THE TRUE BUGS 



in their case, hence the name. They have small heads with broad, 

 prominent shoulders, and the large, triangular scutellum occupies 



FIG. 153. The green soldier-bug (Nezara hilaris]. (Enlarged) 



a, adult ; &, beak ; c, eggs ; d, single egg ; e, young nymph ; f, last stage of nymph. 

 (After Chittenden, United States Department of Agriculture) 



the center of the back between the wings, which are rounded at the 

 tip of the abdomen, giving the whole body a characteristic shield- 

 shaped appearance. From an economic stand- 

 point the family is divided, some species being 

 predacious upon other insects and others 

 being serious crop pests, while some have 

 both habits, as circumstances may offer food 

 of one kind or the other. The predacious 

 species are commonly known as soldier-bugs 

 and feed mostly upon caterpillars. The com- 

 mon green soldier-bug (Nezara hilaris] feeds 

 upon the larvae of the Colorado potato-beetle, 

 cotton-leaf caterpillars, and other injurious 

 forms, but unfortunately it not infrequently 

 attacks cotton bolls, ripening oranges, and 

 various fruits and vegetables, doing consider- 

 able injury by sucking the juices and causing 

 malformations. The spined soldier-bug (Po- 

 disus spinosus] is a common enemy of leaf-eating caterpillars, such 

 as the tussock moths, gypsy and brown-tail moths, and of many 

 soft-bodied grubs, like those of the potato-beetle. Other species, 

 like the harlequin cabbage-bug (Murgantia histrionica\ which is 



FIG. 154. Spined soldier- 

 bug (Podisus spinostis}. 

 (Enlarged) 



(After Lugger) 



