STEEPSIITEEA. 247 



5. STREPSIPTEKA (Twisted- winged). 



This order includes but a few species ; Dr. Baird in his 

 Cyclopaedia, gives the following account of them : 



" Certain insects were discovered by Kirby, living 

 parasitic in the abdomen of some Andrenae, which at 

 that time were nondescript, and could not be referred to 

 any existing order. They were afterwards placed in 

 an order by themselves, which he called Strepsiptera. 

 The larvae live in the bodies of Bees, Wasps &c., and the 

 males only undergo a perfect metamorphosis ; the 

 females, even when adult, have neither legs, wings, nor 

 eyes, but resemble larvae, and continue to live parasitic 

 in the bodies of the Hymenopterous insects within 

 which they were born. The characters are thus taken 

 from the male and consist chiefly in the structure of 

 the wings. The anterior pair are quite rudimentary, 

 being transformed into a pair of short, slender, contorted 

 appendages resembling narrow balancers or halters. 

 The posterior pair are large and membraneous, their 

 nervures are only longitudinal, so that they are able to 



FIG. 26. STYLOPS AiSDItENJE. 



fold them like a fan. They have large globular eyes, 

 with the facets few, but of comparatively large size." 



About ten or twelve species are known, forming a 

 small family, " Stylopidae." The genus Stylops may be 

 taken as the type, and contain such species as have the 

 tarsi with four points and the antennae with six." 



