"darlingtonia californica", the cobra plant, possesses an adaptation also found in "sarracenia psittacina" and, to a lesser extent, in "sarracenia minor": the operculum is balloon-like and almost seals the opening to the tube. this balloon-like chamber is pitted with areolae, chlorophyll-free patches through which light can penetrate. insects, mostly ants, enter the chamber via the opening underneath the balloon. once inside, they tire themselves trying to escape from these false exits, until they eventually fall into the tube. prey access is increased by the "fish tails", outgrowths of the operculum that give the plant its name. some seedling "sarracenia" species also have long, overhanging opercular outgrowths; "darlingtonia" may therefore represent an example of neoteny.