22 
Psyche 
[March 
of the antennal and ocular tubercles (AT and OT), the morphology 
of the labium (Plb and Prlb), the shape of the pronotum, and the 
structure and placement of setae — particuarly those located 
peripherally and on the ocular and antennal tubercles and those 
forming distinct dorsal patterns. 
There is some evidence from both adult and larval morphology 
that the Nymphidae of Australia is closer to the ancestral taxon 
leading to the Ascalaphidae (and to the closely related Stilboptery- 
gidae) than any other myrmeleontoid family (Withycombe, 1925; 
Tillyard, 1926; and MacLeod, 1970). Thus, many of the features 
of certain described larvae within the Nymphidae, particularly of 
the Oligocene ? Pronymphes sp. and the extant Nymphes spp. (Mac- 
Leod, 1970), are thought to represent shared specializations of the 
ascalaphid-nymphid ( et al. ) evolutionary branch and hence to 
typify the generalized condition in the Ascalaphidae. In addition, 
the generalized condition is presumed by MacLeod (1970) to pre- 
dominate in the Oligocene fossil ascalaphid larva Neadelphus protae 
MacLeod; I have carefully examined and figured the specimen from 
which MacLeod wrote his description, and I can attest to the nearly 
perfect state of its preservation in amber (figure 9). 
It may be suggested tentatively, then, that generalized character 
states in owlfly larvae could include quadrate head with weakly 
cordate posterior margin (Nymphes and Pronymphes ); long, non- 
falcate jaws bearing subequal teeth ( Neadelphus ); simple and loose 
ventral articulation of the mandible against a medial strut of the 
anterior terminus of the subgenal ridge (Nymphes)’, a dorsal and 
ventral series of unflattened, finger-like setigerous scoli of short 
to moderate length ( Pronymphes ); and all abdominal spiracles 
oriented co-linearly on the sides of the body (Neadelphus and Pro- 
nymphes). In addition, like Neadelphus, the primitive larva should 
probably display a wide, weakly bilobed labral margin, small anten- 
nal tubercles, cylindroid ocular tubercles, postlabium with broad 
anterior margin, ellipsoidal pronotum bearing small lateral tuber- 
cles, and relatively unmodified setae of moderate length clothing 
most body surfaces. 
According to the above criteria, we may state that the genus 
Ululodes is a generalized one with respect to its unflattened scoli, 
cylindroid ocular tubercles and ventrally situated (and linear) 
abdominal spiracles. However, in certain major respects, it is 
highly specialized. First, the Ululodes larva shows no obvious 
