﻿STINK BUGS, GENUS MECIDEA — SAILER 491 



Amer. Ent. Soc, vol. 30, pt. 1, p. 2G, 1904 [Colorado record]. — Snow, Trans. 

 Kansas Acad. Sci., vol. 20, pt. 1, p. 177, 1906. — Van Duzee, Catalogue of 

 the Hemiptera of North America, p. 29, 1917 [in part]. — Ruckes, Hull. 

 Brooklyn Ent. Soc, vol. 33, pt. 1, p. 10, 1938. 



Related to Mecidea kristenseni and M. pampeana; however, the 

 males are easily separated since both these species lack the tubercule 

 found near the ventral posterior margin of the genital segment of 

 ilf . minor. The dorsally flattened and usually grooved third antennal 

 segment of minor serves to distinguish the females from kristenseni, in 

 which the third antennal segment is cylindrical. The presence of 

 black markings on the midventral line of the abdomen is sufficient to 

 distinguish most specimens of either sex from pampeana. 



Color quite similar to M. major except on venter of abdomen. 

 Midventral line of abdomen marked with fuscus or black, varying 

 from a continuous line on fourth, fifth, and sixth visible segments and 

 a lineate spot on the third, through a short lineate spot on each seg- 

 ment to complete obsolescence. Spiracles always pale. Black spots 

 just below abdominal setigerous puncture with their greatest diameter 

 seldom more than one-twelfth length of supporting segment at the 

 same level. 



Form more elongate than M. major or M. longula. Lateral margin 

 of pronotum almost regularly concave; edges carinate anterior to calli 

 but not more than calloused posteriorly. Calloused line along middle 

 of pronotum and scutellum more prominent than in other American 

 species. Pronotum with tendency toward a carina on each side 

 behind calli. Juga usually converging to an acute apex and not 

 deflected along apical half. 



Length: Males, 9.1-10 mm.; females, 9.2-11 mm. 



Width at humeral angles: Males, 2.1-2.4 mm. ; females, 2.2-2.8 mm. 



Antennae of male: Relative length of segments, 32:76:87:75:65. 

 Fii-st three segments as shown on plate 48, figure 37. 



Antennae of female: Relative length of segments, 40 : 1 15 : 65 : 70 : 64. 

 First three segments as shown on plate 48, figure 38. 



Male genitalia: Hypopygium, clasper, penial plates and penial vesicu- 

 lae as shown on plate 48, figures 53, 57 ; plate 47, figures 15, 13, and 14. 



Female genitalia: In most instances sufficiently difl'erent from 

 Mecidea major to be of diagnostic value. Terminal segment not more 

 than twice as wide as long, usually less. Genital plates proportion- 

 ately narrower than those of major. Subgenital plates with a width- 

 length ratio of 18:45. 



Variation. — Characteristically more uniform than Mecidea major. 

 The second antennal segment of the female varies considerably in 

 length and in the degree to which the dorsal ridge is expanded. The 

 juga show less variation than is characteristic of major; however, there 

 is a range from overlapping before the tylus to failure to converge. 



