HEMIPTERA 309 



The widely distributed species is Ochterus americdnus . It measures 

 5 mm. in length, and is blackish in color sprinkled with golden yellow 

 points. On each side of the prothorax, behind the front angles, there 

 is a bright yellow spot. 



The members of this family are predacious. 



Family SALDID^ 

 The Shore-Bugs 



With the Saldidae we reach the beginning of the extensive series 

 of families of Hemiptera in which the antennae are prominent and 

 are not concealed beneath the head. In this family the insects are of 

 small size, and of dark colors with white or yellow markings. The 

 head stands out free from the thorax on a cylindrical base. The an- 

 tennas are four-jointed; there are two ocelli; the rostrum is three- 

 jointed and very long, reaching to or beyond the middle 

 coxcC. The membrane of the wing-covers is furnished 

 with looped veins, forming io\xr or five long cells placed 

 side by side. Occasionally there is little or no distinc- 

 tion between the corium and the membrane. Two forms 

 sometimes occur in the same species, one with a dis- 

 tinct membrane, and another with the membrane thick- ^^\ ^~^' ^ 

 ened and almost as coriaceous as the corium proper. ^ °^^" "^' 

 The shape of these shore-bugs is shown by Figure 424. 



These insects abound in the vicinity of streams and other bodies 

 of water, and upon damp soils, especially of marshes near our coasts. 

 Some of the shore bugs dig burrows, and live for a part of the time 

 beneath the ground. They take flight quickly when disturbed, but 

 alight after flying a short distance, taking care also to slip quickly into 

 the shade of some projecting tuft of grass or clod where the soil 

 agrees with the color of their bodies. 



Thirty-three species belonging to this family have been found in 

 the United States and Canada; these represent eight genera. 



Family VELIIDyE 



The Broad-shouldered Water-Striders 



The Velliidae includes insects which are very closely allied to the 

 following family, the water-striders, both in structure and in habits. 

 In both families the distal segment of the tarsi, at least of the fore 

 tarsi, is more or less bifid, and the claws are inserted before the apex ; 

 these characters distinguish these two families from all other Hemip- 

 tera. In the Veliidce the body is usually stout, oval, and broadest 

 across the prothorax (Fig. 425). The beak is three- jointed; the legs 

 are not extremely long, the hind femora not extending much beyond 



