CHAPTER XVII 

 THE WINGS OF THE HETEROPTERA 



Fig. 299. — Diagram of a front wing of 



a bug; cl, clavus; co, corium; 



ni, membrane. 



(a) THE MORE GENERAL FEATURES OF THE WINGS OF THE HETEROPTERA 



In the Heteroptera there is a remarkable difference in the texture of the 

 two pairs of wings, which suggested the name of the order. The basal half 



of the front wings is thickened so as 



to resemble the elytra of beetles, 

 only the terminal half being wing- 

 like. The hind wings are mem- 

 branous, and are folded beneath the 

 front wings. On this account the 

 front wings are often termed wing- 

 covers; they are also termed /z^w^/j- 



tra, a word suggested by their structure. 



The front wings present characters much used in the classification of 



these insects; and consequently 



special names have been applied to 



the different parts of them. The 



thickened basal portion is composed 



of two pieces joined together at their 



sides ; one of these is narrow and is 



the part next to the scutellum when 



the wings are closed (Fig. 299, d); 



this is distinguished as the clavus. 



The other broader part is the corium (Fig. 299, co). The terminal portion 



of the front wing is designated as the membrane (Fig. 299, w). In cer- 

 tain families, the Acanthiidae for 

 example, a narrow piece along the 

 costal margin of the wing is separated 

 by a suture; this is the emhoUum 

 (Fig. 300, e). In certain other cases 

 as the Capsidae, for example, a tri- 

 angular portion of the terminal part 

 of the corium is separated as a dis- 

 tinct piece; this* is the cuneus (Fig. 301, cu). 



Fig. 300. — Diagram of a front wing of an 

 acanthiid : e, embolium ; co, corium ; 

 cl, clavius; m, membrane. 



Fig. 301. — Diagram of a front wing of a 



capsid; cu, cuneus; e, embolium; co, 



corium; cl, clavus; m, membrane. 



(6) THE TRACHEATION OF THE WINGS OF THE HETEROPTERA 



The wings of the Heteroptera exhibit remarkable departures from the 

 primitive type of wing-venation. So great are these that, at first, one sees 

 very little in common between the wings of a bug and those of insects of 



(292) 



