Hungerford: Nepid.e in America. 453 



SUMMARY. 



The Ncpidae of North America north of Mexico now include a 

 total of eleven species and two varieties, distributed as follows: 

 one Nepa, two Curicta, and eight Eanatra species with two varieties. 

 This count omits R. annulipes Stal, which probably does not occur 

 in our range. The naming of our two commonest and widespread 

 species, under the two oldest names given, is as conclusively shown 

 as can.be done without authentic types. We have decided that our 

 large, robust, short-limbed form, with broad anterior femora, is R. 

 fusca P. B., and that our slender-limbed form, with uniformly short 

 respiratory filaments, is R. nigra H. S. This, most unfortunately, 

 reduces to synonymy R. americana Montd. and R. protensa Mondt., 

 names by which these species have been well known to us for the 

 past ten years. The antennae and genital claspers of the males have 

 been of value — very striking and satisfactory characters in most of 

 the species. The genital capsules themselves are of little value sys- 

 tematically in most of the Ranatra. The intromittent organ of the 

 male has a more or less definite and characteristic shape at its tip 

 (compare figures 6-1 and 8-1, plate XLVIj. Care has been taken 

 to examine material from various localities in order to fix the limits 

 of variation of these characters. 



