THE TRUE BUGS 



in their case, - -hence the name. They have small heads with broad, 

 prominent shoulders, and the large, triangular scutellum occupies 



t 



Fir.. 153. The green soldier-bug 



hilaris}. (Enlarged) 



a, adult : /', beak ; c, eggs ; d, single egg ; <?, young nymph ; /, last stage of nymph. 

 (After Chittenden, United States Department of Agriculture) 



the center of the back between the wings, which are rounded at the 



tip of the abdomen, giving the whole body a characteristic shield- 



shaped appearance. From an economic stand- 



point the family is divided, some species being 



predacious upon other insects and others 



being serious crop pests, while some have 



both habits, as circumstances may offer food 



of one kind or the other. The predacious 



species are commonly known as soldier-bugs 



and feed mostly upon caterpillars. The com- 



mon green soldier-bug (Nezara Jiilaris] feeds 



upon the larvae of the Colorado potato-beetle, 



cotton-leaf caterpillars, and other injurious 



forms, but unfortunately it not infrequently 



attacks cotton bolls, ripening oranges, and FlG - T 54- Spined soldier- 



r '. i 11 i i bug (Podisns spin on us}. 



various iruits and vegetables, doing consider- 



(Enlarged) 

 (After Lugger) 



able injury by sucking the juices and causing 



malformations. The spined soldier-bug (Po- 



disus spinosns] is a common enemy of leaf-eating caterpillars, such 



as the tussock moths, gypsy and brow T n-tail moths, and of many 



soft-bodied grubs, like those of the potato-beetle. Other species, 



like the harlequin cabbage-bug (Murgantia histrionica), which is 



