THE KANSAS UNIVEBSITY 



SCIENCE BULLETIN 



Vol. XIV.] October, 1922. [No. 5. 



The Life History of the Toad Bug. 



Gelastocoris oculatus Fabr. (Gelastocoridse).* 



BY H. B. HUNGERFORD, 



Professor of Entomology, University of Kansas. 



INTRODUCTION. 



IN MY PAPER on "The Biology and Ecology of the Aquatic 

 Hemiptera"t (pages 49-51) I gave the gist of what was known at 

 the time concerning the habits and life history of the toad bug. Its 

 habitat and feeding habits, together with a brief description of the 

 ovum and fifth nymphal instar were given there. 



During the season of 1920 I had an opportunity to gather con- 

 siderable data relative to these interesting insects. Mrs. Grace 

 Wiley, a student of mine, knpwing of my desire to study Gelasto- 

 coris, sent me a number of living adults from her home in Chanute, 

 Kan., in the autumn of 1919. One of these I kept alive until Sep- 

 tember, 1920. On May 14, 1920, she sent me a shipment of adults, 

 and again on July 6 another small lot of the bugs. The live insects 

 supplied by Mrs. Wiley thus made possible the notes here reported, 

 and I wish to acknowledge my gratitude to her for her kindness. 



THE TECHNIQUE USED IN THE REARINGS. 



Tall stenders, or staining jars, of glass about the size of jelly 

 glasses were used. In each of these was placed an inch of sand 

 that had been sterilized by heat. The paired adults were confined 

 in low stenders of various sizes, and the sand searched each day for 

 eggs. The young were isolated in the tall stenders as soon as 

 hatched, for they were cannibalistically inclined, and two young 



* Mr. Bueno recognizes this as a new species, G. acciduiis Ms. I confess I cannot dis- 

 tinguish it from G. oculatus Fabr. 



t Kansas University Science Bulletin, vol. XI, Dec. 1919; 265 pages, 33 plates. 



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