HEM IP T ERA. 



213 



FlG. rt^.Metapodius femoratus, 

 (From Glover.) 



boxes or frames covered with netting. After the plants have ob- 

 tained a good start they are not easily destroyed by this bug. 



Mctapodius femoratus (Fig. 1 84) is a rep- 

 resentative of a group which contains the 

 largest members of this family. This 

 species is distributed from North Carolina 

 to Florida and Mexico. It was observed 

 by Prof. Trelease to destroy the Cotton- 

 worm (Aletia). 



Family XXXIII. PENTATOMIM!.* 



With the Pentatomidce we reach a 

 series of families, four in number, in which 

 the antennae are five-jointed. I have 

 found no exception to this character 

 within the United States, although there 

 are forms which occur just south of our 

 border in which the antennae are only three- or four-jointed. This 

 group of insects is very easily recognized ; but the student may 

 have at first a little difficulty in separating the families. The 

 body is short, broad, and rather thick The scutellum is al- 

 ways large ; we find two types of this part, each characteristic 

 of two families. The first type is presented by the Penta- 

 tomidae and Cydnidae ; here the scutellum is more or less flat- 

 tened, and triangular in outline, being attenuated posteriorly. In 

 each of these families the lateral borders of the scutellum are 

 furnished with a groove into which the wing-cover fits when not in 

 use. 



The form of body presented by the great majority of the mem- 

 bers of the Pentatomidae is well shown by Fig. 185. 

 It is broad, short, and but slightly convex ; the head 

 and prothorax form together a triangle. In this family 

 the tibiae are unarmed, or are furnished with very fine 

 short spines. This is the most available character for 

 separating this from the following family. Of the 

 Pentatomidae, the genus Dlnidor, which occurs in 

 Mexico, and certain other exotic forms have only 

 four-jointed antennae. 



As with the Coreidae, the members of this family vary greatly in 



* PentatSmidai, Pentatoma : pente (itevTe\ five ; tome (ro^tj), section. 



FIG 185. A 

 Pentatomid. 



