SUBFAMILY II. — CAPSIN>E. 765 



coarsely rugose-punctate; corium more finely and densely so. Length, 

 5 — 6 mm. (Fig. 174). 



This species, known as the "tarnished plant-bug," is in late 

 summer and autumn the most common Mirid throughout In- 

 diana, and in late spring and early summer is exceeded in num- 

 bers only by the "meadow plant-bug," Miris dolobrata (L.). The 

 adults hibernate beneath rubbish and have been taken on the 

 wing as early as April 2. In summer and fall they occur by 

 hundreds on weeds and grasses along roadsides, borders of 

 fields and all waste places, in late autumn being especially 

 abundant on the white-heath aster, Aster erkoides L., in old 

 fallow fields. It is a palsearctic species, ranging over all of 

 Canada and the United States and southward into Mexico. A 

 full account of its life history, food habits, etc., is given by 

 Crosby & Leonard (1914). 



A half dozen or more color varieties of L. pratensis have been 

 named. The one above described is the Capsus oblineatus of Say 

 (1832, 21; I, 340), considered a synonym of pratensis by Van 

 Duzee and other authors, but raised to varietal rank by Knight 

 (1917, 564). Three other color varieties which Knight recog- 

 nizes as occurring in the eastern states he separates by the 

 following key : 



KEY TO COLOR VARIETIES OF LYGUS PRATENSIS L. 



a. Chiefly blackish, but streaked with yellowish; head blackish, but with 



four longitudinal yellowish marks on front. 



788a. var. strigulatus. 



b. Color chiefly bright red, pronotum with a black spot behind each 



callus; scutellum pale, middle of base and often a line each side 

 red. 788b. var. rubidus. 



c. Hemelytra pale, apical area of corium bright red ; scutellum yellow, 



marked with black only at middle of base. 



788c. var. rubrosignatus. 



788a ( — ). Lygus pratensis strigulatus Walker, 1873, 94. 



Form and size of pratensis. Upper surface mainly piceous-black; 

 head with pale lines as in key; yellow lines of pronotum very narrow; 

 scutellum black with two spots and apex yellow; elytra dark reddish- 

 brown and fuscous without pale markings ; basal three-fourths of second 

 antennal reddish-brown. 



This variety occurs throughout Indiana with the one previ- 

 ously described, but is less common. A specimen from Swan- 

 nanoa, N. Car., was received from Brimley, and its range in 

 this country is probably the same as that of the typical form. 



