﻿Diptera, 
  Hemiptera 
  and 
  Insects 
  related 
  to 
  Neuroptera. 
  Ill 
  

  

  called 
  Omaloptera 
  (or 
  the 
  Homaloptera 
  of 
  West 
  wood, 
  

   1839). 
  

  

  The 
  grouping 
  of 
  the 
  Mecoptera 
  with 
  the 
  Neuroptera 
  by 
  

   the 
  earher 
  entomologists 
  was 
  apparently 
  well 
  founded, 
  

   since 
  the 
  Neuroptera 
  certainly 
  seem 
  to 
  represent 
  as 
  nearly 
  

   as 
  any 
  hving 
  forms, 
  the 
  ancestral 
  type 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  

   Mecoptera 
  were 
  derived. 
  The 
  group 
  Planipennia 
  contains 
  

   the 
  types 
  approaching 
  as 
  closely 
  as 
  any 
  Neuroptera 
  to 
  the 
  

   ancestral 
  Mecoptera, 
  and 
  such 
  Neuroptera 
  as 
  Nymphes 
  

   (and 
  in 
  some 
  respects 
  the 
  Ithoniidae 
  also) 
  have 
  retained 
  

   certain 
  features 
  very 
  suggestive 
  of 
  Mecopteron 
  affinities, 
  

   although 
  I 
  have 
  always 
  felt 
  that 
  the 
  Nemopteridae 
  are 
  

   very 
  like 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  ancestors 
  of 
  the 
  Mecoptera 
  — 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  those 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  head 
  had 
  begun 
  to 
  take 
  on 
  the 
  

   elongate 
  form. 
  Handlirsch 
  (I.e.) 
  derives 
  the 
  Mecoptera 
  

   from 
  the 
  fossil 
  Megasecoptera. 
  Lameere, 
  1908 
  (Ann. 
  Soc. 
  

   Ent. 
  Belgique, 
  52, 
  p. 
  139), 
  agrees 
  with 
  Handhrsch 
  in 
  this 
  

   derivation 
  of 
  the 
  Mecoptera, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  much 
  to 
  be 
  said 
  

   in 
  favour 
  of 
  this 
  view. 
  Lameere 
  would 
  derive 
  the 
  Neuro- 
  

   ptera 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  Mecoptera 
  (and 
  their 
  allies) 
  from 
  the 
  

   Megasecoptera, 
  instead 
  of 
  deriving 
  the 
  Neuroptera 
  from 
  

   the 
  Palaeodictyoptera 
  as 
  Handhrsch 
  does 
  (although 
  the 
  

   Megasecoptera 
  are 
  themselves 
  derived 
  from 
  Palaedictyo- 
  

   pterous 
  forbears), 
  and 
  Lameere's 
  view 
  would 
  more 
  nearly 
  

   harmonise 
  with 
  the 
  evident 
  relationship 
  of 
  the 
  Mecoptera 
  

   to 
  the 
  Neuroptera, 
  both 
  groups 
  being 
  evidently 
  descended 
  

   from 
  common 
  ancestors, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  Neuroptera 
  have 
  

   departed 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  Mecoptera 
  have. 
  Since 
  the 
  

   fossil 
  forms 
  (with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  Palaeodictyoptera) 
  

   are 
  not 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  diagram, 
  the 
  hne 
  of 
  development 
  

   of 
  the 
  Mecoptera 
  has 
  been 
  drawn 
  as 
  though 
  extending 
  back 
  

   to 
  the 
  common 
  Neuropteron 
  stem. 
  The 
  Mecoptera 
  form 
  

   an 
  extremely 
  important 
  group 
  from 
  the 
  standpoint 
  of 
  

   phylogeny, 
  since 
  their 
  line 
  of 
  descent 
  is 
  paralleled 
  by, 
  or 
  

   is 
  approached 
  by 
  those 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  other 
  Neuropteroid 
  

   insects, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  hoped 
  that 
  the 
  researches 
  of 
  Dr. 
  

   Tillyard,* 
  who 
  has 
  an 
  extensive 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  

   in 
  question 
  and 
  who 
  also 
  has 
  access 
  to 
  the 
  most 
  primitive 
  

  

  * 
  Since 
  writing 
  the 
  above, 
  I 
  have 
  received 
  from 
  Dr. 
  Tillyard 
  a 
  

   separate 
  of 
  a 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  " 
  Panorpoid 
  Complex 
  " 
  (Proc. 
  Limi. 
  

   Soc. 
  N.S.W., 
  xhii, 
  1918, 
  p. 
  265) 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  states 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  origin 
  

   of 
  the 
  Panorpoidea 
  from 
  the 
  Megaseco^Jtera 
  is 
  not 
  supported 
  by 
  

   a 
  single 
  piece 
  of 
  evidence 
  worth 
  considering," 
  although 
  he 
  does 
  

   not 
  attempt 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  ultimate 
  ancestry 
  of 
  the 
  Mecoptera. 
  

  

  