SUBFAMILY I. — PENTATOMIN^E. 139 



been "bred from egg to imago on pepper-grass, Lepidium virgin- 

 icuiii L. and evening primrose, Onagra biennis L." 



The general color of the upper surface of variolarius is paler, 

 and the fuscous punctures are more sparsely placed than in 

 most of our other species of the genus. The thoracic pleura 

 are devoid of the usual two or three small black points and the 

 apex of humeral angles is always acute or ends in a small spine. 

 The male may always be known by the black spot being on 

 the base of the genital plate, not on the sixth ventral as in the 

 males of tristigmus with but one ventral spot present. Occa- 

 sionally the genital plate is pushed so far back beneath the 

 sixth ventral as to cover the spot. These characters will serve 

 to separate the species even if the example in hand happens to 

 be a female with black points on sides of abdomen. The Penta- 

 toma punctipes Say (1825, 314) is a synonym. 



90 (127). Euschistus ictericus (Linnaeus), 1763, 16. 



Elongate-oval, distinctly tapering behind the humeri; subdepressed 

 above, convex beneath. Above reddish-brown or reddish-yellow, thickly 

 marked with fuscous punctures; antennae reddish-yellow, joints 4 and 

 5 piceous, reddish at base; edge of side margins of pronotum, smooth 

 line between its humeri, connexivum and tip of scutellum, yellow, 

 often tinged with reddish; under surface yellow sprinkled with small 

 reddish points; legs yellow with black dots; thoracic pleura with four 

 very small black spots; spiracle rings fuscous. Head flat, distinctly 

 tapering in front of middle, apex narrowly rounded, cheeks equalling 

 tylus. Pronotum with front portion strongly declivent, the edge of side 

 margins coarsely crenate; humeral angles elongate-triangular, directed 

 slightly upward and outward, their tips usually spinose; disk with nu- 

 merous smooth areas, the punctures sparsely, irregularly placed and 

 with a smooth transverse line between the tips of the humeri. Basal 

 half of scutellum with numerous narrow smooth transverse ruga? inter- 

 vening between the irregular rows of punctures. Connexivum usually 

 rather widely exposed. Thoracic pleura coarsely punctate; abdomen 

 smooth or nearly so. Length, 11 — 11.5 mm.; width, 7.5 — 8 mm. 



Frequent in northern Indiana, where it occurs from May to 

 October on the tall grasses growing about the margins of 

 lakes and tamarack swamps ; taken only in Vigo County in the 

 southern portion of the State. Ormond, LaBelle, R. P. Park 

 and Dunedin, Fla., Nov. 22 — April 1, taken by sweeping grasses 

 and low shrubs along the margins of swales. Recorded from 

 numerous other points in Florida and probably occurs through- 

 out the State. Ashland, Mass., Oct. 15 (Frost). Van Duzee 

 (1904, 47) says it is "found in the northern States and Canada 



