SPONGILLA-FLIES — PARFIN AND GURNEY 427 



rich Withycombe (1925, p. 362) could not explain, although he 

 123, p. 505) suggested that the reduction took place by fusion of 

 two claws laterally rather than by the loss of one. 



BIOLOGY 



Life History 



Uthough Degeer described a sisyrid, "Hemerohe velu noir,^' in 1771 

 } 713), it was not known until almost 60 years later that the larva 

 /3 aquatic. Hogg (1841, pp. 390-392; 1843, p. 446) first brought the 

 i/rid larva (although unrecognized as such) in the fresh-water 

 jinge (Spongilla Jragilis) to the attention of the Linnean Society of 

 .Qdon in a paper read in 1838, while a discussion was raging as to 

 ? ether sponges belonged to the plant or animal kingdom. Westwood 

 ';39, p. 200; 1839a, p. 380) presented a description of the larva in a 

 Qdon entomological society meeting in December 1838 and pub- 

 iied (1840, p. 586) a description; later (1842, pp. 105-108, pi. 8, 

 L3. 1-12) he gave the larva the name of Branchiotoma spongillae. 

 fmbur (1842, p. 415) stated that the larva of Sisyra was aquatic 

 ,i (ibid., p. 416) remarked that Sisyra juscata "^ was taken around 

 inds. Grube (1843, p. 336, footnote) referred the larva to Sisyra, 

 intioning fuscatus. Haliday (1848, pp. xxxi-xxxii) compared 

 anchiotoma spongillae with the larva of Hemerobius and, noting the 

 iquency of the adults of Sisyra fuscata about the places where the 

 )nge-inhabiting larvae were found, suggested that B. spongillae 

 is the larva of fuscata. Westwood (1848, p. 557) was almost con- 

 iced that the "spongilla insect" was the larva of Sisyra fuscata. 

 alker (1853, p. 296) doubtfully placed B. spongillae in synonymy 

 th fuscata; Brauer (1855, p. 703) questioned the larva of Sisyra. 

 igen (1851, pp. 185-186) suggested that B. spongillae was probably 

 syra fuscata, that (1858, p. 25) the larva of Sisyra lives in water, and 

 50ciated (1866, p. 388) Branchiotoma spongillae with Sisyra fuscata. 

 ithycombe reared two British species of Sisyra (see p. 433), and 

 llington (1932, pp. 31-33; 1936, pp. 226-241) and Kunmins (1944, 

 18) supplemented his observations on the bionomics of the British 

 ecies. 



The first important contribution to the knowledge of the life history 

 the Nearctic Sisyridae was made by Needham (1901, p. 552), who 

 5cussed Sisyra vicaria (Walker) (=umbrata Needham) and Climacia 

 talaris (Hagen) (=dictyona Needham). Later, Old (1933, pp. 681- 

 4) presented a brief general study of the biologies of Sisyra and 

 imacia. The most detailed account of the life history of Climacia 

 eolaris was given by Brown (1952, pp. 130-160). Balduf (1939) 

 mmarized the literature on the bionomics of the Nearctic Sisyridae. 



'S. terrninnlis Curtis (=S. fuscnfa Rambur not Fabricius) according to McLachlan (1881a, p. cxxxiii). 



