Vol. XXVl] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 353 



basis, that is, theoretical, there would be less uncertainty con- 

 cerning the application of parasitology and more certainty 

 regarding the importance of local conditions in causing varia- 

 tion in the life histories of insects. Nothing that is true is 

 impractical ; its practicality may not be seen at the time, but 

 in the end all knowledge becomes of use, directly or indi- 

 rectly. Of all knowledge, the theoretical is the most prac- 

 tical and I have no doubt that as soon as the economic ento- 

 mologist becomes theoretical, immediate practical results will 

 be forthcoming and new fields of prophylaxis and treatment 

 opened. 



Preliminary Notes on Iowa Pentatomoidea (Heterop.). 



By DAYTON STONER, State University of Iowa, Iowa City, la. 



During the summer of 1914 advantage was taken by the 

 writer of visiting various parts of the State of Iowa for the 

 purpose of collecting insects and in the course of these trips 

 a few species of Pentatomoidea heretofore unrecorded from 

 the State were secured. Some new host plants for species 

 that have been recorded also were noted and some further rec- 

 ords of local abundance and distribution were obtained. 



As only a very little has been recorded on this group for 

 Iowa since Herbert Osborn's work of more than a decade ago, 

 it was thought that notes on some of the species might be of 

 interest at this time. The following data are in no way com- 

 plete and represent only a brief preliminary account of a more 

 extensive study which is now being undertaken on this group 

 cind which, it is hoped, will be completed in the near future. 



Thus far in the work, collecting has been done in northeast- 

 ern Iowa, commonly designated as the "driftless area" of the 

 State, and also in the north central and south central counties. 

 No collecting has been done in southeastern Iowa and only a 

 very little west of Des Moines. Both the southeastern and 

 the western parts of the State should yield some interesting 

 forms and a more complete knowledge of the status of the 

 Pentatomids in Iowa should be available after another sea- 

 son's collecting. 



