1040 FAMILY XXXVII. — NEPID^. 



South Dakota and Colorado, and southwest to Florida, Kan- 

 sas and Texas. Recorded by Barber from St. Augustine and 

 Titusville, Fla. This is our most robust eastern species, but it is 

 equalled or exceeded in length by some examples of australis and 

 drakei. It is the R. americana Montandon (1910a, 65) and is 

 probably more common and more widely distributed than any 

 of our others. The robust form, with preapical sinuation and 

 tooth of front femora distinguish it from all others except 

 drakei, from which it is separated by the characters given in 

 key. An occasional specimen is found in which the preapical 

 tooth of front femora is absent. These represent the var. 

 edentula Montandon. R. fusca has also been recorded many times 

 under the name R. quadridentata Stal, a name belonging to a 

 southwestern species. 



1180 ( — ). Ranatra australis Hungerford, 1923b, 449. 



Elongate, subcylindrical, rather slender. Dark fuscous- or grayish- 

 brown; front femora and tibiae with paler annulations. Eyes rather 

 small, their diameter less than width of interocular area. Cheeks wider 

 and more prominent than in any other species. Front part of pronotum 

 subcylindrical, about twice as long as thickened basal portion, the hind 

 margin of latter broadly and shallowly emarginate. Scutellum with two 

 pit-like foveae. Groove of prosternum as in fusca. Front femora rather 

 stout and broad, without preapical sinuation, more than one-half longer 

 than coxae (fig. 208, g) . Hind femora passing middle of last ventral. 

 Genital plate of female strongly carinate at middle. Breathing tube 

 distinctly longer than abdomen. Length of body, 32 — 37 mm.; of breath- 

 ing tube, 27 — 30 mm. 



Ormond, Lake Wales, Moore Haven, R. P. Park and Dunedin, 

 Fla., December— April (W.S.B.). Mobile, Ala., (Gerhard). Its 

 known distribution is southern, extending from North Carolina 

 and Florida west to Kansas, Louisiana and Texas. This I have 

 found to be the most common Ranatra in Florida, where it oc- 

 curs among the Chara and other water weeds of shallow ditches, 

 and along the margins of ponds and lakes. A number of Hun- 

 gerford's cotypes were from Gainesville and Lake Kissimmee. 

 The Kissimmee specimen in the U. S. National Museum is 

 labeled: "Alligator flea or water-dog, said to bite or sting 

 severely." This species is allied to fusca but is more slender, 

 with longer pronotum and breathing tube, more prominent 

 cheeks, front femora devoid of preapical tooth and both they 

 and tibia? distinctly annulate, a color character not mentioned 

 by Hungerford. 



