BUGS 47 



named after the wild thyme, on which plant it is 

 sometimes found. 



In all the above-cited families the tarsi are three- 

 jointed, but in Tingidida they are two-jointed. These 

 small bugs, of which there are about twenty indigenous 

 species, are also distinguished for the remarkable 

 sculpturing of the upper surface of the body, and of 

 the fore-wings, while the scutellum is usually covered 

 by the pronotum ; Monanthia cavdui, which may be 

 found upon thistles during the autumn, and in moss 

 during the winter and spring, may be instanced as an 

 example. The Avadidce also have four-jointed tarsi, 

 but the scutellum is exposed and relatively large. 

 Moreover, the members of this family are very flat, 

 and are not attractively sculptured ; Aradus depressus, 

 which is not uncommon under loose bark, and in 

 moss beneath old trees, is one of five British species. 



The pond-skaters 1 live for the most part upon the 

 surface of water, and feed on floating refuse or small 

 aquatic creatures. Unlike most other bugs, their 

 fore-wings are of one texture throughout. Their 

 bodies and tarsi are covered beneath with a dense, 

 velvet-like pubescence, which tends to repel moisture. 

 The slender, long-legged Hydrometra stagnorum abounds 

 among duck-weed, on ponds, from spring to autumn. 

 Another common species, also with long legs, is 

 Gerris thoracica. It is larger and more heavily built 

 than Hydrometra. 



The Reduviida are distinguished from the preceding 

 families by the fact that the proboscis, when not in 

 use, does not lie closely beneath the head. The 

 family is abundantly represented in tropical countries, 

 but the British species are not numerous. The 

 1 Hydrometrida. 



