402 THE ANIMAL PARASITES OF MAN 



night. Attracted by lights into houses. Very abundant in 1899 

 at Washington. Howard cites cases where it was proved to bite 

 man. 



18. Melanolestes abdominalis, Herrich-Schaffer (1848). 



Pirates abdominalis, Herrich-Schaffer ; Melanolestes abdominalis, Uhler t 

 1875- 



Allied to the former ; some say similar, but can be told by 

 the shorter wings on the female. It occurs in the same localities 

 as M. morio. 



Fam. Lygczidce. 



Scutellum short ; antennae four-jointed ; ocelli present ; membranous 

 part of hemielytra with never more than five nervures. Nearly all vege- 

 table feeders. x\ few are recorded here as biting man. 



19. Lyctocoris campestris, Fabricius. 



Acanthia campestris, Fabricius. 



(Lyctocoris domesticus.) 



Rare in habitations, lives on human blood. Found by Blan- 

 chard in a bed at an hotel at Liverpool. The bite is undoubtedly 

 worse than that of Cimex. Cosmopolitan. In colour it is ferruginous, 

 shining, legs testaceous; hemielytra slightly shorter and narrower 

 than the abdomen ; membranous portion transparent, the apex 

 broadly fuscous. Length 3*8 to 4*8 mm. 



20. Rhodinus prolixus, Stal, 1859. 



Sometimes attacks man, and the bite is very painful. It is 

 25 mm. long and 8 mm. broad, and occurs in Colombia. It 

 is found also in Cayenne and Venezuela. This like other species 

 is known in South America as Bichuque or Benchuca. 



A few other unimportant species are also recorded as biting man, 

 such as Harpactor cruentas, in the South of France ; Eulyes 

 amcena, from Borneo and Java ; Arilus carinatus (Forster), from 

 Brazil. The latter appears to be the same as the Acanthia 

 serratus, Fabricius. F. V. T.] 



