﻿It is now fifteen years since I illustrated several genera be- 

 lonf^ing to this family, and called the attention of naturalists 

 to the structure of the antennae. At that time, Fallen's little 

 work and WolfI''s Icones with Panzer's figures were the prin- 

 cipal aids we had to guide us through the various tribes of this 

 intricate order. Since then M. De Laporte has given a valu- 

 able Systematic Classification of the Hemiptera, and Hahn 

 has published a considerable portion of his Die Wanzenarti- 

 gen Insecten. Dr. Burmeister has also an able memoir upon 

 the classification of the Geocorisae of Latreille in the Revue 

 Entomologique, in which he rejects the antennae as characters 

 to be employed in the grouping of the Aspidotae or Pentato- 

 midae of this work. 1 am very reluctant to give up the an- 

 tennae as generic characters in this order, having found them 

 very useful if not infallible guides in the grouping of our Bri- 

 tish species : it would however be idle to discuss this subject 

 generally, until the foreign tribes, which are very numerous, 

 are fully investigated, as it is in them that Dr. Burmeister has 

 found the antenna) of allied species to be very inconstant. 



The following table will serve to group the British Penta- 

 tomidie : 



1. Scutellum not covering the abdomen. 



Tarsi biarticulate Acanthosoma pi. 28. 



Tarsi triarticulate. 

 Legs smooth. 



Head elongate trijjonate ^lia TO* 



Head oblong Pkntatoma 20 



Legs spiny Cydnus 7t 



2. Scutellum nearly covering the abdomen Tetyr A 685 



and the characters of the subgenera will be found in the ac- 

 companying tblio. I may add that Hahn has divided our 

 Pentatomas into Tropicoris, lalla, Eysarcoris^ and Struchiuy 

 which are distinguished by the antenna^. 



The only species of yTllia inhabiting England is acuminata, 

 which is not common. I have taken sjiecimens on long grass 

 at Caistor Marrams near Cireat Yarmouth in June, and in 

 August and September in cornfields near Niton in tlie Isle of 

 Wight. In May it has been found on Ferns and the Royal 

 Moonwort, Osmunda regalis, the plant represented in the 

 plate. 



