WATER STRIDERS NEW TO THE FAUNA OF OHIO, 



INCLUDING THE DESCRIPTION OF A 



NEW SPECIES.* 



Car! J. Drake. 



During the summer of 1916 the writer paid considerable 

 attention to the aquatic and semiaquatic Heteroptera of Ohio, 

 especially in the vicinity of Columbus. The most fertile 

 collecting grounds were the numerous ponds in the bed of the 

 old abandoned canal (near Ira, Hebron, Prentiss, and Rock- 

 bridge), the lakes near Akron, Buckeye Lake and Mirror 

 Lake on the campus of Ohio State University. The Olentangy 

 River also furnished a number of favorite and secluded haunts 

 for many species. 



All of the water-striders known to occur in the state, save 

 three or four species, were collected on Mirror Lake, also on a 

 rather large stagnant pond in the bed of the old canal at Rock- 

 bridge. Some rather interesting records were noted relative 

 to their breeding habits, migration and pterygopolymorphism. 

 Trepobates pictus H. S. was by far the most prolific species on 

 Mirror Lake and only occurred in the apterous form. It is 

 probably our most variable water-strider in color-forms. The 

 insect breeds in stagnant ponds, lakes and parts of slow-moving 

 streams. On the Rocky River, near Cleveland, the writer took 

 many nymphs and adults, including a single example of an 

 alate form. The latter had broken off its wings at the usual 

 place in order to permit coition. G err is canaliculatus Say 

 spends the winter in the mature form. Nymphs and adults, 

 both apterous and alated forms, were observed by the hundreds 

 on the old canal at Rockbridge during July, August and Sep- 

 tember. Many records were recorded for the capture of one 

 or two macropterous forms on the Olentangy River, Mirror 

 Lake and numerous small ponds at various times during the 

 summer. In a number of instances it seems that the insect 

 must have migrated to Mirror Lake or to the small ponds and 

 pools during night, or early morning or evening, as no speci- 

 mens were present on these waters during the previous days. 

 Similar observations were observed for Merragata brunnea 



* Contribution from the Department of Entomology, New York State College 

 of Forestry, Syracuse, N. Y. 



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