﻿Diptera, 
  Hemiptera 
  and 
  Insects 
  related 
  to 
  Neuroptera. 
  115 
  

  

  " 
  Panorpoid 
  " 
  insects, 
  especially 
  since 
  Lameere 
  would 
  

   derive 
  the 
  Neuroptera 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  Megasecopterous 
  

   stem 
  with 
  the 
  '^ 
  Panorpoid 
  " 
  insects. 
  

  

  HandUrsch, 
  1909 
  (I.e.), 
  suggests 
  that 
  the 
  order 
  Neuro- 
  

   ptera 
  should 
  be 
  divided 
  into 
  at 
  least 
  three 
  orders, 
  the 
  

   Megaloptera 
  (Siahdae 
  and 
  ChauUodidae), 
  the 
  " 
  Raphi- 
  

   doidea," 
  and 
  the 
  true 
  Neuroptera. 
  Of 
  these 
  he 
  makes 
  a 
  

   subclass 
  " 
  Neuropteroidea 
  " 
  of 
  equal 
  value 
  with 
  his 
  sub- 
  

   class 
  Orthopteroidea 
  containing 
  such 
  widely 
  divergent 
  

   forms 
  as 
  the 
  Acridiidae, 
  ForficuUdae, 
  Thysanoptera, 
  etc., 
  

   or 
  with 
  his 
  Blattaeiformia, 
  which 
  includes 
  such 
  markedly 
  

   differing 
  forms 
  as 
  the 
  Mantidae, 
  Psocidae, 
  Pediculidae, 
  etc. 
  

   Lameere, 
  1908, 
  p. 
  141, 
  says, 
  " 
  I 
  am 
  perfectly 
  in 
  accord 
  

   with 
  Handhrsch 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  composition 
  of 
  this 
  

   systematic 
  unity 
  (the 
  Neuropteroidea) 
  formed 
  of 
  the 
  

   Megaloptera, 
  Raphidoidea 
  and 
  Neuroptera 
  properly 
  speak- 
  

   ing 
  {i. 
  e. 
  the 
  Hemerobiiformia), 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  evidently 
  the 
  

   Megaloptera 
  which 
  exhibit 
  the 
  most 
  archaic 
  characters 
  of 
  

   the 
  group," 
  so 
  that 
  he 
  evidently 
  accepts 
  Handlirsch's 
  

   division 
  of 
  the 
  order 
  Neuroptera 
  into 
  these 
  three 
  orders. 
  

   On 
  page 
  297 
  of 
  the 
  Ent. 
  News, 
  vol. 
  27, 
  1916, 
  I 
  suggested 
  

   that 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  Handhrsch's 
  subdivisions, 
  the 
  Neuro- 
  

   ptera 
  Planipennia 
  might 
  be 
  further 
  divided 
  into 
  a 
  Mantispid 
  

   group, 
  a 
  Myrmeleonid 
  group, 
  a 
  Chrysopid 
  group, 
  and 
  a 
  

   Nemopterid 
  group 
  — 
  -the 
  latter 
  leading 
  to 
  the 
  Mecoptera, 
  

   with 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  united 
  by 
  Navas, 
  1905, 
  in 
  his 
  book 
  

   on 
  the 
  insects 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Madrid. 
  If 
  

   the 
  Neuroptera 
  were 
  split 
  into 
  three 
  distinct 
  orders 
  as 
  

   Handhrsch 
  has 
  done, 
  these 
  groups 
  might 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  

   suborders 
  of 
  the 
  reduced 
  order 
  Neuroptera, 
  with 
  the 
  

   exception 
  of 
  the 
  Nemopteridae 
  which 
  are 
  extremely 
  closely 
  

   related 
  to 
  the 
  Chrysopid 
  or 
  Hemerobiid 
  forms. 
  Neither 
  

   these 
  subdivisions 
  of 
  the 
  Planipennia 
  nor 
  Handhrsch's 
  

   subdivisions 
  of 
  the 
  Neuroptera 
  are 
  as 
  distinct 
  from 
  one 
  

   another 
  as 
  the 
  Mecoptera 
  are 
  from 
  the 
  Neuroptera, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  and 
  a 
  rather 
  extensive 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  thoracic 
  sclerites 
  

   of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  types 
  from 
  Handlirsch's 
  three 
  orders 
  of 
  

   " 
  Neuropteroidea 
  " 
  has 
  revealed 
  such 
  a 
  marked 
  uniformity 
  

   of 
  structure 
  in 
  all 
  three, 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  become 
  convinced 
  

   that 
  these 
  insects 
  constitute 
  but 
  a 
  single 
  order, 
  the 
  Neuro- 
  

   ptera. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  sclerites 
  of 
  the 
  Mecoptera 
  

   and 
  Trichoptera 
  are 
  sufficiently 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   Neuroptera 
  to 
  justify 
  placing 
  them 
  in 
  distinct 
  orders, 
  and 
  

   since 
  the 
  thoracic 
  sclerites 
  have 
  proven 
  to 
  be 
  extremely 
  

  

  