PSYCHE 
VOL. XLIX MARCH-JUNE, 1942 Nos. 1-2 
A NEUROPTEROUS MYRMECOPHILE, 
NADIVA VALIDA ERICHS. 
By Neal A. Weber 
University of North Dakota 
None of the insects of the Order Neuroptera seem to have 
been recorded as dwelling with ants in any degree of myr- 
mecophily. This is hardly surprising in view of the preda- 
tory nature of these insects. The finding, therefore, of 
larvae of a neuropteron living as symphiles with a common 
and widespread ant was quite unexpected. 
While travelling up the Courantyne River, boundary be- 
tween Surinam and British Guiana, as the guest of the 
British Boundary Commission, a brief stop was made at 
Wonotobo Falls July 13, 1936 in about 4° 22' N. Lat. Here 
in a small clearing in the virgin rain forest was a tempo- 
rary depot of the Commission. Some of the medical stores 
were kept in a plywood Vanesta box of about one bushel 
capacity. In opening the box to take out quinine I found 
the box alive with the large and pugnacious ant, Campo- 
notus ( Myrmothrix ) abdominalis (Fabr.). The cover was 
sufficiently warped to permit the ingress and egress of the 
ants. While collecting some of the ants a few small, active 
insect larvae of an unusual blue in color were noticed scurry- 
ing about among the piles of ant eggs, larvae and pupae 
lying openly on the floor of the box. Some of the ants 
carried off these blue larvae in the same manner as they 
carried their own brood, securely held between the man- 
dibles, and with equal care. The blue larvae were nearly as 
active as the ant workers and some ran off by themselves. 
