PROCEEDINGS, 1921 19 



pleural region forming; a thick fold. Male genital claspers shown in 

 figure 3. Legs long and slender ; arolia and claws as in figure 2. 

 Length male 5.5 mm; female 6.5 mm. 



Holotype, female, Saanich Dist., B. C, 3-VIII-'18 (W. Downes), in 

 the National Collection at Ottawa. 



Allotype, male. Saanich Dist., 1-\'II-'18 (W. Downes), in my collec- 

 tion. 



Paratypes, same data and Shawnigan, B.C., l-\"n-'18 (W.D.), in 

 Downes', H. H. Knight's, and in my collection. 



Collected on Rubus nutkanus, the thimbleberry or salmonberry. 



This remarkable myrmecoid species is assigned to the genus 

 Dacerla because it agrees closely with D. inflata Uhler in all but the 

 structure of the pronotum and hemielytra. These parts are especially 

 liable to superficial modifications correlated with brachyptery and ant 

 mimicry and hence their characteristics, while sometimes striking, may 

 properly be considered of specific rather than of generic value. The 

 male genital claspers (Fig. 3) are very similar to those of D. inflata, the 

 right somewhat longer and more slender. The arolia (Fig. 2) are pre- 

 cisely similar, and their structure leads us to question Van Duzee's" 

 course in placing Dacerla in the Hallodapini (Dicyphinae). They are 

 not "minute or wanting," neither are they united with nor parallel with 

 the claws. They are in fact such as are characteristic of the Capsini 

 (Mirinae) and if we accept the fundamental principles of Renter's system 

 the genus must be placed in the Capsine tribe Myrmecorarra, where 

 Renter located it in 1909," without examination of the arolia. Accord- 

 ing to Knight's key to the subfamilies of Miridae,** Dacerla runs directly 

 to the Mirinae. The striking resemblance which D. formicina bears to 

 the brachypterous female of Orectoderus is shown by the fact that two 

 students well versed in the study of the Miridae determined specimens 

 without hesitation as "Orectoderus sp." when I submitted them for 

 examination. When I called the attention of my friend Dr. H. H. 

 Knight to the neglected arolia he gave me his views, upon which I 

 have freely drawn in the above discussion, and he was kind enough to 

 send me the drawing of the arolia and a specimen of D. inflata for com- 

 parison. I am indebted also to Dr. \V. B. Herms, of the University of 

 California, for a series of this species accompanied by the ant with 

 which it was found associated and which it closely resembles as a 

 nymph. The ant has been determined for me by Dr. \V. J\L Wheeler as 

 Formica fusca Linn. 



Phytocoris neglectus Knight. Bull. Brooklyn Hot. Soc, XV:54, 

 1920. Victoria, 31-V1I-'18 (W.D.). This is the species recorded in 



*Synop. Keys Genera N. Am. Miridae, Univ. Calif. Pubs. Tech. Bulls., 

 Entom., 1:210, 1916. 



'Bemerk. neark. Capsiden, Acta. Soc. Sci. Kennicae, XXXVI, No. 2:8, 1909. 

 "Jour. New York Ent. Soc, XXVI:40-44. 



