Hemiptera 



189 



Reduviidae. — The Redu-u'i'td<£ are distinguished from the preceding 

 families by the short bent beak, which does not lie close beneath 

 the head when not in use. The feelers are slender, the eyes 

 prominent and placed far in front of the pronotal margin, and the 

 ocelli situated be- - ; 



.'-■'^ ^ 





hind the eyes. The 

 front thighs are 

 usually thickened. 

 When developed 

 the forew i n g is 

 divisible into 

 corium, clavus, 

 and membrane. 

 These bugs are 

 mostly of large 

 size and prey on 

 smaller insects; 

 they are abundant 

 in tropical coun- 

 tries, but become 

 scarcer in cooler 

 regions. 



Saldidae. — The 

 SalJiJ<£ are a small 

 f am ily of bugs, 

 w^hose beak, as in 

 the Red u V i i d 2 

 does not lie closely 

 beneath the head, 

 though it is rela- 

 tively longer than 

 in that family. 

 These insects are 

 oval in shape, 

 rather convex 

 above : the feelers 

 are slightly 

 thickened at the 

 tip, and the ocelli 

 are placed between 

 the eyes. The side 

 edges of the pro- 

 notuni are keeled. 

 The forewing is 

 composed of corium, clavus and membrane, but the outer margin of 

 the corium is rounded. There are three tarsal segments. The 

 Saldidi live in damp places, especially in salt marshes. 



Cimicidae. — The CimidJie are small bugs, distinguished from the 



