46 BRITISH INSECTS 



the sub-order metamorphosis is incomplete, the young 

 never differing greatly from their parents, save in the 

 absence of wings. 



For the sake of convenience, the Heteroptera are 

 usually divided into two series viz. : (i) Gymno- 

 cerata, in which the antennae are conspicuous, being 

 held out in front of the head ; and (2) Cryptocerata, 

 in which the antennas are very short, and concealed 

 in cavities beneath the eyes. The former are typically 

 " land bugs," though many forms dwell upon the 

 surface of water ; the latter are aquatic. Each section 

 is divided into several families, among which the 

 following may be mentioned : 



The " shield-bugs ni are so called on account of the 

 great development of the scutellum in most of the 

 species. They may be represented by Tropicoris 

 vufipes, a thick-set, brownish insect, with an orange 

 spot at the apex of the scutellum. It is common 

 upon trees and bushes in the autumn, and preys on 

 caterpillars, whose juices it sucks. In similar situa- 

 tions may be found Syromastes marginatus, another 

 brown species, with broad abdominal segments which 

 project on each side beyond the folded wings. It is 

 one of the family Coveidce, whose members have the 

 scutellum relatively small, and four-jointed antennas 

 which are club-shaped at the tip. These characters 

 are shared by the Berytida, which may, however, be 

 distinguished by their slender form and long legs. 

 The antennas are also very long, as may be seen in 

 Neides tipularius (Plate V.). In the Lygaidce, of which 

 there are about sixty British species, the four-jointed 

 antennae are inserted lower on the head than in the 

 Coveida. An example is Nysius thymi, a small bug 

 1 Pentatomida. 



