VELIIDiE. 571 



Abdomen above, flat ; beueatli convex ; tlie 6tli segment lojiojcst, 

 its posterior margin very concave ; Connexivian deep, vertical, on the 

 Gth segment produced into a long, triangular, sharp point. Genital 

 segments in the ^, above and beneath 2 are visible; above, the 1st 

 transverse, quadrangular, its posterior margin beyond or in a line 

 with the points of the connexivura ; the 2nd at the base as wide as 

 the 1st, posteriorly rounded ; beneath, the 1st short, prolonged at 

 the sides ; the 2nd long convex, rounded posteriorly : in the 5 

 above, only 1 is visible, not reaching quite so far as the points of the 

 connexivum ; beneath, 2 are visible ; the 1st posteriorly rounded, 

 reaching almost as far as the points of the connexivum ; the 2nd, 

 vertical and with a slight middle keel, fills up the opening at the end 

 of the 1st, but does not project. 



The insects of this genus live gregariously on tlie surface of water, 

 where, as Schummel observes, they look like spiders, and they move 

 rapidly about by little leaps. 



Sjjecies 1. — Velia currens. 



Germs cdrrexs. Fab. E. S. iv, 193, 22 (170i). 



HviiROMrxEA CURRENS, Fcib. S. E. 259, 13 (1S03) ; Fall. Hem. Suec. i, 

 160, 2 (1S29). 

 — RivuLORu:^, IFolff, Ic. Cim. 201, 195, t. 20, lig. 195 (1811). 



Yalta cuukens, Lat. Geu. iii, 133, 2 (1807); Curt. B. E. i, 2, 1 (182i); 



Schum. Beitr. 2, 19, t. 1, fig. 8, t. 2, figs. 1, 2 (1832) ; 



L. Buf. Recli. 73, t. 5, fig. 05 (1833) ; E. Schf. Nom. 



Eiit. 02 (1S35); Bum. Handb. ii, 212, 1 (1835); 



Am. et Sen). Hem. 420, 2 (1813) ; II. Schf. AYauz. ix, 



76, 77 (1850); Flor, flliya. Liv. i, 746, 1 (1860); 



Fieb. Enrop. Hem. 105, 2 (ISGl). 

 Yelia rivuloel-ji, Curt. B. E. 1, 2, 2, pi. 2 (1824). 



Usually apterous ; dull. Head; antenncc ^xi^lleg^'hlaQk; i^ronotiim 

 reddish-brovv-n, with 2 large, white, glossy spots behind the 

 anterior angles, the uudercurved side-margins and below them, 

 orange. Elytra as long as the abdomen, brown-black, with -1 

 clear white spots, 2 at the base and 2 in the middle posteriorlv. 

 Abdomen above black, with a white spot at the sides of each seg- 

 ment ; beneath orange, with a broad black line of spots on each 

 side ; connexivum orange, witli a triangular black spot on the 

 posterior margin of each segment, 



