PREDACEOUS BUGS. 133 



short, scarcely projecting beyond the lateral margin of head, pale 

 brown on its outer lateral surface ; second segment slender, en- 

 larging at its apex, four times as long as first, rufous at base, 

 darkening toward apex ; third segment about two-thirds as long 

 as second, and of same color ; fourth segment a little longer than 

 third, similarly colored ; fifth segment as long as third, rufous, 

 sometimes tinged with brown at the apex. Rostrum stout, reach- 

 ing to hind coxa? ; first segment thick, half as long as upper-sur- 

 face of head ; second segment one-half longer than first, nearly 

 passing anterior coxae ; third segment a trifle longer than first ; 

 fourth segment of same length as first, embrowned at tip. Sides 

 of pronotum indented, with fine granular teeth anteriorly ; humeral 

 angles often sinuate posteriorly and produced into long slender 

 spines, which are frequently tipped with dark brown or black. 

 The puncturing is closely massed at each anterior angle of the 

 pronotum and in a small spot at the outer end of the pronotal 

 callosities. A fairly well-defined dorsal line extends from the 

 anterior margin of the prouotum to the tip of the scutellum. 

 Scutellum of same color as prouotum, reaching to the membrane, 

 less densely punctured toward the tip. Corium of same color, 

 generally tinged with red near the cuueus ; membrane translucent 

 with a brownish spot at the tip. Connexivum pale orange, with 

 large black markings at each incisure ; in the middle of these 

 markings there is usually a minute white spot. Under-side pale 

 yellowish, punctate sparingly with red or brown ; on the middle 

 of the last segment there is a large oval black spot, anterior to 

 which on some specimens there is a minute black dot ; a small 

 black dot occurs on the third, fourth, fifth and sixth segments ; 

 these dots form a row which is equidistant between the median 

 line and the lateral margin ; osteolar canal tipped with a black 

 dot. Legs of same color as abdomen, femora generally tipped 

 with two dark-brown dots. Ventral spine slender, reaching upon 

 the hind coxae. 



Distribution. Canada, Massachusetts, New York, Penn- 

 sylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska, 

 Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Indian Territory, Texas 

 California. This species is stated to occur generally through- 

 out the south and west ; it is rare in Massachusetts. 



Habits. 



Podisus spinosus has been frequently confounded with 

 P. serieventris in the collections I have examined, and in 



