1947] 
Dilaridce and Berothidai 
1 r r 
00 
above Washington, D. C.), hatched from eggs laid by 
female collected at light June 16, 1919, H. S. Barber, 6 
first-stage larvae and several eggs. 
Biological notes: The first-stage larvae reared by Mr. 
Barber hatched from 2-day-old eggs and were kept in a 
vial. His notes and those of A. N. Candell describe these 
larvae as extremely active, running very rapidly on the 
smooth glass surface without use of the anal sucker. A 
crushed fly offered as food was not touched, and they at- 
tempted unsuccessfully to pierce larvae of ants. Living 
larvae and pupae of Scolytidae and immature termites 
proved very attractive. A larva would rush up to a 
victim, stop, then lunge forward and pierce the prey with 
the jaw of one side. After the jaw was withdrawn, the 
head would be turned to direct the jaw of the other 
side toward the prey, whereupon another lunge would be 
made. With a lens Mr. Caudell observed the jaws in- 
serted into scolytid larvae. It was seen that some of the 
Lomamyia larvae increased in size, and the scolytid larvae 
were dead the following day. The Lomamyia larvae un- 
fortunately died within a few days, perhaps due to a low 
atmospheric humidity. 
There is no indication that the Beltsville larva (fig. 5) 
was removed from a cocoon ; its robust abdomen and very 
small legs may point to a recent engorgement or a seden- 
tary life, rather than preparation for pupation. Killing- 
ton (1936, p. 128) should be consulted for a discussion 
of neuropterous prepupae. The Washington larva (4.9 
mm. long) is apparently in an earlier stage than the 
Beltsville specimen (9.36 mm.), and an enlarged abdomen 
is not evident, though its condition is somewhat unsatis- 
factory. It is suggestive of nest predatism 7 that one 
larva was taken among ants, the other among termites. 
I am inclined to believe that the later larval instars of 
Lomamyia are less active than those of Nallachius. Sny- 
der (1920, p. 120) reported a strange neuropterous larva 
which he found in a termite colony at Falls Church, Va., 
in 1918. His notes lead one to suspect that the larva may 
7 Wheeler, Ants, 1926, p. 382, has discussed enemies living in ant nests, 
calling them synechthrans. True commensals are of a different nature, living 
at the expense of but without harm to the host. 
