248 
Psyche 
[September 
Posterior to the 8th sternite, but anterior to the genital opening, a 
shiny, seta-less sclerite is often found which may bear two processes 
posteriorly (e.g., in Sialodea, Psychopsidae, Polystoechotidae) . We 
interpret this sclerite as the fused 8th gonocoxites and the posterior 
processes as their gonapophyses. We have not seen 8th gonapophyses 
in Berothidae. A diagrammatically archaic 9th gonapophysis occurs 
on the medial margin of the ninth gonocoxites in the snake-fly A guild. 
In Sialodea and Planipennia, the ninth gonapophyses, if present, are 
represented by small, leaf-like sclerites near the anteroventral corners 
of the ninth gonocoxites. These appear to have been reported pre- 
viously only by Principi (1949) and Adams (1967), in the Chry- 
sopidae. 
There have been few previous attempts to relate the terminal 
structures of the female abdomen of the Berothidae to the basic 
insectan plan of the external sclerites of the female copulatory struc- 
tures. Carpenter (1940), unaware of the fusion of the ectoprocts 
with the 9th tergite, mistook the 9th gonocoxites as the “10th ter- 
gites”. Tjeder (1954, 1959) employed a useful and consistent 
terminology for the structures we have termed 8th sternite, 8th 
gonocoxites and 9th gonocoxites, but though his equivalent terms 
“subgenital plate”, “postgenitale” and “gonopophyses laterales” are 
precise enough for descriptive purposes, they do not relate these 
sclerites to homologous structures of other insects. His choice of the 
term “postgenitale” for the 8th gonocoxites is particularly inappro- 
priate since this sclerite is morphologically anterior to most of the 
female “genital” structures, including the all-important landmark of 
the gonopore (figs. 15, 19, 8 gcx, gpr). 
Except for the morphologically oriented works of Stitz (1909, 
1931), Bruckner (1935) and Principi (1949, 1954, 1956), none of 
whom have dealt with berothids, little attempt has been made to 
depict or interpret accurately the relational morphology of the genital 
chamber, bursa copulatrix and spermatheca. Taxonomists in partic- 
ular have failed to appreciate that a large cuticular bursa copulatrix, 
opening from the genital chamber, is a consistent feature of all Plani- 
pennia, with the spermathecal duct serving as a reliable morphological 
landmark for its location. In addition, they have overlooked the re- 
lations of a second duct, connecting the spermatheca to the common 
oviduct (figs. 14, 17, fert. c.). In the species of Lomamyia which 
we have studied this duct almost certainly conveys the spermatozoa 
to their point of fertilization in the oviduct. In species of many fam- 
ilies (such as many Chrysopidae) the bursa is only narrowly confluent 
