294 CHINCH BUG INSECTS SIMILAR TO IT. 



writer, who is aiming to appear very erudite upon a theme on 

 which he unwittingly betrays himself to be very ignorant. 



Another species of Micropus, named f aliens by Mr. Say, who 

 discovered it in Missouri, I found common in northern Illinois 

 in October, and I have also met with specimens of it in New 

 Jersey in the month of May, though it has not yet occurred to 

 my notice in the State of New- York. Whether it partakes of 

 the injurious habits of the chinch bug I know not. It may be 

 called the Black-veined Micropus, its wing- covers being dull 

 white with black longitudinal stripes, following the veins to 

 their tips. It is longer and also narrower than the chinch bug, 

 being of a long linear form, 0.20 in length by scarcely 0.05 in 

 width. It is black with the base of the thorax and the legs 

 yellow. 



The Black-veined Micropus has the base of the thorax elevated and smooth, 

 forward of which is a transverse wide shallow depression, and forward of this is a 

 slight elevation with a short wide longitudinal impression in its middle. The wing 

 covers and wings reach only to the anterior edge of the last segment of the abdo- 

 men, and are frequently shorter with the wings wanting or merely rudimentary. 



Its pupa is dull yellow, except the antenna?, which are black, with short fine 

 hairs, and are rather shorter and more thick than in the mature insect. Along the 

 back it often shows two rows of black punctures, one situated upon each side of the 

 middle of each segment. 



Another insect which may frequently be met with upon the 

 same flowers and leaves with the chinch bug, in Illinois and 

 Wisconsin, from the fore part of July until the close of the sea- 

 son, so exactly resembles this culprit that no one would suspect 

 its being different unless apprised of the fact. Indeed it is only 

 by a very close inspection that the one can be distinguished 

 from the other. In one instance this has been sent me as the 

 chinch bug; my correspondent, as I suppose, on finishing his 

 communication, happening to meet with this, immediately in- 

 closed it in his letter, without a suspicion that it could be any- 

 thing else than the insect of which he had been writing. It 

 however is but little more than half the size of the chinch bug, 

 is destitute of hairs, its surface being smooth and shining, and the 

 thin membranous posterior part of the wing covers are without 

 any distinctly traced veins. Though belonging to the same 

 family it pertains to a different genus, named from the circum- 



