Egg and Early Larval Stages of a Gorcid Bug. 57 



were now about 7 mm. in length, but some individuals 

 were distinctly larger than others. The abdomen had 

 become narrower in proportion to its length ; the separa- 

 tion between it and the thorax was now less marked ; a 

 raised Y-shaped area had appeared on the dorsal surface of 

 the head; a third joint to the tarsus was feebly indicated 

 (less feebly on the third pair of legs than on the first and 

 second), and the darker markings on the body had become 

 more extensive. The most notable change, however, was 

 in the antennae. The first and second joints had lengthened 

 very considerably ; the penultimate joint had become 

 broad and flat, with a longitudinal ridge on its dorsal 

 surface ; the distal, increasing little in actual dimensions, 

 was now pear-shaped. The expansion of the penultimate 

 joint was rendered more conspicuous by the pale colour of 

 the distal adding a purplish suffusion on its own distal 

 half. 



In the first instar, then, the antennae were of a general- 

 ized type ; in the second they had become highly specialized. 



After the ecdysis the demeanour of the larvas became 

 much less sluggish. They ran about continually, agitating 

 their antennas, which were not held in the same attitude 

 as in the first instar (compare figs. 4 and 5). They refused, 

 however, to feed on the juices of leaves, and consequently 

 died, in the course of a few days, of starvation. 



I have already noted that the individuals differed from 

 one another in size. With the exception of one, which 

 died immediately after getting rid of its old skin, the larger 

 individuals succumbed after the smaller. The difference 

 I attribute not directly to innate physical characters but 

 to the fact that on hatching all the young larvas did not 

 show the same aptitude in finding the leaves provided for 

 their food. Some wandered about for several hours with- 

 out settling down to suck, while others commenced to do 

 so at once. All, however, apparently underwent ecdysis 

 at the same time. I may mention that when the skin was 

 cast the expanded joint of the antennas was drawn out 

 through the narrow aperture at the base of the organ, just 

 as the claws of crabs are drawn out or the expansions on 

 the femora of some Mantodea (e.g. Hymenopus oicornis). 



As regards the systematic position of these Heteroptera, 

 I have no hesitation in assigning them to be Coreidae, and 

 very little to the genus Dcdader, which is remarkable for 

 having antennas with an expanded, ridged penultimate 



