VIII 



THYMATIDAE REDUVIIDAE 



555 



none in Britain, though there are a few in Southern Europe ; 



one of these, P. crassipes, extends as far north as Paris. The 



distinction of the family from Eeduviidae is doubtful. 1 There 



are a few very rare forms (Fig. 267) in which the front tibia is 



articulated to the femur in 



such a way that a pair of 



pincers is formed : the tarsus 



is in this form, as well as 



in some other Phymatidae, 



absent. 



Fam. 12. Reduviidae. 

 Head more or less don- 

 gate, very movable, eyes placed 

 much in front of the thorax, 

 ocelli, when present, behind 

 the eyes. Proboscis short, or 

 moderately short, not ex- 

 tending on to the breast, in 

 repose curved under the head 

 so as to form a loop there- 

 with . Elytra, wh en presen t, 

 consisting of three divisions. 

 Tarsi three-jointed. This is 

 one of the largest and most 

 important families of Hemi- 

 ptera. Upwards of 2000 

 species are already known ; 

 the habits seem to be chiefly 

 of a predaceous nature, the 

 creatures drawing their 

 nutriment from the animal 

 rather than from the vege- 

 table kingdom, and their 

 chief prey being in all 

 probability other kinds of Fm _ z ^_ GhiUaneUa #/,,/,/.<. Brazil. A. 



Insects. There is, perhaps, the female Insect. B, extremity of the l.o.h 



no family of Insects exhibit- 

 ing a greater variety of form and colour. 



of the male. 



The Emesids are amongst 



the most delicate of Insects, equalling in this respect the daddy- 

 1 Monograph of Phymatidae : Handlirsch, Ann. Hofmus. Jl'u-n, xii. 1897, p. 127. 



