450 
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ftrwfts for itfelf an edifice, the external parts of which are 
particles of fand or earth combined together by filken 
threads : the interior cavity is lined with pure filk, white 
and glofly like fatin. Within this ball the myrmeleon is 
changed into a chryfalis, of a curved or femicircular lhape, 
difplaying all the parts of the perfect infedt that is foon 
to iflue from it. After the chryfalis burfts', the winged 
infeft which makes its efcape is of a grey colour, with a 
long flender body, refembling the Libellula. In this 
country, the myrmeleon is very fcarce ; a few, however, 
are found to breed among the loofe earth at the bottom 
of walls which have a fouth expofure. In that dry, pul¬ 
verized, and fandy, earth, their eggs are protefted from 
rain, till they are hatched by the fun. Vallifnieri and 
Poupart firft gave the hiftory of the lion-ant; that of the 
former is in the form of a dialogue between Malphigi and 
Pliny, in which the modern informs the ancient naturalift 
of the lingular manoeuvres and metamorphofis of thefe 
animals. The fpecies are placed in two divifions. 
I. With the hind-feelers longeft; jaw one-toothed; lip 
membranaceous, fquare, truncate, emarginate. 
1. Myrmeleon libelluloides : wings grey, fpotted with 
brown ; body fpotted with black and yellow. This, as 
its name imports, refembles the Libellula, or dragon-fly ; 
the extreme width, in its expanded ftate, as reprefented 
on the preceding Plate, at fig. 6. being about four inches 
and three quarters. The head is of a dark yellow, divided 
by a black line, that runs along it from the thorax ; the 
antennas are black and clubbed, fmall at their roots, and 
gradually increafing to their extremities ; the thorax is 
brownifli yellow ; having a black line running along its 
upper part, and two fmall black fpots at the ligatures of 
the fuperior wings, being covered with greyifh hairs; the 
abdomen is about an inch and a quarter long, yellow, 
with a black line on the top, and one on each fide ; the 
male having two fmall horny tails bluing from the ex¬ 
tremities. All the wings are membranaceous and pel¬ 
lucid, (the inferior ones being as long as the fuperior,) 
and elegantly adorned with a great number of dark fpots, 
of various fliapes and fizes. Mr. Drury received it from 
Smyrna. There is a fpecies (he fays) found near the 
Cape of Goo<) Hope very much like this, but diftin&ly 
different. This, however, is generally confidered to be 
the Cape fpecies. 
2. Myrmeleon pardalis : wings white, with fcattered 
black dots ; thighs yellow. It inhabits Coramandel. 
3. Myrmeleon pantherinus: wings white, fpotted with 
black; body yellow; abdomen variegated with black. 
This fpecies is found in Auftria, and other parts of 
Germany. 
4. Myrmeleon lynceus: wings hyaline, with a black 
marginal fpot at the tip, in the middle of which is a 
fnowy one. It inhabits Sierra Leona. 
5. Myrmeleon formicaleo : wings clouded with brown, 
with a white marginal fpot. This fpecies is better un- 
derftood than any other of the genus. It is of a pre¬ 
dacious nature, flying chiefly by night, and purfuing the 
fmaller infefls in the manner of a Libellula. It depofits 
its eggs in dry fandy fituations; and the young larvse, 
when hatched, begin to exercife their talent of preparing, 
by turning themfelves rapidly round a very fmall conical 
cavity in the fand. Under the centre of the cavity the 
little animal conceals itfelf, fuddenly ruffling forth at in¬ 
tervals, to feize any fmall infeft which, by approaching the 
edge of the cavity, has been fo .unfortunate as to fall in ; 
and, after fucking out its juices, throws it, by a fudden 
exertion, to fome diftance from the cavity. As the crea¬ 
ture increaTes in fize, it enlarges the cavity,'which at 
length becomes about two inches, or more, in diameter. 
The larva, when full grown, is more than half an inch 
long, and is of a flattened figure, broad towards the upper 
part, and gradually tapering to an obtufe point at the 
extremity. It is brown, and befet with numerous tufts 
of dufky hair, which are particularly confpicuous on each 
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fide the annuli of the abdomen ; the legs are flender; the 
head and thorax rather fmall; the tubular jaws long, 
curved, ferrated internally, and very fharp pointed. Tire 
whole animal is of an unpleaflng afpe6i, and, on a curfory 
view, bears a general refemblance to a flat-bodied fpider. 
When magnified, its appearance is highly uncouth. 
Reaumur and Roefel have given accurate deferiptions 
of this larva, and its extraordinary hiftory. It is one of 
thofe whofe term of life, like that of the Libellulae and 
Ephemeras, is protrafted to a conflderable fpace, fince it 
furvives the firft winter in its larva ftate, taking no n»u- 
rifhment during that time, and in the fpring refumes its 
ufual manner of preying. In preparing its pit, it begins 
by tracing an exterior circle of the intended diameter of 
the cavity, continuing its motion in a fpiral line, till it 
gets to the centre; thus marking, as it were, feveral 
volutes in the fand, refembling the impreflion of a large 
fnail-fhell; and after having fufficiently deepened the 
cavity, it fmooths the fides into a regular lhape, by throw¬ 
ing out the fuperfluous fand lying on the ridges : this it 
does by doling its forceps in fuch a manner, that, to¬ 
gether with the head, they form a convenient fhovel, with 
which it throws the fand with fo ftrong a motion out of 
the cavity, that the grains often fall to the diftance of 
near a foot beyond the brink. The depth of the pit is 
generally equal to the diameter. When full growm, and 
ready to change into a chryfalis, the animal envelopes 
itfelf in a round ball of land, agglutinated and con . 
nedred by very fine filk, which it draws from a tubular 
procefs at the extremity of the body: with this filk it alfo 
lines the internal furface of the ball, which, if opened, 
appears coated by a fine pearl-coloured filken tiflue. It 
continues in the ftate of chryfalis about four weeks, and 
then gives birth to the complete infeft, as fhown at fig. 7. 
6. Myrmeleon catta: wings hyaline, with faint brown 
fpots; the nerves are fpotted with black. Found in 
Madeira. See fig. 8. 
7. Myrmeleon pun&atus: wings hyaline; the nerves 
with alternate black and white dots. It inhabits India. 
8. Myrmeleon formicalynx : wings immaculate; body 
brown. It inhabits Africa and America. 
9. Myrmeleon tigrinus: wings hyaline, immaculate ; 
body brown; margin of the thorax and legs yellow. It 
inhabits New Holland. 
10. Myrmeleon caninus: wings hyaline, immaculate; 
body brown ; head and thorax fpotted with yellow. It is 
found in Guiana. 
II. Feelers nearly equal; jaweiliate; lip horny, rounded, 
entire 
xi. Myrmeleon barbarus : wings reticulate, yellowifh- 
hyaline, with two brown fpots. It inhabits Europe and 
Africa. 
12. Myrmeleon longicornis : upper wings hyaline, with 
a double yellow fpot at the bale ; lower ones yellow, black 
at the bale. It inhabits Italy. 
13. Myrmeleon Capenfis : wings white, reticulate with 
black ; the tail is forked. It inhabits the Cape of Good 
Hope. 
14. Myrmeleon appendiculatus : wings white, imma¬ 
culate, one-toothed at the bafe. Its country is not 
known. There is a fpecimen in the Britifh Mufeum. 
15,, Myrmelion aufiralis: wings white, with a black 
marginal fpot; the body is variegated. It inhabits the 
fouthern parts of Europe. 
16. Myrmeleon Cayennenfis : wings white, with a fnowy 
marginal fpot. It inhabits Cayenne. 
MYRME'NA, in ancient geography, a town fuppofed 
to have been in Ethiopia, inhabited by anthropophagi, 
or eaters of human flefh; whole prince, according to 
Nicephorus, was converted by St. Matthew to the Chrif- 
tian faith. 
MYR'MEX, an ifland of Africa, on the coaft of Cy- 
renaica. Ptolemy. 
MYR'MIDONS, or Myrmid'ones, a people on the 
fouthern 
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