X REVISIOK OF THE NEARCTIC HEMEROBIIDAE, BEROTHIDAE, SISYRIDAE, POLYS'I'OECHOTIDAE AND DILARIDAE (NEUROPTERA) Received February 28, 1940 Presented March 13, 1940 The insects treated in this revision are among and Professor H. 13. Hungerford, University of the most typical of the Seuroptera (Planipennia). Kansas. I am under special obligation to Pro- Khen the family Hemerobiidae was established by fessor R. C. Smith, of Kansas State College, for Leach (1815), it included nearly all of the insects the loan of his extensive private collection of these now comprising the order. Since the beginning of insects, and for the opportunity of seeing many the present century, however, and subsequent to small collections sent to him for identification dur- the publication of Banks' "Revision of the Ne- ing the preparation of this revision. I am deeply ~irctic Hemerobiidae" (1905b), various genera grateful to llr. D. E. Kimmins of the British have been removed from the Hemerobiidae and lluseum of Satural History for placing at my placed in separate families. The groips thus disposal the type specimens in the Lfuseum col- formed (Berothidae, Sisyridae, Polystoechotidae, lection, and for making detailed comparisons with Dilnridae) have little in common with the re- Illclachlan's types, which were received at the stricted family Hemerobiidae; but in order that RIuseum after my visit there in 1938. As on the scope of the present revision be kept identical previous occasions I am indebted to Professor nith that of Banks', these families have also been Banks for many helpful suggestions and criticisms. included. The morphology of the Xeuroptera in general During the course of this revisional study, I and of most of the families occurring in the Ne- have examined somewhat more than eight thou- arctic region has been extensively treated by Kil- sand individuals of the families mentioned. Apart lington, in his excellent monograph of the British from the specimens in the Museum of Comparative Neuroptera (1936). I have accepted in this re- Zoology, nearly all of these have been loaned to vision the terminology and homologies proposed rile by the following individuals, to whom I am by him for the abdominal structures and most indebted for their cooperation: RIr. E. P. Van other parts of the body. hly interpretation of Duzee, California Academy of Sciences; Dr. J. the wing venation, however, is slightly different. .\IcDunnough, Canadian Department of Agricul- Killington has followed Comstock's conclusions tme; hlr. A. B. Gurney, United States National (1918) in his account of the venation of the Yeur- .\Iuseum; Professor Franklin Sherman, Clemson optera; but I believe the evidence now available College, South Carolina; Dr. C. S. Brimley, North requires us to modify these. Martynov has dem- Carolina Department of Agriculture; Dr. Richard onstrated (1928) that in the existing Neuroptera Dom, Xew England hluseum of Katural History; the anterior branch of the media of both fore Dr. F. E. Lutz, American Museum of Natural and hind wings is part'ially coalesced with the History; Dr. H. H. Ross, Illinois St,ate Natural radius or with the stem of the radial sector (Rs), History Survey; Professor C. E. &lickel, University so that IT-hatappears to be the last (most proximal) of hlinnesota; Dr. Hugo Rodeck, University of branch of Rs is really part of the media, probably Colorado; Dr. C. B. Philip, Hamilton, hIont,ana; the anterior media of Lameere's terminology Dr. R. B. Friend, Connecticut Agriculture Experi- (1922). Martynov's views have been substantiated ment Station; Professor C. P. Alexander, Illnssa- by evidence secured during the past ten years chusetts State College, Mr. J. N.Knull, Ohio State and have been applied by Tillyard (1932) and Cniversity; Dr. L. P. TVehrle, University of Ari- Carpenter (1935) to several groups of Neurop- zona; Dr. Hugo Kahl, Carnegie hluseum; Mr. J. tera. Since I believe that Mart'ynov's interpreta- I.G. Rehn, Academy of Satural Sciences, Phila- tion will eventually be accepted by neuropterists delphia; Dr. W. T. XI. Forbes, Cornell University; in general, it has been used here. This interpreta- 194 CARPESTER tion, as applled to the Hemerobiidae and related this cross-vein has nearly or entirely disappeared families, may be summarlzed as follo~vs: by shortening, co that Rs is in actual contact Fore wing: the basal part of MA, as it leaves nith R1. The position of this cross-vein varies -1.I before coalescing with R1, can be seen in many greatly In the different genera; in Kimminsia it Hemerobiidae and related families; it 1s the faint, is proximal to the separation of ;\fA from Rs (or obliquely transverse vein ("basal cross-veln") of the connecting cross-vein), whereas in all other which has been used by Banks and others in the genera, so far as I am aware, it is distal to that taxonomy of certain genera. In some species (e.g. Hemerobius conjunctus Fitch, H. dorsatus iilthough the families treated in this paper do Banks) MA coalesces with R for a very short dis- not form a natural group by themselves, they do tance, the basal piece of MA joining R nearly as belong to one superfamily, Ilemerobioidea, as de- far distad as the point of separation of 11.4 from fined by Tillyard (1926). Since nearly all of the R. In other species (e.g. H. humulinus Linn.) Nearctic Neuroptera are referable to the Hemer- 1IA coalesces with R for a greater interval, the obioidea, I include here a key to the families. basal piece of hf-4 joining R near the base of the wing. In still other species, which apparently represent a more advanced state of this evolution, hlA coalesces with R from the very base of the 1. Fore legs raptorial ................Mantispidae wing, no free part of RIA being discernible. In Fore legs cursorial ............................2 most Hemerobiid genera (apparently all except 2. Fore wings with two or more branches of Rs aris- ing from the apparently fused stems of Rl and Henlerobius) there is a transverse vein present Rs ..........................................3 bet~veen1IA and i\BP, shortly after the furcation Fore wings with all branches of Rs arising from of 11fP. It is my conviction that this is a true a single Rs stem ............................4 cross-vein and not the basal part of 1IA, because 3. Antennae of male pectinate; ovipositor exserted in several such species the latter is often visible and long ............................Dilaridae at the very base of the wing. In certain genera Antennae of male moniliform or filiform; on- of Hemerobiidae and related families the proximal positor not exserted ............Hemerobiidae branch of Rs has apparently migrated basally 4. Fore wing with recurrent humeral vein and has also become partially fused with RIA; this Polystoechotidae is the case in some species (and some specimens Fore wing without recurrent humeral vein ....5 of all species) of Sympherobius, ?\legalomus, Sisyra, 5. Cross-veins of costal area forked in fore wing Berothidae' Psectra, etc. Cross-veins of costal area not forked in fore Hind wing: the coalescence of MA with Rs is wing ...................................... ..6 more obvious here than in the fore wing. The 6. Sc and R1 free distally; gradate veins present basal piece of MA (termed the r-m cross-vein by Chrysopidae Comstock) is usually longitudinally placed (except Sc and R1 coalesced distally; gradate veins in Berothidae) , not transversely. In many species absent .............................. Sisyridae of nearly all genera of Hemerobiidae 1IA is not actually coalesced with Rs but is only joined to it by a cross-vein. This apparently represents a Antennae moniliform, multisegmented, usually more generalized condition than the true coales- nearly as long as the fore wing, the first segment cence, the latter being the result of the shortening enlarged; ocelli absent. Prothorax much broader and subsequent elimination of the cross-vein. In than long, with the lateral margins prolonged into certain genera of Hemerobioidea the coalescence a lobe. Legs cursorial; all coxae well developed of Rs and MA exhibits unusual features. In and free, the fore coxae especially long and slender Abdomen cylindrical or nearly so; tenth tergite of Climacia the coalescence takes place nearly at the male divided into two lateral plates, the ano! middle of the wing, instead of close to the base plates; tenth sternite forming an internal plate, of the wing; and in Lomamyia the basal part of hIA is transverse, as in the fore wing. In most Navas (1919) has described as a Berothid a species from Patagonia (Naizema patagonica) which has a of the true Hemerobiidae (apparently all except recurrent humeral vein in the hind wing as well Psectra) the radial sector, shortly after its origin, as in the fore. It is probable that further study of is joined to R1 by a cross-vein, termed in this this species will indicate that its affinities are really paper the basal radial cross-vein. In Hemerobius with another family. A REVISION OF THE NEARCTIC HERIEROBIIDAE 195 consisting of a median bridge, connecting the two lasts from five to twelve days usually, but it may lateral, wing-like expansions (wings); the aedeagus extend over the winter in some species. The num- nttached to the bridge distally and supported by a ber of eggs deposited in nature by a single female liledian plate or two paired plates; parameres is not certainly known. Smith has noted that in nell developed, heavily sclerotized. Tenth tergite the laboratory most females lay from thirty to of female divided as in the male, but the plates forty eggs, but recorded one H. humulinus laying differently shaped; eighth sternite reduced, small 460 eggs. Normally the eggs are laid singly, on and heavily sclerotized.