560 



HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA 



is siifficiently elevated ; during too cold weather the Insects 

 merely become stupefied, their lives being as it were interrupted 

 till warmth returns. It is a favourite food with other Insects, 

 and is destroyed by cockroaches and ants as well as by Eeduvius ; 

 the small black ant Monomorium will, it is said, clear a house of the 

 bed-bug in a few days. Nothing is really known as to the origin 

 of this Insect ; it is now very widely distributed. The other 

 species of the family frequent birds and bats, and are very 

 similar to the common bug. The genus to which the bed-bug 

 belongs is in many works called Acanthia instead of Cimex. 

 Other authors apply the term Acanthia to Salda, but it is better 

 to allow the name Acanthia to fall into disuse. 



Fam. 16. Anthocoridae. Minute lugs, usually with ocelli 

 and with elytra ; the latter occasionally abbreviated, but usually 

 fully developed, with membranous tip. Head prolonged in the 

 middle in front much beyond the insertion of the antennae ; eyes 

 not far from the thorax. Rostrum free. These small and obscure 

 Insects appear to be rather numerous in species, and to be chiefly 

 connected with woods and forests. Some of the species live 



in ants' nests. We have 27 



British 



belonging 



to 11 genera. 



species 



About 200 



species of the family are 

 known. The members of 

 the sub-family Microphy- 

 sides are remarkable from 

 the great dissimilarity of 

 the sexes, for which it is 

 not possible to assign any 

 reason. 



Fam. 17. Polyctenidae. 

 Proboscis - sheath three - 

 jointed, tarsi four -jointed, 

 antennae four -jointed. Teg- 

 mina quite short, of one con- 

 sistence. The four or five 

 anomalous species forming 

 this family are parasites on 



bats of the genus Molossus, and have been found in both the 

 Eastern and Western hemispheres. Westwood, who first described 



FIG. 273. Polyctenes fumarius. 

 (After Westwood.) 



