Myers. — Life-history of some Sew Zealand Insects. 235 



Art. XXVI.— The Life-history of some New Zealand Insects : No. I. 



By John G. Myers, F.E.S. 



[Bead before the Welling/on Philosophical Society, 27th October, 1920 ; received by Editor, 

 31st December, 1920 ; issued separately, 20th July, 1921.] 



Plate XLIV. 



This paper is the first of a series which it is hoped to publish on the 

 biology of New Zealand insects, chiefly those belonging to the Hemiptera. 

 The life-history of not a single species of our endemic Heteroptera has 

 been studied. Tbis is to be regretted, if only because, as Kirkaldy (3) 

 savs, " from ovum to adult many of the Hemiptera undergo very remark- 

 able changes of form, much more interesting in reality than the ecdyses 

 of Lepidoptera or other Heteromorpha." Ctenoneurus hochstetteri Mayr., 

 the subject of this study, is a very abundant member of the family 

 of " flat bugs," or Aradidae, the species of which, like certain beetles 

 (Brorttopriscus) and spiders (Hemicloea spp.) are dorsoventrally flattened 

 in a manner admirably adapted to a subcortical habitat. 



I am indebted to Mr. E. B. Levy for the trouble he took in photograph- 

 ing the eggs and insects, and to Mr. David Miller for kindly reading the 

 manuscript and making many valuable suggestions. 



Ctenoneurus hochstetteri Mayr. (Hem.-Het.) 



Neuroctenus hochstetteri Mayr., Reise der " Novara," Zool. ii, pi. 4, 

 fie;. 47, Hem., p. 166. Crimia attenuata Walk., Cat. Hem.-Het. 

 Brit. Mus., pt. vii, p. 22. Mezira maorica, Walk., loc. cit., p. 28. 

 Neuroctenus hochstetteri Mayr., Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 30, 

 p. 175, 1898. Ctenoneurus hochstetteri Mayr., Kirkaldy, Trans. 

 N.Z. Inst., vol. 41, p. 25, 1909. 



Distribution. — Owing to the lack of collectors interested in Hemiptera, 

 the range of most of the species is unknown. This insect is probably 

 generally distributed throughout the country ; it is certainly abundant at 

 Wanganui, Wellington, and Auckland. 



Habitat. — Although this bug is abundant beneath almost any loose bark, 

 it shows a decided preference for tawa (Beilschmiedia tawa). This prefer- 

 ence is perhaps more due to the looseness of large flakes of bark on dead 

 tawa than to any superiority in the food-supply. Prostrate logs are as 

 much affected as standing stumps, and the number of the insects harboured 

 by them is amazing. Both on the under-surface of the bark and upon the 

 trunk beneath, the massed bugs may form black patches 6 in. or more 

 in diameter, and composed of individuals of various ages, all exuding, 

 especially if crushed, that peculiar and characteristic " buggy " odour 

 familiar to those who have met the bed-bug. 



Life-history. — Owing to the difficulty experienced in artificially rearing 

 any specimen through more than a few stadia, this account does not claim 

 to be complete. The early instars live for weeks with very little attention, 

 but the older nymphs and the imagines die with disappointing rapidity. 



