﻿116 
  Dr. 
  G. 
  C. 
  Crampton's 
  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  Ancestry 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  " 
  conservative 
  " 
  structures 
  varying 
  but 
  little 
  within 
  an 
  

   order, 
  I 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  evidence 
  they 
  offer 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  utmost 
  

   importance 
  for 
  any 
  phylogenetic 
  study. 
  

  

  With 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  Neuroptera, 
  Handhrsch 
  

   would 
  derive 
  them 
  directly 
  from 
  the 
  Palaeodictyoptera, 
  

   while 
  Lameere 
  is 
  inchned 
  to 
  derive 
  the 
  Neuroptera 
  from 
  

   Megasecoptera, 
  and 
  would 
  also 
  derive 
  the 
  other 
  holo- 
  

   metabolous 
  insects 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Hymenoptera 
  and 
  Coleo- 
  

   ptera 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  source. 
  The 
  resemblance 
  between 
  

   the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  Coleoptera 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Neuroptera 
  

   is 
  very 
  marked 
  (Proc. 
  Ent. 
  Soc. 
  Washington, 
  vol. 
  20, 
  p. 
  58), 
  

   and, 
  superficially 
  at 
  least, 
  such 
  primitive 
  Coleoptera 
  as 
  

   Calopteron 
  appear 
  quite 
  hke 
  certain 
  Neuroptera; 
  but 
  a 
  

   study 
  of 
  the 
  structural 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  Coleoptera 
  would 
  

   point 
  to 
  a 
  closer 
  relationship 
  with 
  the 
  Dermaptera 
  and 
  

   other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Plecopteroid 
  superorder, 
  and 
  such 
  

   resemblances 
  as 
  occur 
  between 
  the 
  Coleoptera 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  

   hand, 
  and 
  the 
  Psocidae 
  and 
  Neuroptera 
  on 
  the 
  other, 
  

   might 
  possibly 
  be 
  explained 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  retention 
  

   in 
  each 
  of 
  certain 
  features 
  inherited 
  from 
  a 
  common 
  

   Plecopteroid 
  ancestry. 
  

  

  As 
  was 
  stated 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  paper, 
  I 
  am 
  inchned 
  

   to 
  regard 
  the 
  Neuroptera 
  as 
  the 
  descendants 
  of 
  ancestors 
  

   more 
  directly 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Plecopteroid 
  

   superorder; 
  but 
  ultimately 
  descended 
  from 
  forbears 
  

   related 
  to 
  the 
  Ephemerid 
  group, 
  which 
  contains 
  the 
  Palaeo- 
  

   dictyoptera. 
  Tillyard, 
  1917 
  (Biology 
  of 
  Dragonflies, 
  p. 
  8), 
  

   is 
  inchned 
  to 
  consider 
  that 
  the 
  Neuroptera 
  are 
  somewhat 
  

   closely 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  Odonata 
  by 
  the 
  " 
  very 
  ancient 
  

   Protascalaphine 
  genus 
  Stilbopteryx." 
  Haeckel, 
  1866 
  (Gen. 
  

   Morphol.), 
  derives 
  the 
  Neuroptera 
  from 
  " 
  Pseudoneuro- 
  

   ptera," 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  older 
  writers 
  grouped 
  the 
  Neuro- 
  

   ptera 
  with 
  the 
  Odonata 
  and 
  Ephemerida. 
  Thus 
  Clair 
  ville, 
  

   1798 
  (Ent. 
  Helvet.), 
  according 
  to 
  Handhrsch, 
  includes 
  the 
  

   Odonata, 
  Ephemerida, 
  Plecoptera, 
  and 
  the 
  Neuroptera, 
  

   together 
  with 
  the 
  Mecoptera, 
  Trichoptera, 
  etc., 
  under 
  the 
  

   designation 
  Dictyoptera 
  — 
  a 
  designation 
  applied 
  by 
  Brulle, 
  

   1832, 
  to 
  the 
  Odonata, 
  Ephemerida, 
  and 
  Plecoptera, 
  and 
  

   by 
  Leach, 
  1817 
  (Zool. 
  Misc., 
  3), 
  to 
  the 
  Blattidae 
  and 
  

   Mantidae. 
  There 
  are 
  considerable 
  grounds 
  for 
  considering 
  

   that 
  the 
  Ephemerida 
  are 
  quite 
  closely 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  Neuro- 
  

   ptera 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  Odonata 
  are 
  also 
  quite 
  closely 
  related 
  

   to 
  them; 
  but 
  the 
  closest 
  affinities 
  of 
  the 
  Neuroptera 
  are 
  

   with 
  the 
  insects 
  whose 
  lines 
  of 
  descent 
  are 
  shown 
  in 
  Fig. 
  2. 
  

  

  