370 FAMILY XI. — LYGJEIDJE. 



312 ( — ). Blissus validus sp. nov. 



Elongate-oval. Black, sparsely clothed with grayish pubescence; 

 corium, clavus and membrane dull whitish-hyaline with veins tawny- 

 yellow the apex of corium piceous; antenna? with joint 1 and basal half 

 of 2 yellow, remainder piceous; legs and beak pale brownish-yellow. Beak 

 reaching metasternum. Pronotum subquadrate, sides slightly sinuate at 

 basal third, thence broadly rounded to apex; disk, except the nodules 

 of hind angles, everywhere closely and coarsely punctate. Scutellum 

 similarly punctate, with an evident but faint apical carina. Abdomen of 

 female very long, strongly narrowed at base to opposite apex of clavus, 

 thence gradually expanded and widest behind apex of corium. Female 

 with apex of fifth ventral reaching middle line of abdomen. Length, 

 4.7 mm. 



Marion Co., Ind., Oct. 31. Taken by sifting. Much longer 

 and more parallel than leucopterus or any of its varieties, with 

 very different sculpture of pronotum, the fourth antennal as 

 long as second and third united. 



313 (496). Blissus leucopterus (Say), 1832, 14; I, 329. 



Oblong-oval. Black, subopaque, thickly clothed with fine app~essed 

 pubescence, in fresh specimens, that on front 



thalf of pronotum with a faint silvery-gray 

 tinge; elytra, including membrane, milky- 

 white, the veins tinged with yellowish; apex 

 of corium with a large blackish spot; tip of 

 second joint of antenna? and joints 3 and 4, 

 piceous, remainder pale brownish-yellow; 

 very narrow hind margin of pronotum 

 brownish; legs and beak brownish-yellow. 

 Pronotum shorter and more convex than in 

 arenarius, sides not sinuate, broadly rounded 

 in front; disk minutely subobsoletely punc- 

 tate; scutellum similarly punctate, without 

 evident carina. Abdomen of female slightly 



Fig. 79, X 9. (After Lugger). , , . „ , , , ,, j j u 



narrowed at base, feebly broadly rounded be- 

 hind apex of clavus. Length, 3.8—4.2 mm. (Fig. 79). 



This is the destructive "chinch-bug" which annually does 

 millions of dollars of damage to cereal and other crops, in the 

 states between the Allegheny and Rocky Mountains. It occurs 

 throughout Indiana, but is more common in the central and 

 southern portions; hibernating as adult in vast numbers be- 

 neath fallen grass and piles of weeds, in fodder shocks and 

 other cover along the borders and within cultivated fields. 

 There are usually two broods each year, the young of the first 

 appearing in May and June in time to attack the juicy stems of 



