﻿— 
  93 
  — 
  

  

  latter 
  part 
  of 
  July. 
  The 
  adult 
  has 
  been 
  taken 
  in 
  Colorado 
  from 
  June 
  to 
  

   September. 
  It 
  infests 
  pigweeds 
  (^A/narann/s), 
  and 
  hence 
  probably 
  its 
  

   liking 
  for 
  beets. 
  

  

  THE 
  SMALLER 
  PLANT-BUGS. 
  

  

  Lygccidcc. 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  large 
  and 
  important 
  family 
  have 
  a 
  hard 
  and 
  

   brittle 
  cuticle, 
  with 
  colors 
  usually 
  varying 
  from 
  grayish 
  to 
  black 
  and 
  

   seldom 
  marked 
  with 
  red, 
  green, 
  or 
  yellow. 
  The 
  membranous 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  

   anterior 
  wings 
  has 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  unbranched 
  veins, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  usually 
  

   start 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  closed 
  cell 
  at 
  the 
  base. 
  Although 
  this 
  family 
  con- 
  

   tains 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  destructive 
  agricultural 
  species, 
  — 
  the 
  notorious 
  

   chinch-bug 
  among 
  them, 
  — 
  its 
  injuries 
  to 
  the 
  beet 
  have 
  hitherto 
  been 
  

   insignificant, 
  at 
  least 
  in 
  Illinois. 
  The 
  frequency 
  with 
  which 
  adults 
  of 
  

   this 
  family 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  warrants 
  the 
  assumption 
  that 
  

   they 
  hibernate 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  in 
  the 
  imago 
  stage. 
  The 
  young 
  are 
  produced 
  

   in 
  spring, 
  and 
  the 
  adults 
  become 
  relatively 
  more 
  abundant 
  with 
  the 
  

   progress 
  of 
  the 
  season, 
  although 
  no 
  general 
  statement 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  con- 
  

   cerning 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  broods 
  annually. 
  

  

  Six 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  family 
  are 
  on 
  our 
  list 
  of 
  beet 
  insects, 
  and 
  doubt- 
  

   less 
  others 
  will 
  be 
  added 
  after 
  further 
  studies 
  in 
  the 
  field. 
  Owing 
  to 
  

   their 
  generally 
  similar 
  pepper-and-salt 
  coloration 
  they 
  are 
  distinguished 
  

   to 
  an 
  ordinary 
  observation 
  with 
  considerable 
  difficulty 
  — 
  a 
  fact 
  of 
  no 
  

   practical 
  importance, 
  since 
  whatever 
  the 
  species 
  the 
  injuries 
  are 
  essen- 
  

   tially 
  the 
  same. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  noticeable 
  differences 
  of 
  those 
  hith- 
  

   erto 
  observed 
  on 
  the 
  beet 
  may, 
  however, 
  be 
  indicated 
  for 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  

   the 
  student 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  enemies 
  of 
  this 
  crop. 
  

  

  Our 
  beat-leaf 
  species 
  belong 
  to 
  four 
  genera. 
  They 
  are 
  of 
  similar 
  

   size, 
  ranging 
  from 
  one-eighth 
  to 
  three-sixteenths 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  length. 
  

   Emblethis 
  and 
  Sphragisticiis 
  (Fig. 
  22, 
  23) 
  have 
  an 
  even, 
  long-oval 
  form, 
  

   the 
  outlines 
  of 
  the 
  thorax 
  flowing 
  without 
  break 
  into 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  abdo- 
  

   men, 
  both 
  laterally 
  and 
  dorsally. 
  The 
  second 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  genera 
  is 
  

   pale 
  gray 
  and 
  black 
  with 
  the 
  gray 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  sprinkled 
  with 
  black 
  dots. 
  

   Geocoris 
  and 
  Nysius 
  (Fig. 
  24, 
  25) 
  are 
  colored 
  like 
  the 
  above, 
  but 
  the 
  

   thorax 
  and 
  abdomen 
  are 
  more 
  distinct, 
  with 
  a 
  break 
  in 
  the 
  outline 
  at 
  

   their 
  juncture. 
  Geocoris 
  (Fig. 
  24) 
  is 
  easily 
  distinguished 
  by 
  its 
  very 
  

   large 
  head 
  and 
  eyes, 
  together 
  equal 
  in 
  breadth 
  to 
  any 
  other 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   body. 
  Emblethis 
  griseus 
  (Fig. 
  22) 
  is 
  dull 
  grayish 
  brown 
  with 
  black 
  

   points 
  or 
  dots 
  and 
  yellowish 
  legs. 
  Sphragisticiis 
  nebulosi/s 
  (Fig. 
  23) 
  has 
  

   the 
  head 
  and 
  front 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  prothorax 
  dull 
  black, 
  the 
  hinder 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  prothorax 
  and 
  the 
  leathery 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  gray 
  sprinkled 
  with 
  

   black 
  points, 
  and 
  the 
  wings 
  also 
  with 
  some 
  black 
  spots. 
  The 
  membranes 
  

   of 
  the 
  wings 
  are 
  whitish. 
  Geocoris 
  buUatus 
  (Fig. 
  24) 
  is 
  gray 
  with 
  some 
  

  

  