THE ENTOMOLOaiST 



Vol. XLIL] JUNE, 1909. [No. 553 



RAPHIDIA MACULICOLLIS. 



By W. J. Lucas, B.A.,F.E.S. 



(Plate IV.) 



On April 9th last Mr. G. T. Lyle and myself found near 

 Rinefield in the New Forest a living pupa evidently belonging to 

 one of the species of Raphidia (Snakefly). It was discovered in 

 a piece of a branch about three inches in diameter lying on the 

 ground, and in a decaying condition though not in an advanced 

 state of decay. The very lively pupa had its limbs and other 

 appendages free, and nothing could be seen in the nature of a 

 cocoon. It was about one centimeter in length and the wing- 

 cases were about three millimeters long. In colour it was 

 generally pale yellowish, except that the abdomen was covered 

 dorsally with large brown spots symmetrically arranged, that 

 the eyes were very dark, and that the jaws were brownish. 



By April 25th the pupa had become much darker than it was 

 when found, at any rate on the dorsal aspect and especially 

 anteriorly. It was kept in a small glass-topped box amongst 

 loose bits of decaying wood, and was taken to Kingston when I 

 returned on April 27th. Resting as it did on its side, in. the 

 semicircular position depicted on Fig. 1, it looked a peculiarly 

 helpless object. In the evening of April 29th I found it had 

 crawled up the side of the box and so was using its legs in the 

 manner customary with insects, and therefore presented the 

 dorsal aspect upwards. 



By the morning of April 30th the imago had appeared and 

 the pupal skin remained attached to the side of the box. It had 

 probably but lately emerged as it seemed to be rather teneral 

 and its colour became darker during the day. Towards evening 

 it was noticed to be running about the box in a very lively way. 

 A gnat (apparently Ghironomus dorsalis) was introduced into 

 the box, but the snakefly appeared to be afraid of it, though the 

 gnat was at length seized and the Raphidia appeared to be eating 

 it. The gnat was, however, soon set free, and was only partly 



BNTOM. — JUNE, 1909. M 



