578 FAMILY XIX. — REDUVIID^E. 



trate ash-gray pubescence; antenna? dull yellow, the basal joint in part 

 darker; membrane f uscous-brown ; connexivals each with an oblong 

 blackish spot; legs fuscous-brown; meso- and metasterna fuscous; ab- 

 domen dull yellow, the sides usually with a blackish stripe. Male with 

 thickened portion of third antennal blackish; abdomen with sides more 

 parallel than in female. Length, 7 — 8 mm. 



Ormond, Dunedin and Key West, Fla., Feb. 14 — April 16. 

 About Dunedin it occurs on foliage of oak and on tall grasses 

 and other herbage along the margins of ponds. Recorded from 

 numerous other stations in Florida. Ranges from Pennsyl- 

 vania west to Michigan and southwest to Florida, Texas, Cuba, 

 Mexico and Guatemala. It is one of the smallest of our Redu- 

 viids and is easily recognized by the prolonged apical angles of 

 connexivum, unarmed front femora, small size and dull gray 

 color. 



VII. Fitchia Stal, 1859b, 367. 



Medium sized rather slender species having the front lobe of 

 head slightly shorter than hind one, armed above near base of 

 antennae with two short erect tubercles ; ocelli very small, wide- 

 ly separated ; eyes of moderate size, not prominent ; joint 1 of 

 antennae one-fourth longer than 3, 2 shortest, 4 one-half or 

 more the length of 3 ; pronotum with transverse constriction 

 feeble, its sides gradually converging from the base, front lobe 

 with an ill-defined median groove, disk of hind one rugose, its 

 humeral angles rounded, convex above ; apex of scutellum end- 

 ing in a short compressed upcurved spine ; elytra usually 

 strongly abbreviated, scarcely reaching second dorsal, when 

 entire reaching tip of abdomen ; connexivum strongly reflexed ; 

 abdomen of female much widened beyond base with sides 

 broadly rounded, of male much less widened behind ; front 

 femora moderately swollen, about as long as hind ones, un- 

 armed beneath, both they and tibiae beset with numerous fine 

 stiff erect hairs. Two species are known, both occurring in our 

 territory. 



KEY TO SPECIES OF FITCHIA. 



a. Hind lobe of pronotum without spines or tubercles; hind lobe of 

 head gradually tapering from the eyes. 553. aptera. 



aa. Hind lobe of pronotum with two very short spines or conical tuber- 

 cles on disk and one above each humeral angle; hind lobe of head 

 suddenly constricted behind its middle. 554. spinosula. 



