THE DUSTY-WINGS 



(Family Coniopterygidce.) 



The insects of this family are the smallest of the Neuroptera. 

 Their wings are covered with whitish powder. In Europe their 

 larvae have been found to prey upon scale insects and to spin a 

 double cocoon when full grown and ready to transform. 



In this country we have only two species, namely Aleuronia 

 westwoodii and Coniopteryx vicina, and the life history of neither 

 has been described. Mr. Banks, however, has found the larvae of 

 the Aleuronia upon the leaves of maple trees at Washington, 

 where it was probably feeding upon the young of the cottony 

 cushion scale ( Pitlvinaria innumerabilis) or upon plant-lice found 

 commonly upon the leaves. This larva resembles a small larva 

 of one of the lace-winged flies, but has not the long jaws char- 

 acteristic of those creatures. 



2lS 



