38 
Psyche 
[March - June 
shaped as it is dilated basally and the terminal seta is much shorter 
than the length of the segment. The swollen, physogastric appearance 
of the mature larva has probably been produced several times inde- 
pendently in the Hemerobiidae in correlation with a more sessile mode 
of larval life. The condition has been approached in Sympherobius , 
Psectra and Drepanepteryx although in no species of these groups 
known to the writer does it reach the extreme which has been pro- 
duced in Boriomyia and Megalomus. Associated with this inflated, 
sessile larva is the habit of carrying the head deeply retracted within 
the prothorax, developed to an extreme degree in Boriomyia, Mega- 
lomus, and Drepaneptaryx, and the supression of the latero-dorsal 
sclerites of the thoracic segments. In Sympherobius, Psectra and 
Drepanepteryx these sclerites have been strongly reduced on the 
meso- and metathorax, but those of the prothorax have remained 
relatively large and prominent. In Boriomyia and Megalomus alone 
have the prothoracic latero-dorsal sclerites been reduced to the point 
where they are difficult to demonstrate. Killington states that these 
sclerites are lacking on the prothorax of M. hirtus although it seems 
possible that close scrutiny might reveal their presence since their 
remnants can just be detected in B. fidelis as well as the Mexican 
species of Megalomus studied by the writer. One additional point of 
resemblance between members of Boriomyia and Megalomus is to be 
found in the peculiar rest position of the adult noted above for B. 
fidelis, which was observed by the writer in adults of the Mexican 
species of Megalomus studied, and noted by Killington (1937a) in 
M. hirtus. 
The writer has presented the evidence for the relationship of Bori- 
omyia and Megalomus to Mr. Tjeder who, it has been noted, pre- 
viously felt that there were insufficient characters to separate Kim- 
minsia from Boriomyia. In addition, specimens of B. fidelis were 
supplied for his study. Mr. Tjeder has informed the writer (in lift.) 
that he is now in full agreement with the placement of B. fidelis near 
Megalomus (indeed, he feels that this species must be placed in 
Megalomus) . He has, however, continued to use the name Boriomyia 
for the Kimminsia species (Tjeder, i960), arguing (in litt.) that 
Banks’ genotype designation for Boriomyia in 1905 must be considered 
valid. The writer is of the opinion that the Rules are perfectly clear 
on this point and that the validation of Banks’ designation would re- 
quire an action of the International Commission to set aside the Rules. 
It should be noted that in addition to Killington (1937a, 1937b) and 
Carpenter (1940), Fraser (1940, 1942, T959), Friedrich ( 1 953 ) > 
