546 



HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA 



CHAP. 



equally small extent ; the species are of strange irregular shapes, 

 for which we can find no reason. The Tessaratomides includes 



many of the largest Hemiptera-Hetero- 

 ptera, some of its members attaining 

 two inches in length. 



The great family Pentatomidae, con- 

 taining about 400 species, is represented 

 in Britain by about 36 native species, 

 the most interesting of which are perhaps 

 those of the genus Acanthosoma. De 

 Geer noticed long ago that the female of 

 A. griseum exhibits great solicitude for 

 its young, and his statement has since 



been confirmed by Mr. Parfitt and the 

 FIG. 260. Cyrtocons mon- J 





South America. Rev. J. Hellins, who found that the 

 mother not only protects the eggs but 

 also the young, and that for a considerable time after hatching. 1 



Very little is known as to the life-histories of Pentatomidae. 

 In some cases the young are very different in appearance 

 from the adults. The peculiar great scutellum is not developed 

 till the mature condition is reached. But little attention has 

 been given to the habits of Pentatomidae ; it is generally con- 

 sidered that they draw their nutriment from plants ; the 

 American Euthyrhynchus floridanus has, however, been noticed 

 to suck the honey-bee, and we think it probable that a good 

 many Pentatomids will be found to attack Insects. 



The term Pentatomidae as applied to this family is of modern 

 origin : in most books the equivalent group is called Scutata, or 

 Scutati, and the term Pentatomidae is restricted in these works 

 to the sub-family called Pentatomides in the system we adopt. 



Fam. 2. Coreidae. Scutellum not reaching to the 'middle of 

 the body ; proboscis-sheath four-jointed ; ocelli present ; antennae 

 "generally elongate and four-jointed, inserted on the upper ^tarts 

 of the sides of the head ; femora not knobbed at the tip. The 

 members of this great family are easily recognised by the above 

 characters ; formerly it was called Supericornia in connection with 

 the characteristic position of the antennae. About 1500 species 

 are known, and they are arranged in no less than twenty-nine 

 sub-families. Many of them are Insects of large size, and they 



1 Ent. May. vii. 1870, p. 53. 



