208 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June, '03 



ErLtomological Literatiare. 



A Genealogic Study of Dragon-fly Wing Venation. By James 

 G. Needham, of Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Illinois. Pro" 

 ceedings U. S National Museum, xxvi, pp. 703-764, pis. xxxi-liv, 

 44 text figs. Washington, 1903. 



This is that "extended paper upon the venation of this order" that 

 we were promised in The American Naturalist for December, 1898, and 

 which certain of us have been eagerly expecting. The realization is not 

 disappointing, for here is a wealth of structural details and of suggestions, 

 often of proof, as to the meaning and use of those details. The subject 

 matter is technical and special, and only those who will carefully study 

 the numerous and excellent plates and figures will really appreciate the 

 text. The Odonate wing is treated by areas, as those of the stigma, the 

 nodus, the quadrangle, and the anal loop. An important "summary of 

 the more general tendencies of vein evolution within the order" is given 

 on pages 730 and 731. 



The lines of specialization of venation are traced, first for the Anisop- 

 tera, then for the Zygoptera, leading to " a scheme of sub-families for the 

 order which seems to me to be, in the light of the evidence that present 

 knowledge of venation affords, an approximation toward equivalent values 

 for these groups." This scheme follows : 



Anisoptera : Family ^schnidae, subfamilies i. Gomphinae (recent and 

 fossil), 2. Petalurinse (r., f.), 3. Stenophlebinae (f ), 4. Cordulegaster- 

 inae (r., f.), 5. Chlorogomphinse (r.), 6, ^schninse (r., f.), 7 ^schnidiinae 

 (f.), 8. Heterophlebin^* (f.). 



Family Libellulidae, subfamilies, 9. Macromiinae (r.), 10. Cordulinae 

 (r. f.), II. Libellulinae (r. f.). 



Zygoptera: Family Calopterygidae, subfamilies, 12. Palaeophlebinae f 

 (r.), 13. Epallaginae (r. f.). 14, Vestalinae (r.) 15, Thorinae (r.) 



Family Agrionidae : subfamilies, 16. Lestinae (r. f.), 17. Agrioninae 

 (r.f.). 



It will be noted that the Anisoptera begin this series. The relative 



* Placed among the Calopterygidae, in the table on page 750, but belong- 

 ing to the ^Eschnidae, as indicated on page 732, and as Prof. Needham 

 has called to our attention by mail ; the number given it above is quite 

 conjectural as a statement of his ideas, however. 



t This is for the genus Palceophlebia described by de Selys from Japan 

 in Comp. Rend. Soc. Ent. Belg., xxxiii, p. civ., for Sept. 7, 1889. There 

 is also a fossil Odonate of the same generic name, described by Brauer, 

 from the East Siberian Jurassic, in Mem. Imp. Sci., St Petersbourg, xxxvi, 

 15. P- 6, "imprim^ Mars 1889," ^"d referred by him to the legion Poda- 

 grion. Brauer's name apparently having priority, another term must be 

 found for the Selysian genus, and I would therefore suggest Epiophlebia 

 from E'niuiv and 0Aei/,', ^Atpoj-. 



