﻿vin LYGAEIDAE — PYRRHOCORIDAE TINGIDAE 549 



commercial purposes might be procured from the Insect. This 

 hug has recently developed the habit of sucking oranges, and has 

 thus become injurious in Florida, as the fruit readily decays 

 after it has been punctured by these Insects. The phenomenon 

 of " micropterism " is exhibited by numerous Lygaeids, as well as 

 by Pyrrhocoridae. 



Fam. 5. Pyrrhocoridae. — Distinguished from Lygaeidae only 

 by the absence of ocelli, and not recognised as a distinct family 

 by all Hemipterists. About 300 species are included. Our 

 only British member is the notorious Pyrrhocoris apterus ; it is, 

 however, very rare in this country, though it abounds on the 

 Continent, and has been the object of investigation by embryo- 

 logists and others. It displays in a most marked manner the 

 curious dimorphism as to the alar organs that is so common in 

 certain divisions of Hemiptera ; the elytra and wings being some- 

 times normally developed, while in other cases the wings are 

 entirely absent, and the horny, basal part of the elytra only is 

 present. In some localities, and in some years, only the micro- 

 pterous form is found, while on other occasions there may be a 

 large percentage of the macropterous form. The abundance of 

 this Insect has enabled the French chemist Physalix to obtain 

 an amount of its colouring matter sufficient for analysis ; as 

 the result he procured a substance, insoluble in water, very 

 closely allied to carotine. 1 The Oriental Insect Lohita grandis is 

 one of the most remarkable of Bugs, the male of the Sumatran 

 variety being over two inches in length, having enormously long 

 antennae, and the abdomen extended to about twice the normal 

 length, while the other sex is in the usual condition in these 

 respects. The species is said to be injurious to the cotton-plant 

 in India. 



Fam. 6. Tingidae. — Tarsi two-jointed. Elytra more or less 

 reticulate, consisting of strong, irregular, thick lines forming a frame- 

 work of cells, the enclosed part of t he cell being of different texture 

 and frequently transparent; antennae with terminal joint more or 

 less knob-like, the preceding joint very long ; ocelli wanting ; pro- 

 not urn prolonged behind, covering the scutellum ; front coxae "placed cU 

 the back of the thorax. — This is the first of a series of families 

 with only two joints to the feet. These little bugs are very 

 remarkable objects, and exhibit much variety in their peculiar 



1 C.R. Ac. Sd. Paris, cxviii. 1894, p. 1282. 



