Kirkaldy. — Heteropterous Hemipteron of N.Z. 109 



Art. IX. — A Heteropterous Hemipteron of New Zealand. 

 By G. W. Kirkaldy. 



[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 3rd July, 1907.] 



In vol. xxxii, pp. 408-9, of the Transactions Mr. T. White pub- 

 lished a short paper on some supposed spiders (" Arachnids : 

 the Small Pond in the Forest "). I would suggest that these 

 were a species of the heteropterous hemipteron Microvelia, a 

 tiny sort of water- strider, the account of the behaviour of the 

 " spiders " applying very well to that of Microvelia. 



Some years ago I described a species of this genus from 

 New Zealand, and, as it was published in a French journal 

 perhaps little accessible to most residents in New Zealand, I 

 append a translation now : — 



Microvelia macgregori (Kirk.). 



Aydrcessa macgregori, Kirkaldy, 1899 : ' Revue d'Entomologie." 

 xviii, 91-2. 



Apterous Form. — Long and fairly narrow, about 2^ times as 

 long as wide. 4th segment of the antennae about twice as long 

 as the 3rd, which is about £ longer than the 2nd, the latter 

 subequal to the 1st. Rostrum reaching as far as the base of 

 the pronotum. Pronotum rugose, not carinate. Femora neither 

 tuberculate nor dentate ; fore femur ^ longer than the tibia, 

 which is ^ longer than the tarsus ; middle femur a little longer 

 than the tibia, which is \ longer than the tarsus, the 2 tarsal 

 segments subequal ; hind tibia \ longer than the femur and 

 2i times as long as the tarsus, the 2 tarsal segments subequal. 



Blackish, with a narrow band of silvery pubescence on the 

 interior lateral margin of the eyes ; antennae lurid or flavo- 

 tegtaceous, the 4th segment always lurid ; a wide band across 

 the anterior margin and a narrow band across the posterior 

 margin of the pronotum, reddish-yellow ; coxae and femora 

 yellowish, testaceous ; tibiae and tarsi more or less lurid. Be- 

 neath, greyish-black. 



Length, 2£ mm. ; width, nearly 1 mm. 



Hab. — New Zealand. 



This description is incomplete, as it lacks notice of the winged 

 form. The little bug is surely well distributed in all ponds, 

 water-troughs, &c, and I will be much obliged to any one who 

 will favour me with a good supply for a revised description. 



