THE ANNALS 



AND 



MAGAZIiNE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



[EIGHTH SERIES.] 

 No. 86. FEBRUARY 1915. 



XIT. — The Early Stages of Paltostoma scliiueri, Williston 

 [Diptera, BlepharoceridseJ. By Hugh Scott, M.A. 

 (Cantab.), F.L.S., F.E.S., Curator in Entomology in the 

 University of Cambridge. With a Description of the 

 Female of the same Species, by C. G. Lamb, M.A., B.Sc, 

 Clare College, Cambridge. 



[Plates IX.-XI.] 



I. Introduction. 



The remarkable family of the '* net-winged midges/' or 

 Blepharoceridse, is so far known to be represented in the 

 Neotropical region by five species belonging to three genera, 

 which compose Bezzi's group Paltostominse {op. cit. 1913). 

 These have been described respectively from Mexico, the 

 Antilles (St. Vincent), Colombia, and Brazil. But, so far as 

 I am aware, no species has ever been recorded from Trinidad 

 or from that part of the South American continent immedi- 

 ately adjacent. During a brief visit to Trinidad in 1912, I 

 endeavoured specially to obtain material of some representa- 

 tive of the Blepharoceridse from that island. I should not 

 have succeeded in this quest in the short time at ray disposal, 

 had it not been for the kind help of iny friend, Mr. F. W. 

 Urich, Grovernment Entomologist of the Colony. He had 

 observed Blephai'ocerid larvae in certain places previous to 

 my visit, and was able to conduct me directly to a spot 

 where we collected about forty larvse and five pupae, which 

 were preserved in 70 per cent, alcohol. Our search for the 



Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 8. Vol. xv. 1'6 



