148 



THE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN. 



Structural Peculiarities. Wing pads now reach a trifle beyond the 

 metathorax. The antennae more like those of the adult. There is still 

 but one segment to the tarsi which become 2-segmented in adult. 



Summary. This common water bug is found in the trash of stagnant 

 waters where it preys upon other aquatic animals. They winter as adults 

 in the mud or trash of the pool. In the spring they mate and the female 

 places from 65 to 158 eggs upon the back of the male, which is forced 

 thus to carry them for a week or two till the young come forth. Six or 

 seven weeks are required to complete a generation. 



Genus LETHOCERUS. Mayr. 1852. 



Most of the biological notes in the literature which deal with these 

 insects are given under the generic names of Belostoma or Amorgius, 

 Belostoma americana being a favorite. There are five species belonging 

 to North America north of Mexico. L. americanus Leidy, L. obscurus 

 Duf., angustipes Mayr, L. uhleri Montd, and L. annulipes H. S. Of these 

 L. annulipes and L. angustipes are listed as western. The others general. 



No complete life history has been recorded for any of these giant water 

 bugs. The notes that havej been made concerning these large bugs are 

 sometimes difficult to assign to this genus without the possibility that the 

 observer was watching Benacus. 



Habitat. Uhler says americanus lives in quiet, fresh or brackish 

 waters. It prefers larger bodies of water] however than the little Belo- 

 stoma, which may be found in very restricted pools. 



Hibernation. We are indebted to L. O. Howard, 1900, for the record 

 that L. americanus winters as an adult. It was found in water under the 

 ice. The temperature of the water was 10° F. The adult Belostomatid 

 was taken alive by H. J. Giddings, of Sabula, Iowa, in February. 



Oviposition. In 1876, Dr. Riley read a paper before the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science, "On the Curious Eggmass 

 of Corydalus coruutus (Linn) and on the eggs which have hitherto been 

 referred to that species." "In this he surmised," says Weed, "that the 



