266 
Psyche 
[June-September 
Methods and Materials 
The larva was preserved in 70 percent ethanol. Wild™ M5 and 
M5A stereoscopic dissecting microscopes were used to observe the 
specimen, while drawings were made by means of integral camera 
lucida attachments for these instruments. 
Description of Larva 
The African specimen is a typical ascalaphid immature in most 
respects (Fig. 1), displaying robust jaws with three mandibular 
teeth, large squarish head with pronounced occipital angles, prom- 
inent ocular tubercles each bearing six dorsal and one ventral 
sternrnata, and compact, lightly sclerotized body fringed by numer- 
ous finger-like, setigerous extensions. It measures about 7 mm from 
labral margin to anal spinneret and is probably a partially grown 
second instar. Previous studies of ascalaphid immatures (Henry, 
1976) indicate that important features of the mature larva that may 
be absent or distorted in the first instar are expressed quite clearly 
by the second stadium; for this reason, the following description can 
be compared with existing descriptions of third instar larvae. 
The head capsule is of the generalized ascalaphid type in shape, 
more square than cordate, without extreme dorso-ventral flattening. 
Ocular tubercles (Fig. 2-A) are cylindroid, and the ventral sternma 
on each is but slightly reduced compared with the dorsal ones. The 
antennal tubercles are poorly developed. Jaws are straight-shanked, 
each tapering smoothly from proximal tooth to tip; the distal tooth 
is markedly smaller than the others. Ventrally, sclerites of the 
mouthpart bases and the pieces of the labium (Fig. 2-B) have a 
generalized form and relationship to one another (Henry, 1976). 
The manner of ventral articulation of the mandibles to the head 
capsule is also relatively unspecialized: each condyle bears against a 
median lobe at the end of the subgenal ridge rather than being 
retained more positively by a U-shaped socket. 
The body of the specimen also exhibits several apparently 
primitive traits. Twelve pairs of long primary scoli fringe the body 
from mesothorax to eighth abdominal segment (Fig. 1); in addition, 
a pair of equally prominent ventro-lateral secondary scoli occurs on 
abdominal segments I-VII (Fig. 3). All scoli are slightly flattened 
dorso-ventrally and possess a border of specialized setae (see 
below). The eight pairs of abdominal spiracles are situated laterally 
