FAMILY REDUVIIDAE 485 



host of Herpetomonas davidi, which is parasitic in the milky juice of the 

 plant ; according to Lafont an allied species of Nysius is the host of 

 the same parasite in the Island of Reunion. Robertson has recently 

 recorded a herpetomonas and a crithidia from the alimentary tract of 

 Dysdercus casiatus, the red cotton bug of Uganda, which has never 

 been known to suck blood. 



FAMILY COREIDAE 



This family of bugs is a comparatively small one ; many of the mem- 

 bers have extraordinary dilatations on their antennae and tibiae, the 

 function of which is unknown. The antennae are inserted on the upper 

 side of the head, above a line drawn from the eyes to the base of the 

 proboscis. Robertson records a herpetomonas from the alimentary tract 

 of Leptoglossus membranaceus in Uganda ; the parasite was found to 

 invade the salivary glands. She considers it a good example of ' the 

 ' independent development in a sucking insect of all the factors requisite 

 ' for the transmission of a flagellate, parasitic in the intestine, by .way of 

 ' the mouth parts of the insect host '. There is no record that this bug 

 sucks blood ; it is entirely a plant feeder. 



BLOOD-SUCKING BUGS 

 FAMILY REDUVIIDAE 



Head more or less elongate and freely moveable ; ocelli may or may not 

 be present ; if present they are situated behind the eyes. Proboscis 

 moderately short and stout and does not lie in repose in a groove on the 

 under surface of the thorax, but is looped under the head. The protho- 

 rax is well developed. The wings in repose lie close up against the 

 abdomen. Elytra when present consist of three divisions. Tarsi three- 

 jointed. (Distant). 



Many of the species of the Reduviidae are predaceous and feed on the 

 body juices of other insects ; the majority, however, are plant feeders. As 

 a rule they are diurnal in their habits, but some are entirely nocturnal, 

 and often fly into houses at night ; they should be handled with care, 

 as they are capable of inflicting a painful bite. Several of the species 

 which are met with in the field in their larval and nymphal stages 

 protect themselves in a peculiar manner. They are most frequently 

 encountered at the openings of holes in the ground; the observer who 

 sees them for the first time may be under the impression that he has 

 discovered some new form of insect life, for the larva and nymph cover 



