1967] 
Emerson — Cretaceous Insects 
285 
Fig. 2. Drawing of visible veins and reticulations of holotype forewing 
of Cretatermes carpenteri , new genus, new species. 
Rs = radial sector. M = media. Cu = Cubitus. 
be examined because of the large degree of variation between individ- 
uals and even between the right and left wing of the same individual. 
For adequate species distinction, a set of head, thoracal, and abdom- 
inal characters that are correlated with the wing venation should 
be described, but unfortunately this is not yet possible for Cretatermes 
carpenteri. The following description, therefore, contains characters 
of various systematic categories from individual variation to subfam- 
ily distinctions, and we must await the discovery of more material 
and a more thorough study of variation at various related taxonomic 
levels before we can make taxonomic distinctions and find common 
qualities of each taxon. This does not mean that the author agrees 
with those who would eliminate the concepts of species and higher 
taxonomic categories. On the contrary, he finds the taxa with their 
shared homologous characters have distinctions that rest upon a 
wealth of demonstrated biological principles resulting from investiga- 
tions in a variety of disciplines. Taxonomic and phylogenetic order 
can be discovered from abundant material subjected to a variety of 
observational and experimental techniques together with comparative 
cross-disciplinary studies (Emerson, 1961, in print, MSS). 
Cretatermes carpenteri, new species 
right forewing: General shape as in figs. 1 , 2 . The costal 
margin of the basal 10/ 13 of the wing is slightly convex; tip of wing 
rounded and about half way between the costal and inner margins; 
inner margin evenly convex, more curved than the costal margin. 
Numerous thickenings or reticulations (archidictyon) of the wing 
membrane occur between the branches of Rs, between Rs and M, 
between M and Cu, and between the branches of both M and Cu. 
The enclosed spaces within the reticulum are large compared to 
those of the Termopsinae and Hodotermitinae. 
