforg-n also, although placed in 

 the Dictyophorinae, has a well-developed costal vein. 



