2 ()KTii()PT]-:ka 



'V\\e pfoHotiiii! is large and frequently ctjvers the head entirely; it is most varied in shape and may 

 be orbicular, semi-orbicular. cucuUate, with reflected border, rugose- or tuberculate. The prosternum is 

 small and inconspicuous. 



The mesfliintion and metanotn»i are very simular to one another in structure; in some genera a small 

 triangular part of the mesonotum, the scuieUum, is exposed when the tegmina and wings are closed. 

 The ineso- and metasternuni thiiugh larger than the prosternum are not readily to be seen in dried 

 specimens. 



The tegmina ox elytra may be completely developed, abbreviated, scaledike or absent; in man\- 

 genera the males are winged, but the females are apterous {Polyphaga, Deropeltis etc.). 



The tegmina o\erlap to a greater or less extent; the\' are hornv, coriaceous or membranouj^; in 

 the genus Diapkaini they are entireh' membranous and transparent, in the genus Holncoiiipsa the basal 

 half is coriaceous and opaque, the apical liall membranous and transparent, producing the appearance of 

 the tegmen of a Heteropterous bug. Occasionally the tegmina are ciliated (Polyphaga, Corydid) or coveied 

 \\\\.}x a. s&nceons Y)\\e {Nyctibora, Parafjopes). I'our main ncrxiires or veins issuing from the base of the 

 tegmen mav be distinguished, viz : i. The mediastinal vein, ^vhich runs to the anterior border of the 

 tegmen before its middle; the part of the tegmen between its anterior border and the mediastinal vein 

 is known as the mediastinal .irea; branches or secoiidaiy veins are emitted by the mediastinal vein onl\- 

 towards the anterior border. 2. The radial vein extends to the apex of the tegmen dividing it int'i two 

 more or less une(|ual paits, tin- niaii;inal area and the discoidal area; in some genera the marginal area 

 is almost e(|ual in breadth to the discoidal area, in others it is a narrow strip; blanches are given oft to 

 the anterior margin of the tegmen (costal veins) and sometimes to the apex. 3. The ulnar or median 

 vein gives off a number of branches to the ajiex and to the sutural margin of the tegmen, when these 

 branches unite in two main trunks thev aie termed the anterior ulnai' or interno-median and the posterior 

 ulnai' or externo-median. 4. The anal vein runs in a curved line to the sutural margin at a jioint before 

 its middle; it is usualh' well-marked and sometimes impressed; the part of the tegmen enclosed by it is 

 the anal area, and is occupied b\' a siMies of more or less parallel secondar}- veins, known as the axillary 

 veins, whose number ranges from three to twelve or more. These four main nervures are generallv 

 distinct, but in tegmina of corneous texture they tend to disappear; the secondary veins more frequently 

 become obliterated. 



The 'uiiiigs in some genera are reduced or absent, e\cn when the tegmina are well-develo])ed 

 ( Phlebonutus, Phcnacisma), but reduction of the tegmina is always accompanied by reduction of the wings. 

 The general form of the expanded wing is a triangle, the apex ot the triangle being attached to the 

 metanotum ; an anterior part and a jiosterior part can be distingiiishe(l, the anal or dividing vein maiking 

 the division of the two parts. The veins of the tegmina have their counterpart in tin.' wing; the ulnar 

 vein nearh' always is composed of two distinct branches, the anterior ulnar, which is usuall}' unbranched, 

 and the posterior ulnar, which gives off numerous branches towards the dividing vein ami apex ot the 

 wing ; the dividing vein is unliranched. The posterior part ol the wing corresponds to the anal area ot the 

 tegmen and is traversed by several radiating axillary veins, which act like the ribs of a ian and on w liich 

 this part of the wing can fold up, the folded up portion then doubling under the anterior })art nf the \\ ing. 

 In the CorvdinaE' the anal area however does not fold up like a fan. but merelv doubles under the anterior 

 part of the wing. .\ small part of the wing known as the triangular apical area occurs in some genera 

 (e. g. Ectohia, Ckniisoiieara, Oxyhaloa); in these, when the wing is foliled. this triangular area is left at Xhv tip 

 of the wing unincluded in the main fold, but it is doubled over or rolled up and lies on the anterior part of 

 the w ing, it also folds on itself along a longitudinal crease; when the wing is expanded this area unfokN anil 

 is seen to lie belwcen the dlNidint; \"ein .and the posterior ulnar vein, which are often somewhat dist< ii ted 

 to accomodate it. In the genera Aiiaplccta and Plcctof'lo-a the apical aiea is large and often eijuals the rest 



