210 FAMILY VI. — COREIDJE. 



near base of each antenna with a short spine ; antennae stout, 

 joint 1 curved, 2 and 3 more slender, subequal, 4 longer than 2 

 and 3 united ; beak reaching middle coxae, joints 1 and 2 sub- 

 equal, slightly longer than 3 and 4 which are also subequal ; 

 eyes prominent, subglobular ; pronotum subquadrangular, sides 

 straight, feebly converging forward from the acute hind 

 angles, disk strongly declivent ; scutellum short, triangular, its 

 apex acute, base with a short erect blunt spine each side ; apical 

 margin of corium long, oblique, feebly sinuate, the outer angle 

 acute ; membrane reaching tip of abdomen, its veins very nu- 

 merous, mostly simple ; connexivum narrowly exposed ; osteolar 

 opening located in front of hind coxae, without canal or auricle ; 

 hind coxae extremely widely separated, hind femora as de- 

 scribed in subfamily key, armed beneath with four or five erect 

 slender spines, hind tibiae slender, feebly curved, the apex end- 

 ing in a short spine. 



Two species and one western variety are known, both species 

 occurring in the eastern states. 



KEY TO EASTERN SPECIES OF MEROCORIS. 



a. Head subquadrate, not prolonged in front; first joint of antennae 

 stout, subcylindrical, constricted only near base, thickly bristly- 

 hairy; beak just reaching middle coxa?. 150. distinctus. 

 aa. Head subtriangular, prolonged in front between the bases of anten- 

 nae; first joint of antennae subclavate, tapering below the middle, 

 sparsely, finely pubescent; beak reaching behind middle coxae. 



151. typhous. 



150 (236a). Merocoris distinctus Dallas, 1852, 419. 



Oblong-oval, clothed, except on membrane, with a thick matted 

 pubescence. Above fuscous, the pubescence fulvous or grayish; third 

 joint of antennae and some lines on middle of pronotal disk dull red; 

 connexivum black, the ends of each segment red; membrane brownish- 

 black; under surface in great part reddish, the pubescence grayish; 

 middle of abdomen and sternal pleura blackish; legs fuscous, thickly 

 marked with reddish dots and lines. Head with a pair of short, widely 

 separated divergent spines, one above the base of each antenna ; ocelli 

 each placed on the side of an occipital tubercle. Pronotum with three 

 or four short blunt tubercles along each side margin and numerous 

 scattered ones on disk. Other structural characters as in generic descrip- 

 tion. Length, 7.5 — 8.7 mm.; width, 3 — 3.5 mm. (Fig. 42). 



Lake, Vigo, Knox and Posey counties, Ind., scarce, June 2 — 



