92 
Psyche 
[March 
The cubital field of Notiothauma is filled with broader 
irregular pentagonal or hexagonal cellules and the cubital 
field is remarkably like that of such Protoblattids as 
Asyncrytus. The extremely short basal portion of Cu (i. e., 
before it forks) is another feature strongly suggestive of 
these Protoblattids, and is an added feature pointing to a 
Protoblattoid ancestry for Notiothauma (and hence for the 
Holometabola in general). As was mentioned above, Cui 
is a convex vein (as is indicated by a + sign in Fig. 1) and 
Cu 2 is a concave vein (indicated by a — sign in Fig. 1) , and 
this seems to be characteristic of all Mecoptera. As occurs 
in the wings of some fossil, but no other Mecoptera, Cui 
branches into Cui a and Cui b judging from the condition 
exhibited by the hind wing, but I am not certain where this 
occurs in the fore wing unless it be at or just beyond the 
point where the dotted line running up from the label Mi in 
Fig. 1 crosses Cui. As is also true of the Mecopteron 
Panoryodes, a nygma or wing spot, occurs in the basal 
cubital cell, as is shown in Fig. 7, where the nygma is 
labelled n. Just behind Cu is the preclaval rima or crack- 
like line demarking the anterior limits of the claval or anal 
area. This crack frequently interrupts the basal portion 
of Cu, and may have been formed in connection with the 
developing ability to lay the wings back in the incumbent 
position. 
The anal or claval area (i. e., the clavus of Hemiptera) 
extends from the above-mentioned claval rima to the 
jugalula labelled a in Fig. 1, and contains the three anal 
veins which are convex veins in Mecoptera in general. The 
first anal, labelled 1. A. in Fig. 1, has a well developed basal 
arch labelled ba which occurs as a basal ridge, with an 
accompanying pocket or fold developed in connection with 
the ability to lay the wings back along the abdomen in 
repose. The weakening of the costal margin and the conse- 
quent detachment of the basicostal sclerite or protuberance 
be of Fig. 1, is probably also developed in connection with 
the folding of the wings along the abdomen in repose, so 
that all of these features are of importance from the 
phylogenetic standpoint, and it is surprising that no one 
has referred to such features in the wings of insects. I 
have found them in the Blattids, Isoptera, Cicadas, 
