Hale — Aquatic Hemiptera • 405 



Swamps (A. H. Elston and H. M. Hale), Lucindale (B. A. Feuerheerdt), Beach- 

 port, Sonth-Eastern districts (S. S. Stokes), Bordertown (J. G. 0. Tapper), 

 Baldina Creek (A. Zietz), Mount Parry (Tate) ; Queensland: Longreach (A. M. 

 Lea), Rockhampton (type locality); New South Wales: Broken Hill (F. "W. 

 Shepherd); Victoria: {fide Kirkaldy) ; Western Australia: Mullewa (Miss 

 J. F. May). 



The specimens from Broken Hill are largely' jet black, with the scarlet of 

 the scutellum prominent. 



This species superficially resembles A. stall, but may be easil}^ recognized by 

 the smaller size, larger head, and by the very different anterior legs. A. hyperion 

 was originally described from female examples taken in Queensland ; the propor- 

 tions of the intermediate legs of the above specimens differ a little from those of 

 the type, the tibiae being more than one-sixth longer than the tarsi. In the female 

 the uncovered portion of the scutellum is rarely more than the length of the 

 pronotum. 



In his "Uber Notonectiden" (1904), Kirkaldy gives a short description of 

 both sexes, and adds the following localities: Victoria (Kirk.'s collection) ; New 

 Caledonia and Marianne Islds. (Paris Mus.) ; Viti Islds. : Ovalau. 



He then expresses doubt as to whether he has not confused two species; 

 the males described by him are 6 mm. to 7 mm. in length, with the anterior 

 claws longer than in the males of the Australian species herein determined as 

 A. hyperion; the examples recorded under this name from New Caledonia, etc., 

 by Kirkaldy, and later by Distant (3) may prove to represent another species. 



BIOLOGY AND LIFE HISTORY OF ANI80P8 HYPERION. 



A. huperion is the commonest representative of the genus in South Australia, 

 occurring in both running and stagnant water. As with other species of the 

 genus, its poise in the water is almost perfect; after ascending to the surface, 

 where the tip of the venter is exposed for a second or so, the bug darts down a 

 few inches; slowly, however, it commences to rise, but a stroke of the swimming 

 legs counteracts this buoyancy ; gradually the tendency to automatically ascend 

 becomes less marked, and finally the insect commences to slowly sink, so that a 

 reverse movement is necessary to regain equilibrium until the surface is again 

 visited. The bug, therefore, is never actually motionless in the water, but is 

 continually jerking up and down, or down and up. 



Food. The food consists of aquatic animals small enough to be mastered ; 

 for more tlian eight months examples confined in battery jars were maintained 



(3) Dist., Nova Caledonia, Zool., i, 1914, p. 386. 



