454 The University Science Bulletin. 



PLATE XLIV. 



■ Fig. 1. Egg of Ranatra jusca P. B. (=i2. americana Montd.) dissected 

 from a water-soaked dead cat-tail blade. 



Fig. 2. Diagrammatic drawing of Ranatra. A, apical tooth of front femur. 

 M, median tooth of front femur. C, front coxa. G, prothoracic transverse 

 grooves which separate the "anterior part of the pronotum" from the "swollen 

 posterior part." S, scutellum. 



Figs. 3 and 5. Stridulating device of Ranatra. Figure 5 shows ventral view 

 of head and a portion of prothorax. The rubbing of the roughened patch {A) 

 on the base of the coxa (C) against the file (B) on the inside edge of the an- 

 terior lateral margin of the prothorax (P) produces the chirping or squeaky 

 noise. D, antennae. Figure 3 gives an enlarged lateral view of base of coxa and 

 anterior lateral margin of prothorax cleared so that the file shows through. 

 Lettering same in both figures. 



Fig. 4. Ranatra eggs in situ in soft, decaying cat-tail leaf, a portion of 

 which has been removed to expose the eggs. 



Fig. 6. Genus Curicta. Note that it is intermediate in shape between 

 Ranatra and JVepa. Until the appearance of this bulletin only a single speci- 

 men was recorded from the United States. 



Fig. 7. Egg of Curicta drakei, sp. new, dissected from the tissues of a de- 

 caying plant stem, where only the crown of fifteen filaments was exposed. 

 Drawing made from material secured by Mrs. Grace Wiley in her life history 

 notes on this species. 



Fig. 8. Egg of Nepa apiculata Uhl. Note the eleven filaments which remain 

 exposed above the surface of the plant in which the eggs are inserted. 



Fig. 9. Genus Nepa. Represented in the United States by a single species, 

 Nepa apiculata Uhl. This species varies considerably in size, but no constant 

 structural detail has been found to indicate that the variants are not conspe- 

 cific. 



