np:uropt£ra. 577 
THE SECOND FAMILY OF THE NEUROPTERA,— 
The Planipennes,— 
Which composes, with the following, the greater portion of the order Synistata of Fabricius, com- 
prises those Neuroptera which have the antennae always composed of a great number of joints, and 
j longer than the head ; the mandibles are distinct, and the lower wings nearly equal to the upper, 
extended, or simply folded under at the inner edge. 
They have generally the wings very much reticulated and naked, with the maxillary palpi ordinarily 
filiform, or rather thickened at the tips, shorter than the head, and composed of four or five joints. 
I shall divide this family into five sections, composing, on account of their habits, so many small 
I distinct sub-families. 
1. The PanorpatcB of Latreille, 'which have five j^oints in all the tarsi, and the anterior extremity 
of the head prolonged, and narrowed in the form of a beak or rostrum. They constitute the genus 
Panorpa, Linnseus, — 
And have the antennae setaceous, and inserted between the eyes ; the clypeus prolonged into a 
corneous conical plate, grooved beneath to receive the mouth ; the mandibles, maxillm, and lower lip 
I nearly linear ; four or six short filiform palpi ; those of the maxillae appearing to me to consist of only 
four joints. The body is long, the head vertical, the first segment of the thorax very small and collar- 
like. The two sexes diflfer greatly in many species. Their transformations have not been observed. 
II hemoptera, Latr., Ohv., has the hind-wings exceedingly long and linear, and the ocelli are wanting. These 
singular insects have hitherto been only observed in the hottest paii|& of Europe, Africa, and the adjacent parts of 
j Asia. [See the recent monograph of Klug in the Berlin Transactions:\ 
I Bittacus, Latr., has the four wdngs of equal size, as well as ocelli ; the abdomen is alike in both sexes, and the 
1 legs long and terminated by a single tarsal unguis. [Exotic species.] 
Panorpa, Latr., has wings and ocelli like those of Bittacus, but the abdomen of the male is terminated by a 
long:) jointed, recurved tail, with a claw at the tip ; and that of the female is long, and pointed at the tip. The le^^s 
are of moderate length, and the tarsi have two ungues. 
Panorpa communis, Linn., is a very abundant species, found in hedges and woods. 
[Several other British species,] 
Boreus, Latr., differs from the preceding in the large size of the prothorax ; the 
wings of the males are short, curved, and awl-shaped, and the females are wingless. 
The only species, B. hiemalis, Linn., is found in winter under moss in the north of 
Europe, and on the Alps, [it is small, and has occurred, but rarely, in this country.] 
2. The Myrmeleonides, having also five joints in the tarsi, but in which 
the head is not prolonged in the form of a beak or muzzle, and the antennae 
Fi^. I07.-Panorpa communi.s. thickened at the tips. The head is transverse and vertical, having only 
compound eyes, which are round and prominent ; six palpi, those of the 
j labium being longer than the others, and thickened at the tips ; the first segment of the thorax is 
I small ; the wings of equal size, long, and roof-like ; the abdomen mostly long and cylindric, with two 
j filiform appendages at its extremity, in the males ; the legs are short. They inhabit hot situations in 
p the southern elimates of both hemispheres, clinging to plants, where they remain stationary during the 
" day. They fly swiftly. Their pupae are inactive. These insects compose the genus 
Myrmeleon, Linn., — 
Which Fabricius has divided into two. 
Myrmeleon proper, has the antennae gradually thick- 
ened, curved at the tips, and much shorter than the 
body, and tiie abdomen is long and linear. 
Tlie destruction which the larva of the common Eu- 
ropean species makes amongst Ants, has gained for it 
the name of the Ant Lion. Its abdomen is very large, 
proportioned to the rest of its body; its head is very 
small, and armed with two long horn-like mandibles, 
toothed on the inside and pointed at the tip, which sen e 
it both for pinchers and suckers. Although furnished 
with six legs it w'alks but slowly, almost always back- 
wards : not being able, therefore, to follow its prey, it 
resorts to stratagem, and forms in the sand a conical 
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