:n^epid-1e. 17 



Family NEPID^. 



Nepida, Stal, Hem. Afr. iii, p. 185 (1865). 



Body oblong or elongate ; lieacl small, moderately prominently 

 produced before eyes ; rostrum short, three-jointed ; antennae 

 short, three-jointed, inserted under the eyes ; hemelytra more or 

 less complete ; abdomen Mith apical long filiform appendages ; 

 legs sometimes very long, anterior legs raptorial ; tarsi consisting 

 oi a single joint. 



The jNepidse are widely and generally distributed, and are 

 popularly known as " water-scorpions." 



Si/)iopsis of Genera. 



A. Body oblong, or elongately subovate ; pro- 



notum about as long- or a little shorter than 

 broad, its anterior margin about twice as 

 broad as bead Laccotbephes, p. 17. 



B. Body very long and narrow; pronotum slender, 



very much longer than broad ; bead, in- 

 cluding eyes, broader than anterior pronotal 

 margin. 



a. Anterior femora about as long as pro- 



notum ; coxae very long .... = .,. Raxatea, p. 19. 



b. Anterior femora considerably shorter than 



pronotum ; coxae somewhat short Cercotmetus, p. 23. 



Genus LACCOTREPHES. 



Laccotrephes, Stdl, Hem. Afr. iii, p. 186 (1865) ; id. Hem. Fahr. i, 



p. 134 (1868). 

 Nepa (part.), Ferrari, Ann. Hofmus. Wien, iii, pp. 162 &; 163 (1888). 



Type, L. fabricii, Stal, an Ethiopian species. 



Distribution. Ethiopian, Oriental, and Australasian Eegions. 

 Also found in China and Japan. 



Body oblong or elongately subovate ; pronotum about as long 

 as broad, sometimes a little shorter than broad, a little sinuately 

 narrowed anteriorly, where it is about twice as broad as head and 

 behind which it is profoundly concavely sinuate, its base in front 

 of scutellum also strongly concavely sinuate, transversely con- 

 stricted behind middle, between which and anterior margin are two 

 discal longitudinal rugosities; scutellum slightly longer than broad; 

 membrane complete, reticulately veined ; legs of moderate length, 

 anterior femora incrassate and beneath longitudinally sulcate, the 

 anterior tibiae a little shorter than the femora. 



The species of this genus appear to have a wide distribution, and 



YOL. III. C 



