504 FAMILY XVII. — PHYMATID^E. 



abdomen, above and beneath, closely united and enclosing the 

 genital plate. 



Only about 80 species of the family are known, 14 from 

 North America. They are all predaceous in habit, hiding them- 

 selves in the heads of flowers, especially Compositae, where they 

 await the coming of bees and other nectar-seeking insects. 

 When the prey is within reach the bug makes a quick stroke 

 with its sabre-like fore tibiae, draws the victim within reach of 

 its beak and then leisurely sucks it dry. The family is sepa- 

 rated into two subfamilies, each represented in North America 

 by a single genus. The literature is widely scattered, the chief 

 works being a monograph by Handlirsch, published in 1897, 

 and Champion, 1898. 



KEY TO NORTH AMERICAN GENERA OF PHYMATID^. 



a. Tarsi of front legs present but very small, concealed in repose in 

 a groove on the inner side of tibiae; scutellum small, triangular, 

 enclosed between the bases of the elytra (Subfamily Phyma- 

 tinae). I. Phymata. 



act. Tarsi of front legs absent; scutellum continued back to the end of 

 the abdomen, in repose covering the greater part of the elytra 

 (Subfamily Macrocephalinae). II. Macrocephalus. 



I. Phymata Latreille, 1802, 247. 



The species of this genus have the head short with vertex 

 produced forward and sometimes upward, its apex usually 

 deeply notched ; antennae closely received in grooves, these 

 passing back above the eyes and beneath the side margins of 

 pronotum; pronotum with disk very irregular, the margins 

 sinuate or emarginate in front of the humeral angles; disk of 

 hind lobe with two longitudinal carinas ; veins of elytral mem- 

 brane with numerous branches ; front femora grooved to re- 

 ceive the curved tibiae in repose, the margins of the groove 

 and the tibiae very finely and closely toothed (fig. 3, c) ; abdo- 

 men strongly widened and reflexed behind the middle. Seven 

 species occur in our territory. 



KEY TO EASTERN SPECIES OF PHYMATA. 



a. Larger, 8 — 12 mm.; membrane brown; head usually with two tuber- 

 cles each side of disk. 

 6. Fourth antennal, especially that of male, longer than second and 

 third united. 478. wolffii. 



bb. Fourth antennal not longer in either sex than second and third 

 united, often much shorter. 



