THE WHERRYMEN OR WATER STRIDERS. 



979 



front legs stout, feebly curved, their tibiae slightly longer than 

 femora and basal joint of tarsus only half the length of apical 

 one ; middle and hind legs long and slender, the latter with 

 femur about one-fourth longer than tibia and tarsus united. 

 In the winged form the pronotum is subquadrate, fused with 

 mesonotum, the latter much as in Gerris, but more narrowly 

 rounded behind ; elytra narrowed behind, surpassing abdomen. 

 Two species occur in our territory. 



KEY TO EASTERN' SPECIES OF LIMXOGOXUS. 



a. Head with two yellow lines united behind; joint 1 of antennae but 



little longer than 3. 1117. hyalinus. 



aa. Head without yellow lines; joint 1 of antennae slightly longer than 



2 and 3 united. 1118. hesione. 



1117 (1292). Limnogonus hyalinus (Fabricius), 1803, 258. 



Head shining black with pale lines as in key; pronotum black, its 

 side and hind margins narrowly, two short lines and a narrow median 

 one on front lobe, dull yellow; elytra blackish-brown, their inner half a 

 paler brown; body beneath ochraceous, densely clothed with silvery 

 pubescence, pleura and ventrals with a black line each side; legs brown- 

 ish, front femora paler at base. Antennae blackish, joints 1 and 2 paler, 

 1 stoutest, subequal to 3; 2 shorter than 1. Pronotum not carinate, hind 

 margin thickened, the short front lobe distinctly denned. Front femora 

 and tibiae stout, slightly curved. Joint 1 of front tarsi much shorter 

 than 2. First genital of male acutely prolonged. Length, 8.5 — 10 mm. 



A neotropical species, the only rec- 

 ord from our territory being that of 

 Bueno (1911, 245) who states that: 

 "It extends south from Florida 

 throughout South America." 



1118 (1294). Limnogonus hesione (Kir- 

 kaldy, 1902a, 137. 



Oblong-oval, rather robust. Above 

 black, shining, thickly clothed with a mi- 

 nute appressed pubescence; pronotum, wing- 

 less form, with a small median central spot 

 and the edge of hind margin reddish-yellow; 

 in winged form with margins of mesonotum 

 and base of head yellow; antennae and legs 

 in great part dark brown, the bases of front 

 femora paler; prosternum and coxae yellow; 

 under surface with a whitish bloom, the 



meso- and metasterna blackish; abdomen yellow tinged with dusky. 



Structural characters as above given. Length, 7 — 8 mm. (Fig. 195). 



Fig. 195. X 3. 

 (After Osborn & Drake). 



