CHAPTER V. 

 Order VI. PSEUDONEUROPTERA.* 



(Dragon-flieSy May-flics, Stone-flics, ct al.) 



The members of this order have four wings ; these tire membran- 

 ous, and usually furnished with numerous runs. The mouth-parts 



formed for biting except in otic family (Ephemerida), where they 

 are rudimentary. The metamorphosis is incomplete. 



The insects which are here classed as the order Pseudoneurop' 

 and those which in a later part of the book are termed Neuroptera 

 were formerly united in a single order, under the name Neuropt 

 This union was based upon the similarity of the characters presented 

 by the mouth-parts and 'the wings in the two groups. But tin r 

 a radical difference in the nature of the transformations. In one 

 the metamorphosis is incomplete; in the other it is complete. 

 Although it is difficult to find characters presented by tin- adult 

 insects which will separate these two groups, this difference in the 

 transformations indicates that they are not closely enough re -luted 

 to be placed in the same order. The term Neuroptera has, tli 

 fore, been restricted to those, with a complete metamorphosis ; and 

 the name Pseudoneuroptera, i.e., false Neuroptera, applied to those 

 with an incomplete metamorphosis. 



The beginning student, in the classification of his specimens, will 

 find some difficulty in separating these two orders. But this can he 

 done by means of the table on pages 49 to 52. And as soon as one 

 becomes familiar with the families included in these orders there 

 will be no necessity for the use of the table. 



In the linear arrangement I have adopted, these two cl<> 

 allied orders become widely separated ; this results from tin separa- 

 tion of the orders into two series, in one of which the metamorpho- 

 sis is incomplete, in the other com pi 



The Pseudoneuroptera is not a well-marked order. Not only is 

 it difficult to distinguish it from tin- NYuroptera, but it includes 

 families which differ greatly from each other. The differences be- 



* PseudoneurOptera: pscudts (ipcvdijZ), false; Neuroptera. 



