562 INSECTA. 



winged insect, which is now in the subimago stage, undergoes another ecdysis 

 and becomes an imago. Ephemera vulgata L. (tig. 4G5). Palhiycnia longi- 

 canda Oliv. 



Fam. Libellulidae. Dragon flies. Large slenderly-built insects with freely 

 moveable, transversely cylindrical head, short six- to seven-jointed thin and 

 pointed antennae, and four large net-like latticed wings. The mouth parts are 

 powerfully developed, and are covered by the large upper lip. The maxillre 

 have fused horny lobe, and single-jointed sickle-shaped palp. The labium 

 has a simple or divided internal lobe and separate outer lobes fused with the 

 bi- jointed palp. The abdomen has ten joints, and on the last segment two 

 unjointed anal styles opposed to one another, so as to form a sort of forceps. 

 They live near water, and feed on other insects. The two sexes are usually of 

 different colours, and their flight is rapid and prolonged. During copulation 

 the male clasps the prothorax of the female with his abdominal forceps, while 

 she bends her abdomen towards the base of his abdomen. Here is placed the 

 copulatory organ, which is remote from the genital opening, and is filled with 

 sperm prior to copulation. The larvae live in water and are prcdaceous. The 

 ower lip is modified to form a special predatory apparatus (the mask) (fig. 456). 

 Many of them breathe by means of tracheal gills, which are placed at the end 

 f the abdomen or in the rectum. Calopteryx rirgo L., Agrion 2^clla L., 

 JEschna grand is L., Lllelhila vulgata, flavcflla L. 



Order 3. Neuroptera.* 



Insects with biting (sometimes also suctorial) 

 mouth parts, with free prothorax and mem- 

 branous wings, the nervures of which form 

 a net-work. The metamorphosis is complete. 



Most Neuroptera have an outward re- 

 communi* sem blance to the Libellulidce and Ephemeridce, 



(regnc animal). 



while others resemble the Lepidoptera in their 



scaly wings. The two pairs of wings are usually similar and mem 

 fcranous, and their size is almost equal. They are traversed by a 

 close network of nervures which, however, differs essentially from the 

 nervation of the Neuroptera-\fae Ortlioptera. The front wings never 

 have the form of wing-covers, but the hind-wings can sometimes be 

 folded together and sometimes not. They may be covered with 

 scales and hair.s (Phryganidce). The mouth parts present a greater 

 approximation to the Beetles, in that the labium only rarely shows 

 any trace of a median slit, the two pairs of lobes being fused to a 

 single plate. In one group (Phryganidce) we find suctorial mouth 

 parts. The mandibles in this case are aborted, and the labium and 

 maxillse fuse to form a tube. As a rule the antennae are many- 



* E. Pictet, " Hfstoire naturelle des Xeuropteres." Genf 1834. 

 i E. Brauer und Fr. Low, " Neuroptera Austriaca." Wien, 1857 

 Brauer, " Beitrage zur Kenntniss der Verwandlung der Neuropteren. VcrJiand. 

 dcr zool.-bot. Gesellstfiaft zu Wien. Tom IV. und V. 



PIG. w.- 



