1002 FAMILY XXXIII. — SALDIDjE. 



prominent, hind margin obtusely rounded. Elytra conjointly narrower 

 and very slightly shorter than abdomen, the membrane differing from 

 corium only in the absence of pile. Legs relatively stout, middle femora 

 longest, front ones shortest, hind ones armed beneath with a row of 

 very fine teeth. Middle of metapleura with a small opening protected 

 by one to three acute erect spines. Brachypterous form with elytra repre- 

 sented by a pair of very short narrowly triangular white pads project- 

 ing behind the pronotum ; last three dorsals with a curved line of white 

 pubescence. Pronotum narrower and shorter, the humeral angles scarce- 

 ly evident. Length, 5—5.3 mm. (Fig. 200). 



Dunedin, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Bassenger and R. P. Park, 

 Fla., Dec. 1 — March 28. Taken in small numbers at all stations 

 beneath cover in mucky places near ponds and ditches ; at Sara- 

 sota in a tidewater bay-head. Usually two to four are found 

 together. Only one was taken from the water, this being 

 dragged out with a mass of Chara from a limestone ditch at 

 R. P. Park. Seven of the 24 specimens at hand are macrop- 

 terous. A tropical species described from Brazil and recorded 

 from Mexico, Central America, Panama and the West Indies. 

 Known in this country only from Georgia, Florida and Texas. 



Examples of Florida specimens were determined by both 

 Bueno and Van Duzee as V. australis Bueno (1916a, 54). They 

 were later compared with Panama specimens of V. brachialis, 

 received from W. E. China and determined by Champion, and 

 were found to be identical, not only in relative length of tarsi 

 and tarsal joints, but in every other respect. Bueno's name, 

 therefore, falls as a synonym. 



Family XXXIII. SALDIM] Amyot & Serville, 1843, xlix 



(Acanthiidce) . 



The Shore Bugs. 



Small oval or elongate-oval littoral Heteroptera of dull color 

 having the front of head almost vertical ; ocelli present, in our 

 species approximate or subcontiguous ; eyes large, coarsely 

 granulated, projected outward and backward ; tylus prominent, 

 cylindrical, obtuse, shorter than cheeks ; beak 3-jointed, in re- 

 pose not appressed to under surface of head or prosternum, the 

 first joint very short, the second very long; bucculse short, 

 broad, rounded ; antennae 4-jointed, inserted low down on the 

 sides of cheeks, the basal joint shorter than head, rather stout, 

 somewhat curved, second much longer ; pronotum subtrape- 

 zoidal, the apex or front side much the shortest, the lateral 

 margins oblique, the hind one broadly concave ; scutellum large, 



