PREDACEOUS BUGS. 113 



concerning our native species might be of value in facilitat- 

 ing their identification. 



THE GENUS PODISUS. 



This genus was established by Herrich-Schaffer in 1853 

 ( " Wanzenartigen Insecten," Vol. IX., p. 296), to include 

 a number of species having their fore femora unarmed, 

 which, aside from this character, would properly fall into 

 the genus Oanlhecona. At this time he described several 

 species from Brazil, and in the list given in his "Index 

 Hemipterorum Heteropterorum," published during the same 

 year, enumerates some ten species of Podisus, among which 

 is P. luridus Fab., which had formerly been placed in the 

 genera Pentatoma and Arma. No type of the genus is 

 designated by Herricb-Schaffer, but as P. luridus * is its 

 sole European representative, and was included by him in 

 the genus at the time of its establishment, this species may 

 be properly taken as the generic type. The presence of 

 the ventral spine excludes the species of Podisus from the 

 genus Arma, under which several were originally described. 

 Stal erected the genus Telepta in 1858 ("Bidr. Rio Jan. 

 Hemip.," p. 10) but later transferred the species therein 

 included to Podisus ("Enurn. Hemip.," 1870, p. 48). In 

 the latter work, loc. cit., he divided the many species of the 

 genus Podisus among the sub-genera Troilus Stal, Apateticus 

 Dall., Apo2cilus Stal, Podisus H. S. and Tylospilus Stal, 

 his genus Telepta being given as a synonym of the sub- 

 genus Podisus. 



The genus Podisus may be characterized as follows : 



Head nearly quadrangular ; basal segment of antenna stout, 

 not reaching to the anterior margin of the head ; rostrum stout. 

 Scutellum triangular, extending but little beyond the middle of 

 the abdomen, the apex reaching to or upon the membrane of the 

 wing. Fore femora unarmed ; fore tibia* not dilated. Second 

 abdominal segment with a spine of variable length extending 

 anteriorly. 



* Professor Fernald has kindly given me a pair of P. luridus. This species is 

 of about the same size as P. sjrinosus, but differs from, any of the representatives of 

 the genus in the United States in that the humeral angles are very prominent and 

 rounded, almost lobate. 



